Hana & Gary

Hana was turning 40 so her husband wrote and asked me to make a special card for her. She is a hairdresser and a teacher, he told me. She loves going to the gym, her iPhone, Instagram and jewellery. There was a lot to include but this was an extra large card, so I had plenty of room.

I showed blonde-haired Hana with her hairdryer in one hand and a dumbbell in the other. I added some running shoes as well, since running and weights are her favourite ways to exercise. Behind her is a blackboard with the words "English Lesson" chalked on it. In the foreground I added Hana's iPhone 12, some hairdressing scissors and a comb, the Instagram logo and some sparkly jewellery. Her husband wasn't sure what her favourite piece of jewellery is but said that he had just given her a gold necklace, so I made sure to add that. A big silver 40 marks Hana's age.

A few months before Hana turned 40, her husband Gary celebrated his special birthday. Hana also asked me to make him two very special cards. The first card, an extra large one, was going to be from their children. Hana asked me to show her husband with their five kids. He is a big Everton F.C. fan so I included the club's crest on the card. He is wearing a royal blue shirt, Everton's traditional home colour. Hana also told me that he enjoys playing golf and lifting weights and I had to include his iPhone and the TV remote too!

The card from Hana showed Gary enjoying a tumbler of whisky and smoking a cigar. To his right is a big 40, his Tesla electric car and some weights. On Gary's left I showed the logo of his accountancy firm along with some tiny coins. A bottle of whisky and some more cigars completed the design.

After asking Gary a few questions about Hana's card, he replied saying "Now I understand why my wife likes your work. She also likes detail!". They certainly got it in tenfold on all three cards!

* This post has been shared on The Good. The Random. The Fun.

The Medals on His Chest

The customer who ordered this anniversary card for her husband also wanted a birthday card for her dad. She sent me a photo of the smartly dressed gentleman and asked me to base the card on that picture. The medals dad is wearing all mean something, she told me. I needed to get them just right! In addition, dark chocolate and weights were requested in the background.

I have shown her 87 year old dad wearing his black army beret and proudly displaying his war medals. I carefully cut out photos of each medal for accuracy and then added the relevant colour ribbon. Above his medal is a red poppy, the enduring symbol of remembrance of the First World War. Poppies are worn as a show of support for Britain's Armed Forces community and are sold in honour of Remembrance Day. The flowers were a common sight on the Western Front and grew on the battlefields of Flanders, flourishing in the soil churned up by the fighting and shelling.

My customer was thrilled with her dad's card. "The card is fantastic. Absolutely amazing!" she wrote to me. I have made many cards for young men and women about to enter the Israel Defence Forces, but this was, I think, my first for an old soldier.

* This post has been shared on Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop, Little Things Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Creatively Crafty Link Party and Craft Schooling Sunday.

Fit at Forty

Naomi calls herself a "Personal Healthy Lifestyle Motivator". I am sure she won't mind me telling you that she used to be a big lady. She has been on a wellness journey these last few years and the results are amazing! When her husband contacted me with a request for a 40th birthday card for Naomi, he stated that he wanted "something to do with health and fitness" on it. I knew exactly what to do.

Having followed Naomi's journey, I knew that I had to show her new, slim self on the card. She uses weights when she exercises, so I added them too. I know that she is also a big fan of nutritional drinks and capsules, so I included them as well. I shared some photos of the amazing meals she puts together and some of the ingredients she cooks with, including aubergine, peppers and her favourite skinny pasta. Finally, Naomi drinks a lot of water. Like really a LOT. I cut out a teeny tiny water bottle and gave it a label. You can see the size of it in the palm of my hand, below.

Naomi wrote a lovely review:

"Lisa, I absolutely loved my 40th birthday card and can’t wait to get my mum's card and send it to her in the UK. She collects them because Lisa's cards are masterpieces to be treasured."

* This post has been shared on Inspire Me Monday, The Really Crafty Link Party, The Good. The Random. The Fun., The Happy Now Blog Link- Up, The Wordless Or Not so Wordless Wednesday link-up and Craft Schooling Sunday.

Louis and Yonatan

A new customer in the UK found the invitation I created for my eldest son's Bar Mitzvah on Google and wrote to ask me if I could make a similar design for her son. When I heard that he too is an Arsenal supporter, I couldn't resist!

She asked me show the dark haired Bar Mitzvah boy wearing his Arsenal shirt (I made sure to illustrate the 2018/19 shirt and not the one my son was wearing back in 2013). She also wanted me to include a football, his mobile phone, his Xbox remote control and to show him wearing a tallit. A Jewish boy who has reached the age of 13 can wear a tallit for morning prayer, during the week, as well as on Shabbat and other holy days.

Just like my son, red and white - the Arsenal team colours - were to be the colour scheme of the Bar Mitzvah celebrations, but the Bar Mitzvah boy's favourite colour is actually light blue. I popped his paper portrait onto a light blue background and gave him a red kippa for good measure.
"Just received your card." my customer wrote to me. "It’s fabulous! Thank you very much."

I make birthday cards for Yonatan - and his four brothers - every year. His Mum is diligent about ordering them for her children's birthdays. Last year mum asked me to show him playing on his PlayStation.
This year he was turning 16. She wanted me to show him jumping rope, or as I call it, skipping. She also requested a soccer ball football, Yonatan's soccer shoes football boots and purple weights. Yep, they had to be purple!

I added a big yellow number 16 to mark his age.

"As always, I love it! You are so talented!" my customer wrote to me. "Yonatan loved the details!"

* This post has been shared on MMM Block Party, Mix it up Monday, Creative Mondays Link Up, The Good. The Random. The Fun., Made By You Monday, Pictorial Tuesday, 

Tuesdays with a Twist, Inspire Me Tuesday, The Happy Now Blog Link-Up, Thursday Favorite Things and Creatively Crafty.