Yagel and Renne

When my son and his girlfriend asked me to make them a sign with their names on for the front door of their student apartment, little did I know that the piece I came up with would become one of my most popular designs! I have cut this piece quite a number of times this year, making the occasional tiny change to the design to suit the brief.

In August a customer thought my design would make a lovely baby gift for some newborn twins. She knew that the final piece would be bigger than my original creation since she wanted to include not only the new babies' names but also their date of birth.

She sent me a photo from the joint Simchat bat and brit milah to show me the different shades of greens and beige that the family had worn at the ceremony. "I think these are the colours she [the new mum] likes" my customer wrote.

My final piece measured 25 × 20 cm. It features the twin babies' names, Yagel and Renne, written in Hebrew, with their birth date displayed below. The name Yagel means "to rejoice," while Renne means "melody" or "song." Together, the names express a beautiful harmony of joy and song.

My customer was thrilled with the piece, first writing: "Thank you, it’s beautiful," and later adding "The papercut you created for Rivka was really appreciated. She was so touched."

* This post has been shared on Craft Schooling Sunday, Happiness is Homemade, Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) and Tuesday Turn About.

Shiri & Elisha

Elisha was Gadi's closest friend when they were young. I have fond memories of the two of them getting up to mischief together! On the 4th of September Elisha married Shiri in the beautiful grounds of Deer-Land in Gush Etzion. I wanted to make the young couple a special card to mark the occasion.

The card I created for them features their names in Hebrew inside an elegant oval-shaped design. It is lined with a golden-yellow paper inlay. Since their wedding invitation was designed with rich golden tones - a colour often seen in Jewish art - I chose this colour intentionally. Beneath their names, a ribbon banner highlights their wedding date. I decorated the design with flowers and leaves, finishing it off with a small heart for a romantic touch. The card opens the traditional Hebrew way, from right to left.

I hope they liked it!

Gadi and Elisha, January 2010

* This post has been shared on Craft Schooling Sunday, Happiness is Homemade, Busy Monday, Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop and Farmhouse Friday.

Silver Door Plaques

My customer was so happy with the name plaques I made her that she came back to me for more. This time she asked for silver frames, but with the same blue backing paper as before.
I created three papercuts, each with the names of some newly married couples. I hope that Elisheva and Yehuda, Oriya and Yossi, and Carmel and Benaiah like their plaques. 

Elisheva, Yehuda and Yossi are quite common Hebrew names. The name Oriya means "my light".

The name Benaiah was a new one to me. It means "God has built". It is derived from the Hebrew word "bana" (to build). The name is found in the Bible, where Benaiah is depicted as a valiant warrior and leader, particularly during the reigns of King David and King Solomon.

Benaiah's wife's name, Carmel, means "vineyard" or "garden".

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

HaMenahelet

Yesterday morning we woke up to the news that the U.S. has joined the war with Iran. There were missile attacks all over Israel and we had to remain sheltered for a long stretch. Sadly there were direct hits. Schools and workplaces are still closed and we have been ordered to stay within the radius of bomb shelters.

It's been a rough week with very little sleep.

We were advised to pack a bag in case our home is hit or in case we have to leave in a hurry. But what to pack? Apart from the obvious passports and car keys, how do I decide what items in my home are most precious to me? I lost a son. Every single thing in his bedroom is a memory. I can't pack the two huge boxes of his drawings into my bag, nor the totem pole he carefully crafted when he was 9 years old, which has stood proudly in the lounge ever since then.

I am simply not able to do it.

This war is far from over and I fear the consequences for Israel and the Jewish community as a whole. However, I am feeling some relief knowing Iran's nuclear weapons have hopefully been destroyed, at least for the time being. A nuclear Iran was an existential threat not only to Israel but to the Arab world and to the whole world - whether or not that was widely acknowledged. The U.S. has the power to prevent the world's centre for terrorism from developing nuclear weapons. I am glad they used it.

It was also announced yesterday that Israeli forces had recovered the bodies of civilians Ofra Keidar and Yonatan Samerano, and soldier Shay Levinson, who were all killed on the 7th October 2023, the day of the Hamas-led attack on Israel. With their retrieval, 50 hostages now remain in Gaza, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive. 28 are confirmed dead by the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) and there are grave concerns for the well-being of two others. Hamas is also holding the body of an IDF soldier killed in Gaza in 2014.

In addition, four more of our dear soldiers were killed in Gaza last week, including the son-in-law of a close friend of mine.
So, having said that I feel some relief, there is also nothing to celebrate at the moment.

In the meantime, I am still creating art.

Although schools have been abruptly closed here, the end of the school year is coming up and some people are looking for teacher gifts. A customer approached me to ask if I could create a papercut for a school principal, HaMenahelet (המנהלת) in Hebrew. Menahelet is a Hebrew word that translates to "principal" or "director", specifically referring to a female principal. It's commonly used in the context of schools or educational institutions, but can also be used in other settings to refer to a female director or manager.

My customer liked my name plaques but also really loved my design with the hand and the sprout coming up, a symbol of growth and hope. "Would it be possible to add that in?" she asked.

I removed some of the seed heads from my name plaque design and replaced them with the hand and sprout that she liked so much.

"Thanks so much." she wrote to me. "It's lovely."

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade, Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop and Creative Muster Link Party.

A New Door Sign

My eldest son and his girlfriend needed a door sign for their student apartment. I decided to create a papercut sign for them, with their names, in Hebrew, in the centre. Of course I added my signature little bird as well.

I hand drew my design, which is made up of foliage and seed heads, then scanned the image and flipped it, before printing it on a piece of Textura Recycled Bright White Card.

I am sharing photos of the piece as I cut it and as their names emerged from the card.

Hila, my son's girlfriend, likes natural colours and seems to favour a pallet of cream and beige, so I backed the piece with a dark beige backing paper. It is mounted in a 13x18cm lightweight picture frame, which could easily be stuck to their front door.

Nadav and Hila were delighted with their new sign. They have since told me that every person who has seen it has complimented them on it!

* This post has been shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun., Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Tuesday Turn About and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.