Annabelle & Jonathan

Our nephew Jonathan married his long-term partner Annabelle back in June. Unfortunately, we were unable to travel to London to be with them on their special day, but we still wanted to mark the occasion in a meaningful way and let them know that we were thinking of them.

As a wedding gift, I created a personalised papercut for the couple. Handmade gifts have always felt special to me, and I wanted to create something unique that would become a lasting reminder of the beginning of their married life together. 

The papercut features Jonathan and Annabelle's names along with the date of their marriage, incorporated into a circular design. Surrounding the lettering are delicate flowers, buds and leaves. It was carefully cut by hand from a single sheet of Textura Recycled Bright White Card, then layered onto blue backing paper and mounted in a 20 x 20 cm frame.

The couple seemed delighted with it. My nephew wrote afterwards:

"This was such a wonderful surprise. Thank you so much. We are really touched to have our own Handmade in Israel creation. It's so beautiful and will have pride of place on our shelf."

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade, Mosaic Monday, Busy Monday, Monday Morning Blog Club, Handmade Monday and Talking About It Tuesdays.

Maya & Sam

Sam and Maya recently got married in Australia. My customer was travelling there to celebrate with them and asked me to create a special card to take along. She loved the idea of depicting the couple standing beneath the chuppah - the canopy used in Jewish wedding ceremonies - and was especially keen for me to include their dog on the card as well!

Because I made the card before the wedding, we had to take a guess at what the couple would be wearing. My customer thought the groom would choose a pale suit for the summer wedding, so we went with a beige one. For the bride, she imagined a sleeveless white dress and a veil.

I showed the couple crouching down in front of the chuppah, with their dog by their side. The chuppah is a canopy made of cloth or fabric, often beautifully decorated, and supported by four poles. It represents the couple's new home together - open on all sides to symbolize hospitality and the welcoming of family and friends. During the wedding ceremony, the couple stands beneath the chuppah, where many important rituals take place, including the exchange of rings and the recitation of blessings.

My customer was delighted with the card. "I can't wait to give it to them," she said. Later, she told me the couple absolutely loved it - it's even being framed! In fact, everyone who saw it loved it.

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade, Mosaic Monday, Handmade Monday, Monday Morning Blog Club, Busy Monday, Inspire Me Monday, Talking About It Tuesdays, Tuesday Turn About and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

Halel & Yishai

Wishing you all a happy new year!
Halel and Yishai were married in October. Shortly afterwards, Yishai's mum reached out to ask if I could create a special card for them based on their wedding photos. She also requested that I include the couple's dog, Polly, even though she wasn't actually at the wedding!

I decided to show the young couple under the chuppah, the canopy used in Jewish wedding ceremonies. It consists of a cloth or fabric covering, often beautifully decorated, supported by four poles.
The chuppah symbolizes the couple's new home together - open on all sides to represent hospitality and the welcoming of family and friends. The couple stands under the chuppah during the wedding ceremony, and many key rituals take place there, such as the giving of the ring and the recitation of blessings.

I depicted Halel in her exact wedding dress and carefully recreated Yishai's pale grey suit, making sure to include the bride's gold necklace and the groom's silver earring. Polly is nestled between them.
Yishai's mum sent me the lovely picture of them all holding the card, second image from the top, writing, "They love it!"

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade, Mosaic Monday, Busy Monday, Inspire Me Monday, Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday), Inspire Me Monday, Tuesday Turn About and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

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.

Nicole & Liron

A customer asked me to create a wedding card for a couple who had recently got married. She sent me several photos from their special day and requested that I show the couple on the card - along with their dog, who was also wearing a wedding dress!

I carefully recreated the bride's off-the-shoulder wedding dress and the groom's light blue suit, adding each tiny bead of her necklace and bracelet one by one. Then it was time to craft the little dog and her dress. My customer told me she's a very funny dog - full of character!

The couple are standing under the chuppah, the canopy beneath which Jewish marriage ceremonies are performed. It symbolizes the new home that the couple will build together and is a sacred space where the couple stands during the ceremony, often with loved ones and the rabbi.

The Hebrew greeting on the card simply says "Congratulations Nicole and Liron. We love you".

My customer told me that they loved the card!

* This post has been shared on Saturday Sparks Link Party, Happiness is Homemade and Tuesday Turn About.