Ladybirds and Rabbits

A customer liked the anniversary card that I made for Mister Handmade in Israel. She and her husband were soon to be celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary so she asked me if I could create a similar card but one which included the number 20. She also asked me to add a ladybird, a heart and the letters jprose, the couple's "trademark". After a last minute change of mind about the card being in Hebrew or English, I cut this by hand from white stock and lined it with a bordeaux-coloured paper inlay. My customer was very happy with the card.

"Thank you for the card" she wrote to me in Hebrew. "It came out beautifully. I am ready to order now for our 25th anniversary in 5 years time ."

Those of you who know a little about the world of papercutting will have heard of Paper Panda. Paper Panda, otherwise known as Louise Firchau, is a UK based papercutting artist who creates some incredible pieces in three very distinct styles. She has also taught thousands of people to papercut through online groups using a papercutting starter kit. As well as selling her artwork, she also sells templates of some of her beautiful designs.

Recently I cut my very first Paper Panda template (and my very first cut from any template for that matter!). I must admit that I find it far more satisfying when the cut is of my own design, but this was quick, fun, and could be an option for the customer who perhaps does not have the budget for a customised piece of mine, but would love a handmade gift for some lucky person.

If you would like to purchase this papercut or something similar, email me using the link on the right-hand side for more information.

Ashkelon

The boys have been begging for a family camping trip for a long time. I used to camp a lot when I was a Girl Guide, but that was a long time ago and, quite honestly, I rather like a bed and a hot shower these days. During the recent celebrations of Hol Hamoed (the six days between the Jewish festivals of Sukkot and Simchat Torah are referred to as Hol Hamoed, or "weekdays [of] the festival") we finally got round to this camping trip. We chose Ashkelon National Park, on the southern Mediterranean coast, as our destination.

The park is situated a few kilometres south of modern Ashkelon. It is a beautiful national park filled with remnants of ancient history, picnic spots and extensive grounds to pitch tents within walking distance to the beach. Ashkelon was once a thriving commercial centre, particularly during the Roman period, and the national park showcases impressive remains from that period, as well as from the different civilizations that lived in the area, including the Canaanites, Philistines, Persians, Phoenicians, Greeks, the aforementioned Romans, Byzantines, Muslims, Crusaders and, of course, the Jews. Roman remains in the park include marble and granite columns and capitals, a Roman basilica and Roman statues. The site also features a Middle Bronze Age gate with the world's earliest arch, dating back to approximately 1850 BCE, above. People arriving at Ashkelon would pass through the gate and its arched corridor. Ashkelon is also linked to the exploits of the biblical Hercules Samson.

The name Ashkelon comes from the word shekel, a unit of weight, an appropriate name for a city with a major commercial port. Early Ashkelon was located along the ancient Via Maris, the "Way of the Sea", a road that linked Syria and Egypt, and was therefore an important station for maritime and overland commerce. 

The park sits within an ancient rampart. A trail at the foot of the Crusader wall of the city offers a lovely view of the park, the sand dunes south of Ashkelon, and modern-day Ashkelon. In the centre of the park are the ruins from the Roman period, the most striking being the pillars from the basilica, a courtyard whose walls and floors were covered with marble and which was surrounded by rows of columns and chambers. Here was where the public activity of Ashkelon took place, above. The artwork and architectural remains on view near the basilica include a statue of the Egyptian goddess Isis, and a statue of Nike, the winged goddess of victory. Her head is crowned with a wreath and in her arms is the god Atlas, standing on a globe.

The park also contains a system of about 60 wells of different types and, unusually, excavations have revealed the largest dog cemetery in the ancient world. This was apparently a Phoenician custom connected to healing rites.

Admittedly it was Mister Handmade in Israel and I who toured the archaeological sites. The boys had gone to the beach, located just a few steps down from the campsite. A nice plus to our camping experience!

