Laura Bolter Design

I discovered Laura Bolter's gorgeous work quite some time ago but it was only recently that I was lucky enough to see one of her colourful pieces for real. Laura recently ran a giveaway you see and I was one of the lucky winners!
Laura was working on her resin jewellery and prints and in a blog post asked a few questions. "Would you prefer to wear one inch pendants mounted in metal settings or on wood tiles?", she asked. "If you like metal settings, would you prefer antique copper, antique brass, shiny silver or black? Or, do you like pins better than pendants?" She had questions about wood tile magnets, tallit clips and her prints too.
I gave Laura's questions some thought and was delighted when she picked me as one of the winners, as her way of saying 'thank you'! I got to choose a pendant or pin of my choice from all of the images in her shop and was thrilled to find a lovely package containing this beautiful floral pendant waiting for me when I returned to Israel at the end of the summer.
Thank you, Laura. I am absolutely thrilled with my pendant and am touched by your kindness.
You want one too? Well I suggest you go and take a peek at Laura's shop. I know you'll be tempted...

Moo

Quite some time ago now Amy from Lucykate Crafts promoted a giveaway on her blog. Moo, the online printing business, asked Amy whether her blog readers would be interested in some of their new sticker range. Of course we were! I ordered my first Moo cards when I opened my Etsy shop and use them as business cards and to finish off the packaging for my customised albums (punch a hole in one end and attach with string). The cards are great! In my humble opinion they produce just about the best sticker books, business cards, postcards and greetings cards out there. In addition, my experience with printers here in Israel hasn't been great, though I admit to not having searched too far afield.
Moo cards are really easy to create. You can upload your own images and their printing technology allows you to place a different image or design on every card or sticker. Moo were offering 50 of their new round stickers and also 50 of the rectangular stickers to 5 blog readers and, yep, I was one of the lucky winners!

I finally got round to creating my free stickers after sitting on the voucher codes for a long time. The order arrived last week. It really didn't take that long to get here from the UK (Moo are also located in the US). I was excited to find the package in my mailbox and to see how the stickers had come out. I LOVE the round stickers. I think they will be brilliant for packaging my goodies. I am less sure about the rectangular stickers - simply because there is so much white on the design I chose - but I am sure I will enjoy using them anyway. Regular readers will probably recognise quite a few of the images I have used.
I'd be very surprised if you haven't already come across Moo but, if you haven't tried them, I suggest you do! And, if you do wish to order something from the Moo website, drop me a line or leave me a comment and I will send you a link that will give you 10% off your first order.
Thank you Moo for my free stickers and thank you Amy for hosting such a great giveaway!

Family is Everything

It has to be said that most of the enquiries I receive about my cards are from women. Mums, Grandmas and Aunties. I get the occasional call - usually quite last minute - from a husband, and even more occasionally, from a Grandpa. I don't often receive requests for cards from kids, but in this case a gorgeous 11 year old girl who knows that her Mum loves my cards, wanted to order one for her Mum's birthday! I was totally taken aback by this young lady's somewhat rushed call - she was using Mum's mobile to call me since, I am guessing, she knew the number was in there - but she knew what she wanted and gave me enough information to create a card according to her requirements.

My young customer asked me to show her Mum and her children on the card (above). She was also quite specific that Mum's age had to be on there. Other than that, I know the kids and had anyway made a birthday card for the eldest daughter not long ago, so was quite up to date with their various 'looks'. I knew that the youngest daughter had to have her hair in two cuckoos (in Hebrew 'cuckoo' means ponytail) and that the eldest daughter has some much loved white hoop earrings. The son is a good friend of my youngest son, so that was easy - I see him a lot - and the card came together easily enough and was soon delivered to the young lady at school. Unfortunately, as kids do, the boy let the secret out right at the very end of the whole process, but Mum was thrilled that her kids had gone to such great efforts anyway and did not let on. They even organised a surprise party for her, complete with a special dance show. What great kids! I was so impressed by their kindness.

