Breaking Bad

There was a steep learning curve ahead for me when a friend and loyal customer asked me to make a Breaking Bad-themed card for her husband's recent birthday. I have never seen the television series - though I have at least heard of it - and so I had some research to do when my friend started talking about Walter White, blue crystals and dark sunglasses.
To be honest I am not so much wiser even now. I do now know what Walter looks like and I understand the significance of the numbers above the 'H' and the 'Bi' (they're from the periodic table of chemical elements) but any real understanding will, I guess, have to wait till I watch the series for myself.

I do know that my customer and her husband were thrilled with the card I came up with. It shows the aforementioned Walter White, surrounded by the birthday boy's family. His wife is to Walter's right and on the left are his three kids and, ahem, a few pieces of blue meth crystals. I hasten to add that there is no connection here whatsoever between this family and drugs! They just like the show!
This particular card has provoked more interest than almost everything I have created recently. Both my customer and her husband posted it on their Facebook pages and I have received WhatsApp and Facebook messages galore from people telling me how much they like it.
I think I'd better watch the show.

Ay, caramba!

Happy Valentine's Day! I am going to take a quick break from our trip to the north to show you some recent birthday cards.
This first one, above, was made for a 13 year old. Her Mum  asked me to make her "something lovely with... the usual stuff... dance, music, netball". I made this young lady's Bat Mitzvah album a year ago, so knew that this year's card had to be different from her Bat Mitzvah book. I decided to forgo the little paper portraits that I know she likes and came up with a funky design which included her various hobbies instead. I hope she liked it.

Eliya is in second grade. She is learning to play the piano and loves dressing up in hats, headbands, her Mum's clothes and high heels. She likes to put on a little make-up too. Eliya's Mum liked my suggestion that the birthday card could show her daughter in some dressing up clothes, sitting at the piano. I added a big number 8 to show her age plus a small pile of books by the side of the piano, since her Mum told me that she loves to read. I am not sure that you can see it on the photo, but Eliya has a little blue eyeshadow on too. She looks very pretty!

Finally, Max loves The Simpsons. In fact he loves them so much that I was asked to put Bart on his birthday card last year too! I put Bart in a different pose this year and added a big red balloon with the birthday boy's age on it. Happy Birthday Max. As Bart says, "Ay, caramba!".

Fifty, Flowers and Fairy cakes

When my Dad was here in the summer he asked me to make a special card for his neighbour who was going to be celebrating her 50th birthday. His kind neighbour often helps him with his home computer - getting him out of fixes when it all becomes a bit too much for him - so a computer had to appear somewhere on the card! A few balloons and flowers made it look a little more festive, and I popped a big silver 50 on there too, to mark the important birthday.

This card request was for a young lady who was turning 18. I had no special brief so chose to add one of my little birds to the card and a heart and flowers too. I like the colour combination on this one.

Finally, not long ago I met a fellow crafter in my hometown who has a little shop bursting with gorgeous supplies in her basement. I bought a large scalloped and circular punch from her and was excited to try it out on my cards. I added the  fairy cake design, which I have used on other cards, and thought it turned out quite nicely.

What do you think?

Sequin Shoes, Saba and Sam

A regular customer of mine asked me to make a card for her niece's 15th birthday with make up as the main theme. However, the young lady also recently wore some really high multicoloured sequin wedge shoes for her brother's Bar Mitzvah celebration - apparently her feet were killing her after 5 minutes -  so I was asked to feature them on the card too. I couldn't really see the shoes properly on the photograph my customer sent me so I did a quick search on the Internet. My customer was impressed with my investigative research and wanted to know if I'd ever thought of being a spy. It seems I'd found the right shoes!

The card above was a request for a Saba (the modern Hebrew word for Grandfather) who apparently always seems to visit the dentist when he comes to Israel on holiday! The customer who requested this card nearly always asks me to add her kids into the design too. It is not always easy to get it to work, but in this case I showed Saba in the dentist's chair, receiving treatment, whilst his grandchildren watch nearby.

Certainly one of the more unusual requests that I have received lately...

Finally, another regular customer of mine wanted a new baby card for her brother and sister-in-law. They have recently become parents to a baby boy and so my customer wanted me to show them with the new baby. My customer's brother is a fitness instructor by profession so it was fun to show the new dad flexing his muscles a bit. Mum is probably a bit too tired for any sport herself at the moment!