Did I fall in love with camping all over again? Well, the site was very nice. It has large, well maintained grassy areas, clean bathrooms, lots of picnic tables to eat at, and areas where barbecuing is allowed. The view towards the sea first thing in the morning, and as the sun set, was to die for. It was, however, very hot at times, and I did not have the best night's sleep. The jury is still out.

Ariel's Bar Mitzvah

Ariel recently became Bar Mitzvah in Sydney, Australia. His Mum asked me to design the invitation for his celebration. His hobbies, she told me, include karate, soccer, futsal (yes, I also had to look it up!), playing the saxophone, his Xbox, gaming on his laptop, tennis, swimming at the beach, trapeze, and ice skating. Oh, and his favourite colour is red. The list was long enough for me to get started!
After a few emails back and forth we decided to concentrate on karate, soccer and playing the saxophone as the main themes. Mum asked if there was any way to add a wave to the image, to represent the beach, and if there was space, a book was requested too, since Ariel likes to read.

I sketched Ariel in his white karate kit and red belt. He has a black and white soccer ball (erm, football!) under one arm, and his saxophone in the other. I planned to include a couple of music notes next to the saxophone, and below that a small pile of books. Behind him I originally sketched a tennis racket and ball, and a big wave, but Mister Handmade in Israel thought it was a dolphin, so I had to think again! Ariel's Mum suggested a yellow and red flag instead of the wave. Apparently they have them at all Australian beaches to show where you can swim. She felt that it signifies the beach and Ariel's love of swimming.

Once I had created my paper portrait of Ariel, I added it to a red background box, which matched his red belt nicely! The dark blue lettering announces Ariel's Bar Mitzvah in English and Hebrew.

I sweated a little bit when my artwork took its time getting to Australia but, after several emails and irate calls to the Post Office, it just turned up. Hooray! 

My customer was very pleased with the way it looked and seemed thrilled with the final printed invitation.

Two Birthdays and a Wedding

Regarding the current situation here in Israel, it's hard to carry on as usual, but that's what we've got to do. We get up to work, send the kids to school, drive on the roads, and walk the streets. I am still at my desk cutting away. Here are my latest cards...

This young man receives Handmade in Israel birthday cards from his family almost every year. This year, for his 18th birthday, Mum asked me to create a paper portrait of her son, along with some of the things that are important to him at this time in his life. His girlfriend came first of course, followed by a picture of a plane ticket to Barcelona (lucky thing!), his white Volkswagen Polo, and the logo of "The Place", the burger bar where he currently works. I gave the birthday boy a balloon with the number of his special birthday on it, and placed a gift in his other hand.

Another customer asked me for a wedding card for a soon-to-be-married young couple. She sent me a picture of the couple and I soon created their paper portraits, showing them dressed in their wedding finery and standing in front of the chuppah, the canopy beneath which Jewish marriage ceremonies are performed. I decorated it with a few flowers and added a big pink heart. The Hebrew greeting says "Mazal Tov Michal and Yisrael".

Finally, Martine is a teacher so her Mum asked me if I could create a birthday card on that theme. I cut out the letters of her name and stuck them onto a green chalkboard. Next I create a little paper book and some coloured pencils, then finished the card off with some flowers and stars to give it a more celebratory look.

Snooker Loopy

Last year Gabi and Adi had just finished school and were preparing for their compulsory military service. This year they celebrated their 19th birthday as soldiers in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). Even though there was a possibility that they would not be home on their birthday, their Mum still wanted a customised card for each of them, just like they receive each year.

Mum asked me to show Gabi in his olive green army uniform. He enjoys playing snooker so, after a lesson from Mister Handmade in Israel about the differences between snooker, pool and billiards, I showed him standing by a snooker table, cue in hand.

Adi is also in uniform. He enjoys playing darts. I added a dartboard to the card and he can be seen aiming a dart at it. Adi is also currently studying at Tel Aviv University, so he has a collection of books under his arm, presumably to be used once he has finished playing darts, tee-hee!