Whilst I'm on the subject of kindness, I want to show you how wonderfully kind Stephanie of Stelie Designs was to me! Stephanie and I are teammates on the Etsy Greetings team and not long ago she announced to the team that she was running a giveaway on her blog. It was Thanksgiving and Stephanie wanted to know what we were all most thankful for. As a prize, she was giving away a personalised custom family tree print. The 8x10 image, printed on white recycled cardstock, declares "Our family is everything" and shows several trees, each with the name of a family member, along with the date the family was established, on it. Guess who was the winner? Me!!!

I received my beautiful print in the mail a few days ago. It has 4 trees on it (representing the 4 members of my family) and is inscribed with all our names and the date my husband and I were married. My photo of it, above, really does not do it justice. (Sorry Stephanie but we're right in the middle of some pretty grey days over here). This is certainly a piece of art that I am going to treasure for a long time to come.
And my answer to Stephanie's question, well here goes: "Apart from being thankful for my family of course, I am thankful for being able to live in this wonderful, beautiful country that I chose to make my home. I love it here!"

Alison Moore Designs

I have mentioned before that I belong to the Etsy Expats Team. Some time ago Alison Moore dropped in to chat in the team's forum and I was immediately dazzled by her beautiful handcrafted jewellery. We became business friends on facebook and so, when I recently noticed that Alison was running a giveaway to win a sterling silver & copper organic necklace on Etsy Stalker, I had to enter! And guess what? I was the winner!!! Alison's stunning necklace arrived beautifully packaged a few days ago and I have worn it every day since. 

Alison lives with her husband in a tiny cottage on an island in the north of Scotland and says that being on a Scottish island has a huge impact on her work. The necklace I received features a trio of handmade circles in sterling silver, oxidized sterling silver, and copper and  has a very organic feel to it. I can totally see the the influence of the natural landscape she lives in on her work and I absolutely love it!
If you'd like to read a little more about Alison, check out this interview with her on the Etsy Stalker blog and then pop over to her shop and treat yourselves!

Thank you, Alison, for this fabulous giveaway and your incredible generosity! We have just celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and what better a start to the year could I have asked for than to win such a magnificent prize?

A Giveaway and a Gift

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best ones. I love working in detail and getting into all the nitty gritty stuff on my customised cards - you know, the correct hair colour and nail polish, the ring on the finger, the right team badge on the sports cap etc. Nevertheless, the other day I needed something a little more straightforward. This little bird card (you already know I enjoy crafting birds) came together quickly and I love it! I have since reproduced it in several colourways. Sometimes the simplest ideas really are the best ones.

The design above is also a new, uncomplicated one and something that I think is suitable for many occasions. I have already used it myself as a birthday card and an anniversary card. I purchased the lace patterned punch some time ago but had hardly put it to use. I now intend to give it a good workout!

You may well recognise this floral design. I mentioned a few blog posts back that I had created it in similar colours as my contribution to the Etsy Greetings Team 'Great Greetings Giveaway'. What does that mean? That means that if you buy from participating shops from July 1-31st, you'll be in the running to win a collection of stunning greeting cards, including one of mine! The big winner will receive one of each of the cards contributed by members of the team (over $75 value!) and will be selected at random on August 1. For more information drop by the Etsy Greetings blog and then get shopping! The more you buy, the greater your chances at winning this fabulous prize!

Ever since I started this blog I learnt what an amazing world the crafty blog world is and a recent package that I received in the mail only confirmed it for me. The very lovely Sudha of the blog Crazy Crafter often leaves me some very encouraging comments on my own blog. Recently I visited her little space and told her that I thought the card she was displaying was particularly gorgeous. Well, guess what? She immediately wrote to me and said that she was going to send it to me. And that is what she did! All the way from Delhi.
Sudha's card arrived a short time later, above, and she had written a beautiful message inside thanking me for inspiring her to use papercuts on her card. She had never tried it before.
I am going to treasure the card and use it as a reminder of the wonderfully kind people there are in this world. A very big thank you, Sudha!