May we only meet on birthdays!

I have had a whole load of album orders recently but don't want to show any of them here till the dates of the various Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrations have passed. Look out for them in June and July! I am able to show you a bunch of birthday and anniversary cards I have made though, since all these special occasions have already been and gone. I was asked to create, from the top, a pretty card for a sister's 60th birthday; a golf themed card for a passionate player; balloons for a 40th birthday; and a bouquet of flowers for a friend's anniversary.
It is customary amongst Jewish people when saying goodbye to each other after a happy event to say Rak B'smachot (Only on joyous occasions). It refers to our wish to be able to see our family and friends only at celebrations. That saying seems an appropriate way to close this post. May we only meet on birthdays!

Mad about Harry

Whilst I was working on a recent Bat Mitzvah album I posted this image on my facebook page and asked if anyone could guess what the theme of the album was. One clever lady got it in a matter of minutes. Do you know what it is? Want to know? Okay...

Yes, it was a Harry Potter album and the photo above showed the beginnings of a Hogwarts school tie!

A customer in the US read the article I wrote about my albums here. She contacted me through the lovely Tali at Your Jewish Speech and told me that her daughter was having a Harry Potter magical themed Bat Mitzvah on May 19th. She really wanted me to make her a guest sign in book but the problem was that it was really short notice. I mean really short. I hate to say no to any customer and this lady seemed so keen, so I decided to let her jump the queue of current orders and make the album immediately. All I can say is thank goodness for DHL!

My customer answered the questions I had very quickly. She told me that her daughter is 12 and has a summer birthday. She always celebrates it at the beach in New Jersey and absolutely loves the beach and the ocean. She plays softball recreationally and loves to read, thus the Bat Mitzvah party's Harry Potter theme. The Bat Mitzvah girl also likes to listen to music and hanging out with her friends. She has long light brown hair and large green eyes. Even in a rush, her Mum managed to send me a photo of the young lady too.

The cover of the album shows the Bat Mitzvah girl in a Hogwarts robe and wearing the stripy school tie. She has a softball bat in one hand - instead of a wand - and is at the beach, her very favourite place to be. I added a couple of the Harry Potter book covers to the design too, since her Mum was keen to point out that she favours the books over the films.
Inside the album I embellished several pages. The young lady's favourite colours are orange and purple and I gave each page a theme of, yes, you guessed it, Harry Potter (above), and clockwise, the beach, music, reading, and softball (below).

My customer was kind enough to tell me that she thought my work looked amazing and she couldn't wait to see it in a couple of weeks. She really did receive it in that time and there were even a few days to spare before the Bat Mitzvah celebration! I hope that they all had fun and that it was a magical night, in every sense of the word! Mazal Tov Brooke, and Mazal Tov to me too because I just celebrated a birthday as well!

It's All in the Details

I have a customer to whom I have given the title 'The Queen of Detail'. Whilst most people come to me and ask me to make a thank you card for their driving instructor and I am left to come up with something good, this lovely lady briefs me in detail. And I mean DETAIL!
On this occasion my customer wanted a thank you card for her driving teacher.  She asked for a side picture of a brown car, with the oval sign on the side of the car advertising her teacher's name and number. The sign also needed to show a handicapped sign as he teaches both abled and non-abled people. The triangular learner driver sign used here in Israel had to be on the car roof too.  At the front window she asked me to show her teacher sitting, smiling and looking at us, with an arm leaning on the window ledge.  Apparently he has blue eyes, a pepper grey beard and hair, and wears his sunglasses perched on top of his head.  And, oh yes, he has a small diamond stud in his ear!
The greeting on the front of the card says, in Hebrew, 'Thank you from all of my heart'. Simple!
My customer ended her e-mail by asking me to let her know if I needed other details!
So, what do you think? Did I get it right? Did I remember everything? Funnily enough, even though my customer had essentially designed the card in her head, I still think that the end result has a touch of 'Handmade in Israel' about it. She was very happy with it. "I love the card!" she wrote, "Another great production!". Her teacher loved it too.
Phew!

Without you life sucks

This card is not a Valentine card but rather one for an anniversary. However, the theme behind it is pretty romantic so I deemed it worthy to be my Valentine's Day post.