Golan - Part III

If you only have time to visit one national park in the northern part of Israel, make it Tel Dan! Entering the Tel Dan Reserve really is like stepping into a wonderland. Streams flow everywhere into a wild river and tall trees provide welcome shade even on the hottest summer afternoon.

Of the three sources of the Jordan River, the Dan River is the largest and most important. It is fed by the snow and rain which fall on Mount Hermon, the tallest mountain in Israel. The water seeps into the mountain, branching off into hundreds of springs by the time it reaches the foot. Together these form the largest karstic spring in the Middle East, with an annual flow rate of 240 million cubic metres of water.

The Tel Dan Reserve is only 481 dunams (about 120 acres), yet it features four vastly different trails, one of which is partially wheelchair-accessible. We chose to follow the "Long trail" which passes along tranquil streams, the river, and through several shady areas. Trees growing along the trail include laurel, Italian buckthorn and Syrian ash. The ash, thanks to the good conditions at Tel Dan, grows as tall as 20 metres.

We passed through a beautiful part of the reserve, aptly named "The Paradise", and visited a water-powered flour mill which worked for 100 years, till 1948. We then rested under a huge, ancient pistachio tree with views to the Israel-Lebanon border, the Hula Valley, the Naphtali Mountains, Mount Hermon, and the Golan Heights.
Tel Dan had many cool and shady woods to explore, but the real treat was the sound of running water throughout. Towards the end of the trail we found the freezing cold wading pool, which was an absolute delight. We dipped our tired feet into the cool waters. It was the perfect way to end our visit.

Tel Dan is a both a wonderland for hikers and a biblical archaeological site. It is named for the Biblical Tribe of Dan, one of the original Twelve Tribes of Israel. The site was originally the Biblical city of Laish, which was captured by the tribe of Dan during the period of the Judges. A trail from the water-powered flour mill leads to the remnants of the city of Laish, though we did not go there on the day we visited. It was very hot, so we preferred to stay near water. Some fascinating finds can apparently be seen in this area including the "High Place", a ritual site attributed to the time of King Jeroboam, and a reconstructed Israelite-period city gate. According to Biblical tradition, judges sat in the gates of the city and legal cases were presented in gates just like this one. Another attraction is the archway of a Canaanite gate, perhaps the earliest constructed intact arch ever discovered in the world at almost 4000 years old! It is popularly known as Abraham's gate because, according to the Biblical account, Abraham journeyed to Dan to rescue his nephew Lot.

Arguably the most sensational find at Tel Dan, however, was the discovery of parts of a basalt stone stele making up part of a triumphal inscription in Aramaic, left most probably by Hazael of Aram-Damascus, an important regional figure in the late 9th century BCE. Hazael (or more accurately, the unnamed king) boasts of his victories over the king of Israel and his ally the king of the "House of David", the first time the name David had been found outside of the Bible. It is one of only four known ancient inscriptions interpreted to mention the term "Israel" and is currently on display in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Tel Dan also has recent military history. You can walk in a section of trench used by the Israel Defence Forces (I.D.F.) until the Six Day War in 1967, and see where battles were fought and Syrian villages used to be. It would be quite easy to spend an entire day at Tel Dan and clearly I need to go back, especially to visit Ancient Dan.

The Kinneret, or Sea of Galilee, is Israel’s largest fresh water reservoir, and is also the country’s largest and most important source of drinking water. Over the years the Kinneret's water level has become the "index" for the national mood. Israel's residents follow the level changes and take an interest in the Kinneret’s ability to continue to provide water throughout Israel. For this, and other reasons, the Kinneret has become an important national symbol, and also a major centre for tourism. The beaches offer various types of water sports and water activities for every age group. On the last day of our recent holiday, my kids chose to have a go at tubing.

They rode out to the centre of the Kinneret on a motorboat, then climbed on to a tube which was tethered to the boat. They were then towed through the water at high speed, occasionally falling in when the boat turned a corner. Afterwards they took a dip at the water's edge, fish tickling their toes as they swam.

The boys declared it great fun!