A Package and a Pin Cushion

Back in January I was happy to announce the winner of my surprise blog giveaway, Maribeth of Lovely World. A couple of days later I popped a package into the mail to Maribeth and patiently waited for her to let me know that it had arrived. I am now happy to show you what I sent and am pleased to say that Maribeth seemed excited with the goodies she received. Since neither she nor anyone in her family has ever visited Israel, they were all interested to see what was inside the package. Here it is!

I of course included some 'Handmade in Israel' greetings cards and popped in a couple of new baby tags too - one of each so that Maribeth has both ready next time she is wrapping up a baby gift. I also wanted to send her a little taste of Israel. I included some Elite chocolate - a popular and tasty brand over here - along with a pretty magnetic note pad and matching book mark illustrated by the Israeli artist Yair Emanuel. Maribeth now has an 'Israel' magnet for her fridge door, something, I am guessing, not found in so many homes in Western Massachusetts!

You know the saying "What goes around comes around"? Well, it rang so true the day that I announced the winner of my giveaway. Amazingly enough, that afternoon I received an e-mail from Sam at Sams Shenanigans. She too had picked out the winner of her giveaway that very same day and it was me! I had won a gorgeous Union Jack pin cushion - perfect for the ex Brit in me! Sam and I are both on the Etsy Expats Team, so it was extra nice to win something that a teammate had made. I think of her every time I use it.

Thank you once again to all of you who regularly leave comments and therefore unintentionally entered my giveaway! I am delighted that it seems to have been a success and look forward to running another one. In the meantime, please keep commenting. I am always very happy to hear from you, and,  if anyone would like their own 'Handmade in Israel' cards, please pop over here for a look around.

A custom made card, a cake... and a surprise winner!

A good friend asked me to make a baby card for her cousin's new baby.  This particular friend is a very loyal customer - I have made many cards for her family back in Australia - and so is already familiar with the way that I work. She sent me photos of the baby's parents and big sister and, after a few e-mails back and forth, it was decided that I should add some other baby bits to the design, specifically a teddy bear - apparently she is a big fan of my teddy bears! I also had to make sure that the baby's curl was ginger. The new baby is a redhead and so I took great delight in creating that little curl - an intrinsic part of my baby card designs - in a red pen!
The weather is mixed over in Australia at the moment so my friend decided not to send new baby clothes as a gift for the time being. This card was popped in the mail to let her cousins know that she is thinking of them and it seems to have been well received! This is the e-mail they sent her:
"We got your card - it's absolutely awesome! Thanks so much, it's really great."

Another friend recently asked me to make a card for her Dad. There was no particular theme requested so I went with a simple redesign of this card, simplifying it a little as this was a smaller card. In my opinion presents and balloons are perfect for any birthday celebration, regardless of age, so I hope that 'Dad' enjoys his card and the good wishes that come with it.

As you already know, my youngest son recently turned eight. Of course, why have one birthday cake when you can have two? A mummy cake had been requested and a mummy cake is what he got! As cakes go, it was actually one of the simpler ones that I have made. I cut a skull shape out of a piece of paper, then cut round it on a big sheet cake. I iced the whole thing with buttercream then randomly placed strips of fondant on top. It was very sweet but my son and his friends loved it and it disappeared quickly! The little black spider was cut out of paper because, even with two boys in the house, I couldn't find a plastic spider anywhere! This one was far cuter anyway...
Okay, now onto the surprise winner. I've done a giveaway before, and posted in the etsy forums to get people to come to my blog and enter. But here's the thing... most of those people don't come back, and they only post so they can get something free (and who can blame them, right?). Most of you who commented on my last post - my 200th blog post - are faithful readers and commenters, so I wanted to reward one of you. I put the number of commenters into a random number generator and it chose #14.

So...the surprise winner is... Maribeth of Lovely World! Maribeth, I want to send you a package of 'Handmade in Israel' goodies and some extra goodies to give you a little taste of Israel too. Please be in touch with your mailing address.
I plan to do more giveaways in the future. If you're a silent lurker, now's the time to speak up!

