May their memory be a blessing

My friend Mandy recently celebrated her birthday. This year I decided to make her a papercut card. She and I were at art school together, ahem, quite a few years ago, so I added a little pencil next to her name. Granted these days she is using a computer more than a pencil for her wonderful design work, but a pencil seemed fitting! 

Of course not all cards are for birthdays or other happy occasions. A new customer in the United States asked me for some "Jewish condolence cards." Together we decided to add a Magen David (Star of David) and a Dove of Peace to the cards, along with a few pretty flowers. My customer chose the greeting "May their memory be a blessing", or in Hebrew, "יהי זכרו ברוך", a honorific in Judaism used when naming and speaking of the deceased. Once they had arrived in the United States, she kindly emailed to say she thought the cards were beautiful.

Three Birthdays and a Funeral

A customer asked me for a card for her soon-to-be 17 year old niece. She was starting driving lessons, so a car with an L-plate was requested. The cute little red car was my choice.

This young man was celebrating his 6th birthday. His Great-Aunt didn't have any special requests but I have enough experience with boys to know that they like monsters and all things silly! I popped a little party hat on the monster's head and added a few balloons to give the card a birthday theme.

This card was a request for a lady who is a big letter writer and was soon going to be celebrating her 80th birthday. I love that she still writes letters. We all know how exciting it is to find a letter in our mailboxes, to open the envelope and read what's inside. I decorated her card with some writing paper and envelopes, and added some tiny Israeli stamps too.

Sadly not all cards are for happy occasions. I was recently asked to prepare a sympathy card for a customer who needed to send her commiserations to friends abroad. I opted for a simple design with a white Calla Lily on it. My dear Mum was a florist and I learnt from her that the Calla Lily, as well as being used in wedding bouquets as a sign of purity, is also often used at funerals as a symbol of peace. Interestingly I also read that they are used at funerals because they are long lasting. Back in the Victorian era and the early 1900's, funerals were often held in the deceased's home, or a relatives home. Warm weather meant that flowers wouldn't last long but, since Calla Lilies are tropical flowers and don't need the cold to survive as cut flowers, they were a good choice.

I hope that the card brought some comfort in the mourners time of need.

On less happy occasions

Sadly not all cards are for happy occasions. I was recently asked to prepare a sympathy card for a customer who needed to send their commiserations to a relative abroad. I opted for a delicate arrangement of flowers in pastel shades.
I hope that the card brought some comfort in the mourners time of need.