Last month I received an Etsy convo from a fellow seller telling me that she is crazy about the paper cut style of cards that I make. She wanted to have a special card made for her up-and-coming anniversary and had some very specific ideas about it which she clearly thought suited my style of work.

My customer had decided upon a card decorated both on the front and inside. On the front of the card there had to be a lemon cut in half with the words "Without you life sucks", and inside a couple sitting at a tiny table toasting with lemonade. I decided right away that this was something that would be fun to work on and we were soon exchanging messages to fine-tune the details.

Upon my request my customer sent me a picture of the "tiny table". Apparently the couple always sit at it to eat their anniversary dinner each year. She also stated that the couple did not have to look exactly like her and her partner but would love it if the girl had a ponytail and a white dress, and the guy was in a tan sweater. In terms of colour, she preferred something done in colours much like her Etsy shop - which I discovered leaned towards pastels - since she wants to frame the card and hang it in their office. She signed off with "I'm so excited. I can't wait to see what you come up with!" and so I set to work.

What do you think? Did I get it right? The card got to the US in excellent time and I'm pleased to report back that my customer was very happy with  it. "It's more than perfect! she said, "I absolutely LOVE IT!". In my shop feedback she wrote that I had taken the picture in her head and made it even better. Wow!
I don't usually work to a design like this. More often than not I am left to my own devices and come up with the theme myself. However this was a really fun card to make and the feedback I received from it was wonderful. It can't get better than that can it?

A Pint in The Queen Vic

When I lived in the UK, watching the Christmas Day edition of the soap opera Eastenders was a big thing. From what I hear, the program is still pretty popular - I was more of a Brookside girl myself -  and therefore I am sure that this lady, who recently celebrated her birthday, was eagerly awaiting the Christmas Day program. Her husband asked me to make a special card for her birthday and said that this year's theme HAD to be Eastenders. I get the impression that she's pretty keen on the soap opera and the residents of Albert Square!
I have shown the birthday girl - who is indeed as slim as I have shown her - with a celebratory glass of wine in hand, in front of the Eastenders map and signs for The Queen Vic Pub and Albert Square. There are a couple of pints nearby. Whenever I have seen the soap opera, the main characters always seem to be in the Queen Vic, supping a pint or two! I took a guess that our birthday girl probably prefers a nice glass of red to a pint.

A regular customer of mine required a card for a 50th birthday (above). I was asked to show a lady with short black hair and blue eyes, surrounded by her four children. She is a caterer, so a peeler, knives, pots and pans were the order of the day. My customer sent me a photo of the family and I was able to try and match their various 'looks'. I am not sure that I have created exact portraits but hope that the birthday girl enjoyed the card all the same!

This card was an order from a new customer. She was looking for a special card for her daughter's forthcoming 40th birthday and had been told by a friend that I could make a customised one for her. She wanted a card that would illustrate her daughter's interest in make-up artistry. With such a straightforward brief it was simple to come up with an image showing various types of make-up: brushes, lipsticks, eyeshadow and a couple bottles of nail varnish too.

In a few days time we will be celebrating the start of a new year. Once again, many, many thanks to those of you who have visited my blog this the year. I have enjoyed composing each and every one of my posts, and am always delighted with the encouraging comments and support that I receive. I wish you all a very Happy New Year and a safe and exciting start to 2012.

A Flying Visit

This time next week we will be in England. Well, actually this time next week we will be preparing for our journey back to Israel! We are going for a somewhat 'flying visit' you see, to celebrate my niece's Bat Mitzvah. The kids are in school and there is always plenty going on, but it was important for us all to go and mark the occasion with the young lady and all our family.

Of course, the forthcoming celebration required some invitations and other items and I was delighted when my niece decided that she wanted me to design them for her. She requested one of my 'portraits' and, after a short discussion, I was able to put together some artwork for her. Obviously I know my niece pretty well but still wanted to check with her what she wanted me to feature on her invitation. I remember how quickly the interests can change when you're 12 years old! I was told she likes reading, fashion design, drawing and facebooking on her iPod Touch. When deciding on colour, a green - or jade - background - was the obvious choice because of her name.

Several weeks passed and I was thrilled to see the invitations when they landed in our letterbox. My brother-in-law - a creative guy himself - had my artwork and lettering skilfully scanned so that the figure and surrounding artwork 'popped' almost as if each one had been hand cut, as is my usual way of working. Most importantly, I heard that my niece "loves it" and, since I know that the image will be used on other items over the course of the weekend celebrations, I am very happy to have played my part!