On Soup and Stilettos

I certainly would not call myself a great cook. I come up with decent enough meals and we all eat reasonably well, but a great cook? No. Having said that, I make soup most weekends to open our Friday evening Shabbat meal and I was recently trawling the internet for some inspiration. I discovered this recipe and it was GREAT! Really great. Though this blog is by no means a food blog, I felt that I had to share it. This soup was so easy and yummy! To make it kid friendly I only used half the jalapeno pepper and poured in a little apple juice rather than the concentrate suggested. I made my own seasoning from some of the spices that were mentioned. The result? A really tasty soup that was possibly still a little bit too hot for the kids but perfect for me and I thoroughly enjoyed finishing it off a couple more times during the week.

Back to the cards. I recently delivered this little lot to one of my regular customers. She leaves me pretty much free to come up with what I want, sometimes giving me guidance as to the age or favourite hobby of the person she wishes to send the card to. Usually she just asks me for "something pretty". The card in the foreground is going to a lady who likes fashion. I had fun making the little red number and the black stiletto heels. One can dream! I wouldn't look very good in the outfit myself...

This 'Sweet 16' card was recently made for the daughter of a friend of mine. I was happy with the composition and have since made a few variations. One of them, the 21st birthday card in my shop, is currently part of the EtsyGreetings Great Greetings Giveaway. Purchase any item from my shop, or from participating shops, throughout November and you will be eligible to win 20+ handmade greeting cards from a variety of talented Etsy sellers. To see details about the giveaway and information about how to enter, please visit the EtsyGreetings blog and then get shopping!

100 not out!

A good friend has just left for an extended trip to Australia but before she went she asked me to make several customised cards for some family birthdays due to be celebrated whilst she is there. I love making cards for children. The subject matter really suits my style and so when she asked for a card featuring Dora the Explorer and work tools, for her two year old nephew, I had fun creating this cute card. Her one year old niece of course hasn't got any particular hobbies or favourite television programmes as yet, so a sweet, girly card was requested and I hope that this pink teddy bear will go down well.

Whilst these kids are celebrating their first and second birthdays, this post also sees me celebrating 100 blog posts! It sounds like such a huge number and such a lot of typing, yet I have enjoyed composing each and every one of my posts, and I hope that they continue to be interesting, creative and informative. I had a little giveaway not so very long ago, celebrating one whole year of blogging, so this won't be another one just yet, but watch this space as there will be more coming along in the not too distant future!

The package arrived...

Last month I was very happy to be celebrating one whole year of blogging and invited you all to tell me what your favourite 'Handmade in Israel' item was in my Etsy shop to be eligible for an entry into a prize draw. The lucky winner of the draw was Leslie and, since she had left a comment telling me that my little dog papercut picture was her favourite item in my shop, I decided to make another one especially for her. Leslie let me know a couple of days ago that the package I had mailed her had arrived, and so I am now able to show you what I sent.
Whilst I had of course promised some 'Handmade in Israel' artwork and handmade greetings cards, I also wanted to send the winner a little taste of Israel. Above you can see the papercut picture and cards that Leslie received, along with a beautifully illustrated childrens book about a little bear, some cute wooden camels and animal embellishments, an 'Israel' magnet for her fridge door and, of course, some yummy Israeli chocolate.
Leslie tells me that her children love looking at the book, and that she loves the dog paper art, which will go into her son's room. She is also very pleased with the cards, but seems unsure if she'll be able to use them because she thinks that she won't want to give them away!
I am delighted that my giveaway seems to have been such a success and look forward to having many other good reasons to run another one. In the meantime, please keep commenting. I am always delighted to hear from you, and if anyone would like their own 'Handmade in Israel' artwork or some handmade greetings cards, please pop over here for a look around.

We have a winner!

