A Grandma Who Loves Gardening, Reading, and Games

On Thursday morning, the last day of Passover, after 40 days of war, we woke to a ceasefire. The quiet felt unfamiliar. No planes overhead. No sirens. Not even the usual blaring alerts the moment I stepped into the shower. It was almost unsettling in its stillness.
And yet, I can't help but wonder - is this really what we hope for after everything we've been through? Homes lie shattered. Too many lives have been lost. And despite it all, the Iranian regime remains a global threat, continuing its pursuit of nuclear capability while tightening its grip on one of the world’s most vital waterways, the Strait of Hormuz.
We find ourselves standing in the wreckage, somehow expected to return to normal after more than a month of living on edge, in a reality that feels anything but ordinary.
Soon, Israel will shift from this fragile quiet into remembrance. The country will mark Yom Hazikaron, the day we remember Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism. Since losing Gadi, this day has become deeply personal for me, and I can no longer make the emotional transition to Yom Ha'atzmaut, Independence Day, which begins the following evening, the moment Memorial Day ends.
And still, despite everything, I return to my cards. With paper and glue and careful hands, I keep creating. It is my way of holding on and, in some small way, moving forward.

This card request followed soon after the extra-large 80th birthday card I designed for another special grandma, and the briefs for the two projects were strikingly similar. Both grandmas, it seems, enjoy gardening, so once again I started with a background of a garden and shrubs. This grandma, Vicki, was turning 85. She has 5 grandchildren and, as well as gardening and flowers, she enjoys reading and board games.  

My customer wanted her children's names incorporated into the flowers, which I arranged into girls and boys for visual balance. I also checked which board games grandma enjoys and learned it’s backgammon, cards, and Rummikub.

I chose to depict grandma sitting at a garden table, a Rummikub rack before her and a tile poised in her hand. Next to her sits a small pile of books, waiting to be read. In the background, I added the requested flowers, along with a plant pot and trowel. Finally, a large 85 marks her age.

Her daughter, my customer, was delighted with the card!

* This post has been shared on Happiness Is Homemade, Mosaic Monday, Handmade Monday, Busy Monday, Monday Morning Blog Club, Talking About It Tuesdays, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop, Creatively Crafty Linky Party, Little Things Thursday, Funtastic Friday and Crazy Little Lovebirds.

Loved, Cherished and Celebrated

Some cards come out just as I want them to, and this was definitely one of those!

My customer asked me to create an extra-large card for her mum's 80th birthday. She shared that her mum loves embroidery - stitching cushions, challah covers, and tallit bags - as well as gardening and flowers, and she also enjoys a nice glass of red wine.

In addition, she asked me to add three balloons to the front of the card, each with a letter - Y, M, and A. These are the initials of my customer's kids, and she said her mum truly loves them.

I decided to show bespectacled mum doing some embroidery, needle and thread in hand. Next to her are some embroidery scissors and a glass of red wine. She's sitting at a table in her garden, surrounded by bushes and plants, with flowers decorating the table. I also added the initialed balloons - all tied together with another flower - and a big red number 80 to celebrate her milestone birthday.

I thought that the greeting my customer sent me was just lovely: 80 Years Loved, Cherished, and Celebrated. It perfectly captures the warmth and joy of such a special milestone birthday.

The card was very well received! My customer, who lives nearby, came by to pick it up. At the time, only Mister Handmade in Israel was home, so she sent me this sweet message:
"Sooooo beautiful ❤️❤️❤️"
It really made my day to hear how much she loved it!

* This post has been shared on Craft Schooling Sunday, Happiness is Homemade, Mosaic Monday, Handmade Monday, Busy Monday, Inspire Me Monday and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

More Glasses Than Elton John

My customer's Uncle Larry was turning 70 in May 2022. She asked me to make a special card for his birthday. "He's such a character" she wrote to me. She told me that he enjoys gardening, eating ice cream and travelling. "He has more glasses than Elton John. It's one of his 'things'" she said.

I showed bespectacled Uncle Larry with an ice cream cone in his hand. There is also a bowl of ice cream behind him. I added some bushes in the background, some gardening tools and a plant. An aeroplane represents his love of travel. Finally, a big red number 70 marks his age.

"It's perfect!" my customer said.

* This post has been shared on Craft Schooling Sunday, Happiness is Homemade, The Good. The Random. The Fun.

80 Years Young

Once again I am playing catch up and sharing some cards that I made for some lovely ladies who were celebrating their 80th birthdays back in early 2022.

The first card was for a nana who was a tour guide by profession and also a wonderful baker. Her daughter-in-law told me that she makes delicious chocolate chip cookies and cakes.

I showed Nana with a plate of cookies in one hand and a sign saying "Tour Guide" in the other. Tour guides often carry a flag so that if/when people get lost they can spot the flag. Behind her is a view of Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock, and next to her is some cake. A big blue number 80 marks her age.
I know this nana personally and she was kind enough to write to me after she received her card:

Hi Lisa

Just want to say thank you for the terrific birthday card you designed for my 80th birthday. I can't stop smiling at it all day. It's right here on the table so I am with this silly grin all day long!
Thank you, thank you!

My second card was for a mum who turned 80 at the end of May that year. She lives in the basement of my customer's sister's house and enjoys a bit of gardening at the entrance to the space. Her daughter told me that anemones are her favourite flower.

I showed this mum watering the flowers by her front door. I added a lot of red and purple anemones since they are her favourite. A big red number 80 marks her age.
Once again, the card was very well received:

Dear Lisa, I just wanted to share with you that I gave my mum the beautiful card you made and she absolutely loved it, showing it to everyone that came to her birthday tea.

Finally, a customer asked me to make a card for her friend who was soon to be celebrating her 80th birthday. She asked me to put a big number 80 on the card, but also requested an aeroplane to represent her friend's love of travel, a birthday cake and the blue and white Israeli flag.
She called to tell me that her friend really loved the card.

* This post has been shared on Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.