Shai and Nurit

Shai was turning 19, so his mum asked me to make him a card. He loves to sing and leyn she told me. When the Torah is read in the Synagogue it is often chanted. This is described as leyning, which comes from the Yiddish word 'leyn', which means to read. He also plays the guitar, enjoys board games, and - according to Mum - has an incredible general knowledge of geography, including places, countries, cities, and capitals. He always walks around with headphones on too, she added.

I decided to show Shai playing the guitar. He is wearing a black knitted kippah on his head, and has his beloved headphones on too! In the background I added a map of the world to illustrate his interest in different places and countries, along with a picture of one of his favourite board games, Catan. Finally, I crafted a small Torah scroll and a yad. The Torah scroll contains the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The yad, meaning "hand" in Hebrew, is a pointer used during its reading to avoid direct contact with the sacred text.

Not long after, Shai's sister Nurit was also about to celebrate a birthday. She was turning 14. Mum told me that she also loves board games, and that Ticket to Ride is one of her favourites. She plays the piano, loves notebooks and journals, and enjoys popcorn and movie nights with her friends.

I have shown Nurit playing a tune on the piano. In the background are a couple of notebooks and a pencil, a picture of her favourite board game, and some popcorn in a red-and-white striped container. The container is very commonly associated with movie theatres and movie nights. Who knows? Maybe Nurit pulls one out when hosting a cozy movie night with friends at home.

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade and Busy Monday.

Birds of a Feather

A customer in the US contacted me recently to enquire whether I could make a guest book for her wedding like the one in my shop, but in the colours she had chosen for her big day. She wanted bright red and a yellowy gold - lovely cheerful colours to work with. She also asked if I could add another bird to the design. No problem!

The book came together easily enough and my customer seemed very happy with it. She left me some wonderful feedback on my Etsy shop's Feedback page. "I procrastinated on getting a wedding album and thankfully found a really cute one on Lisa's page" she said. "Lisa completed the book (which is extremely cute and perfect for my quirky wedding) in I think a day, and the package arrived from Israel to my house in California within a couple of days. Great service and amazing prices for such a darling handmade piece."
Feedback like that is the best!

Glasses and a Guitar

A short while ago I received a call from a lady looking for a special wedding card for a close family member. She had seen the cards in my Etsy shop but wasn't sure if she wanted a card from there, or something custom-made. Chatting to her, I learnt that the groom-to-be played the guitar and that the bride wore green framed glasses. I realised that I could have some fun with the illustration of this couple, and so, after a photograph was e-mailed to me, I set to work creating the groom with his guitar and those glasses! Above, and below, you can see the end result. I do hope that the card was well received and that the customized design was appreciated. The Hebrew greeting wishes the couple 'Mazal Tov' or congratulations.

I have been very lucky to have my work included in several Etsy Treasuries lately. Christine of Beads of Paradise kindly included my Purple Cupcake Notebook in a lovely collection of purple coloured gifts. It is the first time that one of my notebooks has found its way into a treasury. My cards and pictures have always featured before. Thank you Christine. The extra exposure is always very much appreciated. My notebook can be seen below, right in the middle of the picture.