Just for once the cards in this household were not made by me! Today is my birthday and today my kids made the artwork to celebrate my special day. I am a very lucky mummy and have been treated to a lovely card with some monsters on it (not too sure what to make of that one!), and a graphic card wishing me "happy birthday to-you". Of course I am thrilled with them and feel very spoilt today. My husband came up trumps too. The cake that you can see above is a family recipe and a very yummy one too, and the flowers arrived shortly after he left for work. A big thank you to all the boys in my life.

Well, today was the big day! The draw for my very first blog giveaway! Thank you so much for all your kind comments. My kids were very excited to pick out a name, and without further ado, I am excited to tell you that the winners are the Leavitt's! Well done the Leavitt's, I will mail you to get your address so that you can be the proud owners of some 'Handmade in Israel' art and other goodies. I hope that you will enjoy your package.As a final birthday treat, I was delighted to find that Laurie at Twice Shy Restored had included me in a beautiful Etsy treasury this weeekend. My 'Birds' papercut picture can be seen below, on the bottom row, on the left. Thank you for making my special day even more exciting, Laurie!

Happy (Blog) Birthday

This morning, quite by chance, I realised that it is a year today since I started writing this little blog of mine. I have thoroughly enjoyed writing each and every post, and whilst it may not be the biggest or most popular blog around, I have 'met' some lovely people along the way and have made many new 'friends' from all around the globe. My blog finally exposed my card making and crafting to the big wide world, and gave me the impetus to open my Etsy shop. In turn, that may not be the busiest or most overrun online store, but it serves as a great gallery for my work and has no doubt brought me a few customers along the way.
So, to say thank you to all of you who have supported me and my blogging adventure, here it is, my 'Happy (Blog) Birthday' giveaway! I've decided to make the prize one of my super cute papercut pictures, and there will be more lovely things all the way from Israel thrown in as well, including one or two 'Handmade in Israel' greetings cards.
But there is a tiny catch. I want to make you work for your goodies. That and I like doing market research via my blog. Tell me your favourite 'Handmade in Israel' item in my shop and why it is your favourite. And, if you would like to be in the draw twice, mention this giveaway on your blog and link to this post!
Good luck with the giveaway. The winner will be drawn on the morning of Sunday 17th May (which just so happens to be my real birthday!).

A card, kippot and a corsage

A friend asked me to make a custom-made card for her Mum who was arriving for a visit to Israel on her birthday. I was asked to show Mum, who is a doctor, with her medical bag, surrounded by seven little faces, her grandchildren in Israel. The Israeli flag was also requested. For once I knew all the kids well, so was able to get all their hair colours and styles as near as I could imagine. The two older boys in the families wear kippot, the small skullcap that is worn by observant Jews around the world. The dark-haired boy on the left of the card wears a regular round kippa, which require clips to hold it in place. The boy on the right is wearing a colourful Bukharan kippa, traditionally worn by Bukharian Jews, whose name comes from the ancient emirate of Bokhara. These kippot are nowadays worn by many of the boys in the nurseries because they are larger and therefore easier to keep on their heads!
How does the expression go? You wait for a bus then two come along at once. Well, in my case it was winning two blog giveaways! I showed you Ozvald a few days ago. Yesterday I returned home to find this beautiful corsage from the very clever Alice at Raspberry in my letterbox! I fought my urge to tear it open and photographed it first to show you all how beautifully it was packaged. Alice, the merino and silk corsage is stunning and I look forward to the opportunity to wear it very soon. Thank you.

Ozvald

A package that I had been eagerly awaiting arrived at 'Handmade in Israel' this morning... with the name manOmine on it! I regularly check out Mia's gorgeous blog and a couple of weeks ago was excited to see that she was running a competition. I entered it... and won!!! Look who came to live with us today...

Osvald.

Isn't he gorgeous? Isn't he just adorable? Look how beautifully he has been created. Mia says that it's fun making her hedgehogs. Well, I can tell you that it's fun receiving them too! Her package was beautifully presented and I received some other goodies too...

Many, many thanks Mia. I have always loved your work from afar. Now I love it even more!

And for those of you wondering where the handmade greetings cards are in this post, I'll be back with some more custom orders to show you very soon!