Daniel and Carly

I have been writing about sirens and missiles and war with Iran but, for now, a ceasefire has come into effect, so I will go back to sharing my art.

Daniel, just like his four brothers, receives one of my cards on his birthday every year. His mum tells me they have become an essential part of her family's birthday celebrations. Last year I showed him playing the piano on his card, and before that I have shown him playing the ukulele and dressed as a scientist, with a white coat and test tubes in his pockets. 

This year, for his 19th birthday, mum asked me to make Daniel a card that showed that he is now in mechina (pre-army programme) and that he is making preparations for his upcoming time in the IDF (Israel Defence Forces). She sent me the logo of the mechina programme and also a photo of his trainers. She thought they might illustrate his physical preparations for the army. 

I showed Daniel in the centre of the card, and added the logo and his trainers in background. A red heart with the name of his girlfriend, Yuval, who he met in the mechina, is to his right. Behind him a big number 19 marks his age.

Back in 2022 a lady in the US reached out to me with a request for a Bat Mitzvah card for a friend’s daughter. She thought it would be extra special for the card to come from Israel. I created a card for the Bat Mitzvah girl who was going to have an ocean/sea life themed party.

A few months ago the lady contacted me once again, this time with a request for a card for Carly, the original Bat Mitzvah girl's younger sister. Carly loves softball, her black cat Luna and the ocean, my customer told me. She also loves the Tampa Bay Lightning, an American professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. Her Bat Mitzvah was going to have an all purple theme.

Playing softball is a real love of Carly's, so I showed her gripping a softball bat. Apparently Carly made sure her Bat Mitzvah party was where everyone could see the sunset over the water, so a beautiful purple coloured sunset can be seen behind her. Luna the black cat is next to her, and I also included the the Tampa Bay Lightning logo, a stylized lightning bolt. The team was named the Lightning in reference to the Tampa Bay area apparently being the lightning capital of North America. The logo is the origin of one nickname for the team, the "Bolts".

My customer was once again very happy with the card.

"Carly’s card came yesterday. Thank you so much! It looks awesome! I love it and so will she! Thank you again!"

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade and Tuesday Turn About.

Ma'ayan, Ella and Galia

Ma'ayan was turning 18. In the past I have made her netball themed cards. This year mum asked for one with a makeup theme. She wanted me to create a card with lipstick, eyeshadows and brushes on it. I was also to add the badge of Ma'ayan's mechina (pre-army programme) and the insignia of the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), since she will be enlisting soon.

I have shown Ma'ayan with some makeup brushes in her hand. She is surrounded by various eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks and brushes. Mum said that she's not a fan of pink, so I steered away from that colour and added browns and blues instead. A big number 18 marks her age.

Mum told me that she loved the card.

Ella was turning 20. Last year I showed her in her olive green army uniform. She is still a soldier but when she's home she is into keeping fit. Every day Ella does one hour of exercise, dancing in front of the TV to the Fitness Marshall, a channel founded by Los Angeles-based fitness star Caleb Marshall. His videos have garnered over 2.5 million subscribers!

Mum sent me various photos of Ella in action. I copied her exercise clothes, even down to the trainers. The TV on the wall shows the Fitness Marshall team in action. A big number 20 marks Ella's age.

Galia receives of one of my cards every birthday. Last year her new puppy featured on her card. This year mum asked for a card with a yoga theme. I have shown brown-haired Galia in a yoga pose. I kept the background simple but added a lotus flower which, to a yogi, symbolises the expansion of the soul and spiritual awakening.
Mum was delighted with it. "The card is fantastic. Absolutely love it. You are so talented." she wrote to me.

* This post has been shared on Little Things Thursday, Creative Compulsions Linky Party, Creatively Crafty, Thursday Favorite Things, Craft Schooling Sunday, All Seasons and Creative Crafts Linky Party.

N-n-n-n-nineteen

I have been making birthday cards for Eden for a number of years. Some of you may remember this lovely story, when she called me at the tender age of 9 to thank me for making her a great card - and it wasn't even from me! Ten years on and she is now on the same mechina (pre-army programme) as my eldest son, so for this years birthday card I have shown her wearing the programme's white T-shirt with its circular logo made up of a Star of David and an olive branch. (The State of Israel chose the olive leaves around the Menorah as its emblem. The olive leaves symbolise peace, as this is the wish of our state. The olive also symbolises light, as the oil produced from the olive lightened the Menorah in the Temple.)

Eden is interested in cosmetics and special effects makeup, so I created some tiny eyeshadow palettes, a brush and lipsticks. Her boyfriend appears on the card too, and a big red number 19 marks her age.

* This post has been shared on Amaze Me Monday, The Good. The Random. The Fun., Creative Mondays and Made By You Monday.

Eighteen

I've made many cards for eighteen year olds over the years and have always thought how grown up they are. Eighteen seemed such a long way off. But now my eldest son has just turned 18. He finished school last summer and is currently on a pre-army programme and living on a kibbutz in the south of Israel.

It all seems to happen in the blink of an eye.

My son has received a handmade card made by mum on his birthday ever since he turned 1 (I started blogging about them when he was 8). I think that his 1st birthday card, or maybe it was his 2nd, had the pinky purple Bleeper People on it, from his favourite pop-up book at the time Where, Oh Where, is Kipper's Bear?. I no longer decorate his birthday cards with favourite toys, characters or animals of course. In recent years I have shown him keeping fit and learning to drive.

My 18 year old is a big fan of the Premier League football club Arsenal. On this years birthday card I have shown him wearing the white T-shirt of his mechina (pre-army programme) and waving his Arsenal scarf to cheer on his team. He is going to London to see them play against Spurs in December - his very first time seeing them play in the Premier League!
Since my son was born here in Israel, he also supports a more local team. He has been to see Beitar Jerusalem play many times so I added their badge to his card as well. He also loves going out for a burger with his friends and of course he's 18 now, he can enjoy a beer with them too, though hopefully not too many!

My son will be going into the Israeli army next summer (conscription exists in Israel for all Israeli citizens over the age of 18 who are Jewish, Druze or Circassian; Arab citizens of Israel are not conscripted). I'm probably not going to be able to discuss his army service here but I have included the badge of the Israel Defence Forces on his card and have wished him "Good Luck" in Arabic. He learnt Arabic at school and chose it as one of his Bagrut (Israel's high school matriculation examination) subjects. It seems that he's pretty good at it.

Finally I added a pair of walking boots. He enjoys the outdoors and has done a fair bit of hiking and orienteering on his programme and seems to enjoy it. Those walking boots have been put to good use so far!

For the first time in his life my son was not home for his big day. I arranged for a friend to deliver his birthday card and was thrilled to receive this video of him opening it on the morning of his birthday.
Even at 18 it seems that he is very happy with his customised card handmade by Mum - and his friends seem impressed too!

* This post has been shared on Make It Pretty Monday, The Keeping It Real Link Up, Our World Tuesday, Inspire Me Tuesday, Project Inspire{d}, The Happy Now Blog Link- Up, Wow Us Wednesdays, Wednesday Around the World, The Creative Circle and Little Things Thursday.