Of course there was another important item needed and so the scalpel and scissors came out again. The above picture is just a sneak peek though. I am going to save the rest for another post, after we have been on our travels and my niece has seen what I created. See you in a week or so!

The Nurses Collection

A customer who is unfortunately going through some pretty rough medical treatment at the moment asked me to make some thank you cards for her nurses. She seems to be happy with the care that she is receiving because there are a whole series of cards! I'll start with the first two that I created.

The nurse illustrated above was described to me as slim, with short dark hair. She wears a white nurses jacket and trousers and often puts her dark green square glasses on the top of her head. My customer asked me to add needles, drips, bandages, tape, pills etc. to the background.
Obviously I have never met this particular nurse yet it seems that my little portrait of her was pretty accurate. My customer e-mailed to tell me that "Chavi looks exactly like the real Chavi!". A good guess on my part.

A similar card was requested for another nurse. This time I was told that she should be wearing a beige sleeveless vest, flared trousers and high platform clogs. This nurse has long blonde hair, which she wears in a pony tail, and blue eyes. Once again I added needles, tape and blood samples to illustrate her profession.

I made three more cards for this wonderfully keen customer who seems to be my biggest fan at the moment! I am not sure that they have all been delivered yet so will give you just a little taste of them for now. Intrigued? Pop back at a later date to see the full picture!

Another language

An absolutely delightful new customer recently discovered my cards on facebook and consequently asked me to make a couple of customised cards for her. The first card, above and below, was a simple request for a pink, girly card for a new baby. My customer sent me a photograph of the baby girl's family for inspiration and I was left to come up with my own ideas. The very best way to work!
I prepared a card with a picture of the swaddled new baby and  'portraits' of her older brother and sister on it. (I loved her sister's pigtails high up on the top of her head!). Alongside the children I illustrated a teddy bear, bottle of milk, baby onesie and a few butterflies and flowers to add to the girlish look.

My customer's next request was a birthday card for her daughter, who was going to be ten. Apparently she is crazy about gymnastics and I was asked if it was possible for me to create a figure standing on her hands, something that this particular young lady apparently does all the time! My answer? Of course it was! Once again I had a photo to work from so I was even able to show the birthday girl in the clothes she had been photographed doing her handstand in!
Knowing that my new customer is a native Spanish speaker, I asked her whether she wanted the greeting on the front of the card to be in Hebrew, like the new baby card, or in Spanish this time. A Spanish greeting was sent to me and I can now add that language to the list of different languages I have put on my cards over the years.

My new customer seemed very happy when she saw the cards and kindly sent me the following message a few days later:
"Thanks a lot Lisa!!!!!! The cards were a complete success!!!!!! Your work is VERY beautiful!!".
How nice was that?

New Stock

There are occasions when I have fulfilled all my customised card and album orders and in those 'in between' times I make cards for my stock. These cards are kept on hand for sale to customers, to the stores that I supply and for when I participate in the occasional arts and crafts fair.
The quieter months of January and February have enabled me to build up my stock quite a bit lately. I now have a supply of birthday cards on hand, as well as the usual Bar and Bat Mitzvah cards, Wedding, New Baby and cards for pretty much any occasion.

A Girls' Night Out

Last week my friend L. celebrated her birthday and a girls' night out was organised for the occasion. Of course a gift was the order of the day too but L. wants to get her car resprayed, so a collection was made towards that, rather than the more usual gift or pampering treat. I was rather dismayed by her wish but agreed to join in since that is what she had asked for. However, since I was in charge of bringing a birthday card along for all the girls to sign, I insisted that it had to be super, super girly to counteract the rather masculine present that she had requested!

So, girly the card was and I thoroughly enjoyed going a little overboard crafting a sweet little bird, flowers and balloons in a pretty colour scheme of pinks, lemons and turquoises. I was rather pleased with the result and decided to recreate it and pop it into my shop. It is one of my larger cards, measuring 15cm x 20cm folded and, unlike the card in these photos, I have left it without a greeting so that it can be used for any occasion. This pretty card is perfect for Valentine's Day, an anniversary, birthday or just to tell someone how much you care.