Member Focus on Lisa of Handmade in Israel

At Lisa’s shop, Handmade in Israel, you'll find a large range of greetings cards in English and Hebrew for all occasions, papercut pictures, gift boxes and notebooks.  All of her work is designed and made in her home in Modi’in, Israel.  It’s “A cheerful and inspiring place where you can find some fun, creative pieces to give as gifts or keep for yourselves!”

How did you come to choose your craft or product?
For as long as I can remember I have been busy with my hands, crafting and making things. As a youngster I knew that I wanted to be an artist for a career. There was never a question in my mind of anything else. I have a BA (Hons) in Graphic Design from Liverpool John Moores University and before kids came along I worked as a graphic designer and art director, and often made cards to send to family and friends. When my last 'office job' came to an end in 1998 my husband looked at some of my cards and suggested that other people might buy them. I approached a local store who immediately took them on, and from then onwards my days have been spent cutting, sticking and making my papercut cards and pictures!

What is your favorite item in the shop right now?
I love the Little Penguin Papercut Picture. I have re-made it a few times, in different colours and using different papers, so that each picture is always very individual and unique. I dare say that other pictures of penguins have been created by some great artists, but there is only one 'Handmade in Israel' penguin! Each piece that I create has my style all over it.

 

How do you budget your time?
I go through stages. If I have a larger order of cards to create for a store then I tend to be very focused on that and can spend my whole morning making cards. I always check my email and browse the web a little in the mornings, but can sometimes spend rather too much time in the forums, trying to promote and network. I have no set pattern but it all seems to get done at the end of the day!

What do you use for inspiration?
I am inspired by things I see around me, by images I see in books and magazines, and by the beautiful and inspirational work of others that I see these days on the web. It encourages me to go one step further and come up with something new and that little bit different.

Why is EtsyChai important to you?
There is so much to learn from the other team members and so much inspiring art out there. There is a wonderful feeling of ‘belonging’ with EtsyChai and each and every time I have a question, there has always been someone out there who has been able to help me out.

Do you have special items for holidays/Judaica?
I always stock cards for the holidays. At the moment I have a set of colourful Hanukkah cards in my store and there is also one remaining set of Rosh Hashanah cards there too. I also stock Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah and Mazal Tov cards year round, and upon request, can produce all of my cards in English and/or Hebrew.

Do you sell outside Etsy?
I sell a lot of cards and pictures here in Israel, at gift and Judaica stores and to my many loyal customers. I also sell to a small store in Hull, England, where I am originally from, and am always on the lookout for new opportunities. I take part in craft fairs when I can and enjoy meeting fellow artisans there. Etsy has been a wonderful experience for me, and has provided me with a wonderful online gallery for my work, but my online store must develop a little more for me to be able to rely on it alone.

You can also visit Lisa at her blog - Handmade in Israel and on:

Twitter: http://twitter.com/handmadeisrael
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HandmadeinIsrael
LinkedIn: http://il.linkedin.com/pub/lisa-isaacs/6/a2a/445
Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/handmadeinisrael/

and in the groups:

 

I’d say that was a pretty fascinating interview with a very creative artist!