Heading home, we stopped at Belvoir National Park, or Kokhav HaYarden in Hebrew, below. Located 500 metres above the Jordan Valley on an isolated hill top, it overlooks the winding Jordan River and faces the hills of Gilead in the Kingdom of Jordan. The centrepiece of this national park is its magnificently preserved twelfth century Crusader fortress. The park's spectacular panorama gave the fortress its name – belvoir means "beautiful view". Its Hebrew name, "Star of the Jordan", preserves the name of Kochava, a Jewish village which existed nearby during the Roman and Byzantine periods.

The Crusaders built the fortress in around 1140 during the reign of Fulk d’Anjou. In 1168 the Hospitaller Knights bought the land and made it into one of the most important fortresses in the country. About 50 knights and 450 soldiers lived in Belvoir, along with their families and staff.

The fortress was attacked by Muslim forces in 1180, but its strong fortifications withstood the attack. Belvoir served as a major obstacle to the Muslim goal of invading the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem from the east and much time and effort was required by the Muslim forces, headed by Saladin, the Muslim military and political leader, to capture it. Only in 1189, after a year-and-a-half-long siege, and once the entire Crusader Kingdom had fallen, did Belvoir's residents agree to surrender and the fortress came under Muslim control. In 1220 the ruler of Damascus sent his men to destroy Belvoir to prevent its re-annexation by the Crusaders.

In modern times Belvoir became an Arab village, Kawkab al-Hawa, whose inhabitants fled during the 1948 War of Independence. Between 1963 and 1968 the site was cleared by the Israel Department of Antiquities and the National Parks Authority.

The reconstructed fortress is the most complete Crusader fortress in the country and the only one all of whose parts have been excavated. Belvoir consisted of an outer square fortress which enclosed a smaller, inner square fortress. Our walk through the ruins revealed halls, cisterns, towers, courtyards, and a 14-metre-deep moat surrounding the outer fortress. Sculptures by the Israeli artist Yigael Tumarkin, inspired by the fortress, are on display south of Belvoir.

Though we visited on an extremely hot day, and the foundations of the fortress are all that's left, Belvoir is still very impressive. The view itself, of the Jordan River Valley, the Kinneret, the Golan, and the Kingdom of Jordan, made the trip there so worthwhile.

A sewing machine and a red pickup truck

My customer needed a card for her Ma's birthday. She picked out this card from my blog but asked me to change "Mom" to "Ma", since that's what they use in South Africa. "Savta" is the Hebrew word for Grandmother.

"Ma" is a therapist. Her daughter says that she has helped and touched many people's lives, and that her profession is integral to who she is. She described her sitting in a chair when she does therapy and asked me if I could possibly illustrate her redheaded Ma that way.

Ma also enjoys playing Bridge, and is a huge reader. A sewing machine, or anything showing sewing/dress design, was also requested, as were ballet shoes, cricket, and a sign saying Krugersdorp (which I now know is a mining city in South Africa). There was a LOT to fit on the card!

"Oh Lisa! You've done a fantastic job!" my customer wrote when she saw the card. "[You've] captured her so well! Thank you!"

Brendan, below, was turning 50. The same customer sent me another long list of things that he likes or are meaningful to him. This included the U.S. Army Reserve, the fantasy tabletop role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons, peanut butter and jelly, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, oh, and a red pickup truck! My customer also wanted me to create a picture of a hare on top of a pie (um, a private joke), add something to do with him being a dad, and the fact that he works in IT. Finally, she told me, Brendan is a very picky eater, but she wasn't sure how to illustrate that. I suggested a red warning sign with some fruit and vegetables behind it.

I am not going to lie. These cards took me a looooong time to create! However, the feedback I received from my customer on my Facebook business page made it all worthwhile.

"Thank you so much for making the most wonderful birthday cards for my mom and boyfriend! They are absolutely wonderful and totally captures their likeness (no clue how you do that!) and lives so well. Thank you so much! Your work is fantastic!!!"