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.

Yagel and Renne

When my son and his girlfriend asked me to make them a sign with their names on for the front door of their student apartment, little did I know that the piece I came up with would become one of my most popular designs! I have cut this piece quite a number of times this year, making the occasional tiny change to the design to suit the brief.

In August a customer thought my design would make a lovely baby gift for some newborn twins. She knew that the final piece would be bigger than my original creation since she wanted to include not only the new babies' names but also their date of birth.

She sent me a photo from the joint Simchat bat and brit milah to show me the different shades of greens and beige that the family had worn at the ceremony. "I think these are the colours she [the new mum] likes" my customer wrote.

My final piece measured 25 × 20 cm. It features the twin babies' names, Yagel and Renne, written in Hebrew, with their birth date displayed below. The name Yagel means "to rejoice," while Renne means "melody" or "song." Together, the names express a beautiful harmony of joy and song.

My customer was thrilled with the piece, first writing: "Thank you, it’s beautiful," and later adding "The papercut you created for Rivka was really appreciated. She was so touched."

* This post has been shared on Craft Schooling Sunday, Happiness is Homemade, Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) and Tuesday Turn About.

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.

60 for Old Age

A customer asked me to make a special birthday card for her sister, who was turning 60 in August. She told me that her sister has seven children and now four little granddaughters. Family is very important to her. She also has a Labrador called Sunny.

My customer's sister was born in England, lived in Israel for 20+ years, and now lives in New York. Israel and Judaism are very important to her. Oh, and apparently she is a brilliant baker as well.

I decided to show my customer's sister proudly showing off some of the incredible bread she bakes. She is also holding a book of Tehillim. Psalms ("Tehillim"), the first book of the section in the Hebrew Bible called Writings, is an anthology of 150 poems attributed to King David and to others. It includes songs of praise to God, laments of communal or personal tragedy, and expressions of anger, despair, hope, and gratitude.
Behind her, small flags of the UK, USA, and Israel represent the countries she has lived in, with the Israeli flag made more prominent. I added a small graphic representing the family that is so important to her. My customer was keen for me to also show a range of children - some Haredi and some with tattoos! The dog was also included as well.
Finally, the Hebrew greeting on the card says:

60 לזקנה = זה קנה הדעת

The Hebrew phrase from Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) 5:21 is a play on words and gematria (Hebrew numerology), where letters and numbers hold symbolic meaning. The literal translation means:

"60 for old age = this one has acquired wisdom"

   "60 לזקנה"

means "60 [is the age] of old age". This refers to the traditional idea that age 60 marks the beginning of "זקנה" (old age), as mentioned in Jewish sources.

"זה קנה הדעת" - "This one has acquired knowledge/wisdom" is a wordplay: The Hebrew letters in "זה קנה הדעת" (zeh kanah hada'at) add up numerically to 60 using gematria. It also implies that by reaching 60, a person has gained true wisdom or understanding.
So, the greeting is a poetic way of saying that turning 60 isn't just about getting older - it's about reaching an age of wisdom and insight. The phrase implies respect and honour for someone who has lived long enough to gain deep understanding.

My customer's sister loved the card.

* This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade, Craft Schooling Sunday and Busy Monday.

Wedding Gift Door Signs

A new customer saw the door sign I made for Hila and Nadav and let me know that she was interested in ordering some as wedding gifts. She wanted to know what frame options I had, so I sent her a picture of a door sign I had made with a blue frame, along with the more neutral white frame that Hila preferred.

My customer liked the blue frame with the same colour backing paper. Blue and white are also the national colours of Israel, as seen on the flag of Israel, so the door signs show great loyalty to Israel too!

I created three papercuts, each with the names of the newly married couples. I hope that Kila and Nathaniel, Noga and Rotem, and Nava and Rafael like their new door signs.

The Hebrew blessing recited when moving in to a new home is:

Baruch Ata A-do-nai Elo-heinu Melech Haolam she-hech-e-ya-nu v'ki-ma-nu v'hi-gi-ya-nu li-z'man hazeh.

Blessed are You, Lord our G‑d, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained us and enabled us to reach this occasion.

This blessing, called Shehecheyanu, is a blessing for expressing gratitude for experiencing a new or special occasion. It is said when we do something for the first time in a calendar year, for example the first night of Chanukah when you light the Chanukiah. It is also recited when eating a new fruit for the first time in its season, when making a significant purchase such as a new home or car, and to mark other joyous occasions.

* Jewish people do not write G‑d's name in a place where it may be discarded or erased. Treating G‑d's name with reverence is a way to give respect to G‑d.

** This post has been shared on Happiness is Homemade, The Good. The Random. The Fun., Tuesday Turn About, Mosaic Monday and Creative Muster Link Party.