Happy Birthday Saba and Safta

Saba (the Hebrew word for Grandfather) was soon to be celebrating his birthday and so his daughter-in-law sent me this photo and asked if I could recreate it in paper. It was quite a task but I do like a good challenge!

The card shows Saba and Safta (the Hebrew word for Grandmother) along with 4 of their grandchildren and their son. I made sure to match hair styles and colours carefully, checked the colours of their eyes and the patterns on their shirts.

My customer reported that Saba "loved it!".

A few weeks later it was Safta's turn to celebrate and once again my customer put me to test! This time the photo she sent me showed Safta and her grandchildren having fun on some playground equipment. I was amused to see a little Gruffalo in the photo too. It must have been taken at Purim, a Jewish holiday where customs include wearing masks and costumes to public celebrations and parades.

Safta's daughter-in-law asked me to put a 71 somewhere on the card and a birthday cake too.

I hope Safta liked this little reminder of a fun occasion!

* This post has been shared on Little Things Thursday, Creatively Crafty, Creative Compulsions Linky Party, All Seasons and Craft Schooling Sunday.

Superman

My customer and her husband were celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. She asked me to make a large framed picture of the whole family, including their dogs, as a gift for him. The brief was to show her husband in a Superman costume. Apparently he tries to convince their kids that he is actually Superman! She also wanted me to include the flags of the USA, where the family emigrated from, and of Israel, where they now live, along with some hearts since they all love each other 💖. Lastly, my customer wanted me to include the slogan "20 Years of Love" somewhere in the picture.   

Apart from the Superman costume, my customer wanted to add a small detail for each of her kids. The couple's youngest, Lev, always has a dinosaur on his T-shirt, she told me. Her eldest should be in a tank top. Emmy, their middle daughter, loves her helix piercing, whilst Nili, their younger daughter, has curly hair and loves makeup. 

My customer said that she would love it if she wore her hair down but she never does! To make the piece casual and fun, she suggested that I show her with her hair in a messy bun and wearing her glasses. Her husband wears a small kippa (skullcap), she added. I made sure it matched his Superman costume.

The final piece, which measured 30x40cm, was very well received! "Amazing! We love it!" my customer wrote to me. Apparently the whole family loved all the little details and in my customer's words, her husband "went nuts!".

* This post has been shared on Inspire Me Monday, The Good. The Random. The Fun., Little Cottage Link Party, Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop and {wow me} wednesday.

Happy 21st and Sweet 16

Jack was turning 21. His auntie requested a large card for his birthday. Themes should be weights, the logos of his various businesses and Tilly the dog, she said. Jack himself asked if I could show him wearing his hat worn backwards. He has been receiving cards made by me for many years now, so I guess they are no longer a surprise 😂. I do know that they are much appreciated though!

I showed Jack, weights in hand, on the front of his card. His auntie and I had some discussion about his beard and in the end I pencilled in an unshaven look. Tilly the dog is just behind him. I added the logos of the businesses he is involved in and the crest of the University of Leeds where he studies. A big red number 21 marks his age.

"Absolutely fabulous!" his auntie wrote to me.

Emily turned 16. She moved to Israel with her family not so long ago, so is currently learning Hebrew. I suggested showing her holding a pile of Hebrew books and carefully gave them titles such as "Hebrew Verb Tables" and "Hebrew-English Dictionary". I added some Hebrew letters too and the flag of Israel as well. A big number 16 shows her age.

Emily's mum wrote to me on her daughter's birthday and said "The only thing Emily wanted for her birthday was a Lisa card!". Fortunately she was very happy with it. How wonderful is that?

* This post has been shared on Creatively Crafty and All Seasons.