Yael's Album

Yael's mum wrote to me about a Bat Mitzvah album for her daughter not many months after we lost Gadi. I had not been working during that time and certainly did not feel very creative, so my initial response was to say no. However, I have made albums for her three older daughters - Avital, Tehilla and Emuna - and realised that it would not be nice for the youngest not to have one of my albums as well. Feeling it or not, I decided to make Yael an album.  

Yael likes drawing, so mum asked if I could show her holding a pencil. Before I started sketching, I checked whether she is right or left-handed and it turns out that she is left-handed. Good job I thought about it! She also has a teddy that she loves, and a cuddly duck too. Mum mentioned that Yael loves hamburgers, chips and sliced pickles. Finally, she asked if I could put the flag of Israel on the cover of the album.

The colour scheme for Yael's Bat Mitzvah celebration was going to be light blue. I added a Magen David, or Star of David, on the top left and bottom right of the cover, surrounding them with shades of blue. The letters of her name in Hebrew and the words Bat Mitzvah underneath are in gold, as well as the Hebrew year of her celebration, תשפ״ג, or 5783. According to tradition, the Hebrew calendar started at the time of creation, placed at 3761 BCE. The current (2023/2024) Hebrew year is 5784.

The album opens the Hebrew way, from right to left.

I decorated five pages inside Yael's album, each page embellished with a gold Star of David as well. The first page has a plate with a hamburger, chips and sliced pickles on it. The next page, below, shows her favourite teddy bear in his blue dungarees.

I carefully copied Yael's cuddly yellow duck for the following page, making sure to include his tuft of white hair and his rather "loved" shape. Next I added some sheets of paper and pencils, to illustrate her love of drawing and finally, the blue and white flag of Israel.

Yael's mum was delighted with the album. "Thank you. It's amazing." she wrote to me. A good few weeks later she followed that up with another message:
Hi Lisa. I just wanted to thank you so much. We had Yael’s Bat Mitzvah last night and her album made it so special. Her friends absolutely loved writing in it and it really added to the excitement of the simcha*. Thank you so much again.

* Simcha is a Hebrew word that means gladness or joy. It may also refer a joyous event in Judaism, such as a wedding, Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah.

** This post has been shared on Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop

Aliza's Album

Aliza's Bat Mitzvah party was delayed due to Covid-19 but she was finally able to celebrate it last month and was able to put the album I made some weeks ago to good use. Her mum asked me to show Aliza with the family's Maltese dog, Buddy, on the front of the album. She plays the guitar, likes to make and eat sushi and enjoys watching Netflix on her laptop computer. Mum told me that Aliza's outfit of choice is currently a white T-shirt, a black knee length skirt and blue denim jacket.

As requested, I showed Aliza holding Buddy with one arm. Her guitar is in her other hand. She is wearing her denim jacket. Behind her is her laptop computer, with Netflix open on the screen and next to her is a plate of sushi. The album opens the Hebrew way (Hebrew books open from right-to-left). Aliza's name appears at the top in English and the Hebrew words בת המצווה של עליזה, Eliza's Bat Mitzvah, are at the bottom.

Mum initially told me that Aliza's favourite colour is yellow but then Aliza requested pale pink. She also asked if I could add musical notes in two corners of the album cover.

I decorated several pages inside Aliza's album. The first page, above and below, showed a burger and chips, which was apparently the theme of the Bat Mitzvah party and is another one of Aliza's favourite foods. 

Next I cut out a tiny guitar, below, and a saxophone. Mum told me that Aliza is much more into playing the guitar but is learning to play the sax this year too. The following page showed Aliza's favourite Marvel icons, which she specified were Spiderman, Ironman and Black Panther, then I created a page showing the emojis she uses the most on WhatsApp. I added a little mobile phone with Whatsapp open on the screen as well.

Finally, the last page in Aliza's album was devoted to Buddy the Maltese dog.

Aliza's mum was happy with the album. "I am so pleased we found you online. This is gorgeous and she's so excited!" she wrote to me, then followed up by telling me that "Aliza loves it".

* This post has been shared on Link-up Potpourri, The Good. The Random. The Fun. and Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday).