Pretty cards for special occasions

Homemaker creates festive cards with beads, satin, feathers and more

Sending greeting cards to family and friends is a tradition that goes back about 200 years. It gained popularity in the mid 1800s.

In modern times, the popularity of exchanging holiday cards has reached frenzied heights with handmade cards becoming prized possessions. Rachel Black, a soft-spoken homemaker from Guernsey in the Channel Islands now living in Dubai, spends her spare time creating holiday cards.

Rachel takes great pleasure in hand-crafting her cards to suit the occasion. Her cards have novelty additions such as clay moulds, beads, satin and even feathers. "Last season while I was on holiday I picked up some a corn leaves which I press-dried and painted in gold and silver colours to use on the front of the holiday cards," she says.

Some of them have squares of copper that have been elaborately etched in flowing designs, while others have hand-made moulded clay objects on the front of the card. "The cards that I fashioned with Santa in a soft feather beard is a unique design which is being appreciated this season," smiles Rachel. Next year, Rachel will continue to design cards for various celebrations.

"My family back home in England is always pleased when I send them Rachel's crafted cards. She is extremely artistic and often underestimates her talents," says Jane Dales, long-time friend and patron.

Racha Zeidan, a customer, says, "I like her cards because they are uniquely handcrafted. My Lebanese friends were absolutely delighted to receive them and keen to find out where I got them from."

About two years ago Rachel also took a painting class in Dubai and since then has painted several dozen watercolours for friends and family.

"Painting is a personal pleasure and an opportunity to spend some quiet time by myself. I never had the opportunity to paint in Guernsey," she explains.Rachel takes photographs during her leisure trips with her family around UAE and Oman and comes back to her studio to paint a few selected photos.

"There are hundreds of themes that I want to paint, but with four growing children, I have to limit my projects and choose carefully. I am proud that my family supports my passion for my hobby," she says. Her friends appreciate her artwork and often ask her how she finds the time to do it all. "I make the cards every evening and paint twice a week," she says.

The Jebel Ali Sailing Club has asked Rachel to make a gallery area for them with watercolours of sailing boats, yachts and traditional dhows. The Fine Art Gallery in Safa Centre likes to keep her paintings for sale as well.

"Rachel Black's original water colours have nice clean brush strokes. Also her themes revolve around life of a Western expat in the UAE, which is why expats are happy to buy them to take them back home as memories of their time spent here," explains Saidalvi of Fine Art Gallery.