Shalva's Album

Shalva recently celebrated her Bat Mitzvah. Her parents asked me to make her an album that could be displayed at her party for all her friends to sign. They told me that she likes Harry Potter, baking, anime and maths. They requested an album that opens the Hebrew way (Hebrew books open from right-to-left).

I decided to show brown-haired Shalva wearing a black Harry Potter cloak and holding a wand. In her other hand she has a plate of cupcakes to represent her interest in baking. Behind her are some maths symbols and the number 12 to mark her age. There is also an anime picture behind her and in front of her is a mixing bowl and another cupcake. The background box is blue since that is her favourite colour.

Shalva's name appears at the top and the Hebrew date of her Bat Mitzvah celebration is at the bottom of the album's cover. Hebrew dates are written right-to-left with the day of the month, followed by the month name, then the Hebrew year. The Gregorian calendar date is below the Hebrew one.

I decorated five pages inside Shalva's album. The first page has a Harry Potter theme. I cut out a tiny broomstick, similar to the one Harry was given when he joined the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I added the black Sorting Hat and a cauldron for brewing and holding potions, below.

The next page has a baking theme, above. I added some tiny cupcakes, a mixing bowl, wooden spoon and a spatula. Shalva's mum mentioned that Shalva goes horse riding too, so I cut out a brown horse for the following page, below.

The last two illustrated pages in Shalva's album show various maths symbols, representing her interest in the subject, and some anime characters too. The word anime - pronounced "ah-knee-may" - is an abbreviation of the word animation. In Japan, the word is used to refer to all animation. However, outside of Japan, it has become the catch-all term for animation from Japan.

Shalva's mum was very pleased with the album and decided that she would like to use my cover illustration for other things at the Bat Mitzvah celebration. (I offer this as a package. Please discuss it with me if you are interested in doing something similar). I scanned the cover for her and she made these cute laminated labels which were placed on top of the napkin of each place setting at the party. The labels were also stuck on each party bag that Shalva's friends took home, above.

* This post has been shared on Little Things Thursday, Creatively Crafty Link Party, Thursday Favorite Things, Funtastic Friday Link Party

Shirel's Album

Shirel celebrated her Bat Mitzvah back in June. She is very athletic and loves many different sports but her main "thing" is football which she has played since she was 5, her mum told me. She also did a swimming class for a few years and plays basketball now too. She takes horse riding lessons, plays the guitar, likes listening to music and loves baking, particularly working with a piping bag making cakes and cupcakes. Shirel also did a baking project for her Bat Mitzvah to raise money for her local synagogue. Phew! I was not short of themes for the cover of her Bat Mitzvah album!

Shirel's favourite colour is aqua and the colour scheme of her Bat Mitzvah celebrations were going to be aqua, light purple and gold. While she is very sporty, mum was keen to point out that she also is "girly" and is very into styling her hair in different ways, makeup and nail polish. She wanted me to feature that very girly side of her daughter too.

Mum chose to have the album open the Hebrew way (Hebrew books open from right to left) and have most of the details in Hebrew but with Shirel's name in English too. I have shown Shirel in a blue shirt, with a football tucked under one arm and her guitar in the other. To her right is a brown horse with patches of white, just as she requested. In front of her is a piping bag and some cupcakes. To the right of the guitar is a basketball. She is wearing goggles on her head to represent her love of swimming and some music notes dotted around illustrate that she likes music too.

I decorated 5 pages inside Shirel's album as well. The first page featured a football and a basketball, representing her love for both those sports. Next I added a green boogie board, since mum told me that she likes boogie boarding at the beach. Some light purple swimming goggles, representing her love of swimming, appeared on that page too. Baking came next, with some little cupcakes and a piping bag, then I cut out a classical guitar, just like the one she is holding on the cover of her album. Finally I crafted a brown horse with white patches once again. I hope it looks just like the horse she enjoys riding.

Mum seemed delighted with her daughter's Bat Mitzvah album and told me that that Shirel loves it too. "It is beautiful!" she wrote to me.

* This post has been shared on Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop, Little Things Thursday, Creatively Crafty Link Party and Craft Schooling Sunday.

Horsing Around

A customer requested a birthday card for her sister in the UK. She is a riding instructor and her showjumping career is a big part of her life. She also loves her dog. My customer sent me a photo of her sister with her dog and was keen for me to include it in some way. 

I showed the birthday girl showjumping on her card. She is wearing white jodhpurs, a black tailored jacket and plain long black leather boots. I then showed her once again in the foreground, this time with her beloved dog.
"It's fabulous!" my customer wrote to me. "I am excited for her to see your art." She later told me that her sister loved the card and intends to keep it in her memory cabinet, once she's finished enjoying it on the window sill first.

* This post has been shared on Sew Can Do, Inspire Me Monday, The Good. The Random. The Fun. and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.