Skiing and Studying

A new customer wrote to me to tell me that her son's Bar Mitzvah was approaching at the end of January and she wanted to order a card. "They're beautiful!" she wrote to me. Her son's passion is skiing and if they weren't in Israel, her son was going to have his Bar Mitzvah celebration on the mountains in Colorado. She wanted to know if I could create a card that incorporated the Bar Mitzvah theme and tefillin, along with mountains and skiing.
Of course I could!

I showed the Bar Mitzvah boy wearing a green ski jacket and holding a pair of skis. He is also wearing tefillin. Tefillin (sometimes called phylacteries) are cubic black leather boxes with leather straps that Orthodox Jewish men wear on their head and their arm during weekday morning prayer. Jewish men start wearing tefillin just before their Bar Mitzvah.

Tefillin have two leather boxes, one of which is worn on the arm and the other of which is worn on the head. If you are right-handed, which this young man is, you should wear tefillin on the bicep of your left arm. The tefillin box worn on the head should be centred just above the forehead with the two leather straps wrapped around the head, then hanging down over the shoulders.

Behind the picture of this young man I cut out some snowy mountains and a ski lift. I added the number 13 to mark his age and the age that Jewish boys become Bar Mitzvah.

His mum wrote "The card was super cute!"

Eliya was turning 17. Her mum told me that she is a swimmer and is completing a Wingate* course to become an instructor. She was a madricha (youth leader) in the Scouts, or Tzofim as they are known in Hebrew, and is now a רשג״דית (ראש גדוד or senior counsellor) in charge of a whole age group. Finally, Eliya's mum told me that she is taking 5 units in Arabic, maths and physics at school. Israeli kids graduate from high school after taking exams available in different levels of difficulty, marked as units. 5 is the highest level. Eliya is obviously a smart young lady!

I have shown Eliya holding a pile of books. Each book shows the subject and number of units she is taking. To her right is a swimming costume, swim cap and goggles, along with the badge of the Academic College at Wingate. On her left I added her green and white striped tie, which shows her rank in the Israeli Scouts.

Mum told me that "She loved the card. It was perfect."

* The Wingate Institute, officially Orde Wingate Institute for Physical Education and Sports, is a sports training facility located south of Netanya, established in 1957. It is named after the senior British Army officer and supporter of Zionism, Orde Wingate. The facility serves as the host facility for numerous Israeli national teams.

** This post has been shared on Little Things Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things

Running, Cricket and Grilling

Danny recently turned 50. He likes his beer, particularly Tetleys and Boddingtons, he supports Nottingham Forest F.C. and is a keen runner. His wife told me that he wears a white cap when he runs and a sweatband on his arm, so I made sure to include those little details on his birthday card.

I showed Danny running on his card. He has a can of Boddingtons in his hand. The Forest club badge is to his right, while some more cans of beer can be seen behind him. Since he celebrated his birthday during the coronavirus pandemic, I added a blue mask and the coronavirus symbol in a red prohibition sign. They served as a reminder - not that he needed it - of what was happening in the world when he celebrated his 50th birthday. A big red number 50 marks his age.

Danny's wife was thrilled with the card and shared the photo, above top, on Facebook. "Thanks Lisa Isaacs from Handmade in Israel for this brilliant card." she wrote.

A new customer contacted me with a request for a personalised card for her husband's 40th birthday. He is into cricket and growing tomatoes, she told me. She asked me to include the family dog on the card as well.

I showed him, cricket bat in hand, with the dog, a gorgeous Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, next to him. A tomato plant is growing beautifully behind him and behind the plant are some cricket stumps. A big red number 40 marks his age.

He loved the card.

Finally, this request was for a birthday card for a guy who loves grilling, playing Xbox, skiing, technology and playing frisbee. I have shown him with a pair of skis in one hand and a sausage on a grilling fork in the other! A frisbee is flying towards him and a barbecue is open behind him. In the front I added an Xbox and controller and some little symbols to illustrate his love of technology.
My customer wrote on Facebook that I did a fabulous job!

* This post has been shared on Little Things Thursday, Creatively Crafty, All Seasons, Inspire Me Monday, Wonderful Wednesday and {wow me} wednesday.

5 Cards for a 50th Birthday

A new customer found me on Facebook and contacted me to ask about a 50th birthday card for her husband. After a short chat it became apparent that she actually wanted 5 extra large birthday cards - one from each member of the family! We talked about themes and decided to show the birthday boy with each member of the family and their common interest. Each card would also have a big 50 on it to mark his age.

I'll start with the card I made showing my customer and her "dream guy". I have shown the two of them on the card, his arms wrapped protectively around his wife. I added some red hearts for good measure.

The couple have three children. Their eldest daughter Hannah and Dad both enjoy skiing. I have shown them on the slopes, skis in hand. Even though it's super warm over here right now, they are dressed for the winter weather!

Their son Ariyeh and his dad love art. My customer told me that he particularly likes the work of the Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami, so I have shown Ariyeh pointing out a Murakami print to his dad, who is considering it carefully. I added an easel with a colourful painting on it and a palette and brushes, ready for them to get creative.

Michal, the couple's youngest daughter, loves cooking and baking with Dad. I have shown them both hard at work in the kitchen. Michal is busy mixing the cookie dough whilst Dad has a tray of cookies in his hands.

Not to be left out, the family's dogs, Charlie and Ralph, also sent their dad a card! They love walking with their "Abba" (Abba means father in Hebrew) and apparently he is their firm favourite. I have shown Dad out in the countryside with the Shih Tzu dogs. One is in his arms and one is sitting on his knee (I must confess, I am not sure which is Charlie and which is Ralph!). I hope they both got to put a paw print on their birthday card.

My customer was delighted with all these cards.

"Lisa you have made my husband and all of us so happy with your exquisite cards." she wrote to me, then added the most wonderful review on my Facebook business page:
"Lisa made 5 exquisite cards for my husbands 50th birthday. They are beyond magnificent, in fact he wants to frame them all together. Each card was a picture of my husband doing a skill or hobby that each of my kids enjoy! This was Lisa’s idea too to make each one personal and caring! Lisa you created thoughtful magnificent works of art and made us all so happy - thank you!"

* This post has been shared on Little Things Thursday, Creatively Crafty, Thursday Favorite Things, Sew Can Do and All Seasons.