I wrote about the various incarnations of the TWIN TREES design before (SEE HERE), and one of the most popular is the one below. I first cut it in 2013 for a custom commission, and I've been receiving requests for it ever since. Always fast on the uptake, 4 years later here it is - The TWIN CHERRY TREES is now available in the shop!

Unlike the original, this listed version is 18X18 inches to better accommodate all texts. What's wonderful about this design is not only is it multi-layered (2 papercut layers!) but you can also choose to have the papercut layers in color (at no extra cost). For example, the four color combinations seen below.

I've been reluctant for a long time to release this particular design in the shop because it's one of my more delicate designs, having the least amount of anchors from center mass to the border. Any experienced papercutter will tell you that sometimes paper has a mind of its own and it will choose the worst times to misbehave - often when I'm running late and the courier is on his way to pickup orders. After cutting this design so many times though I know how to strategically adhere the papercut layers together along the branches to prevent them from shifting and lifting when the ketubah is handled - Don't want any mishaps at the Signing Ceremony! - while still keeping the play of layers and shadows for when the ketubah is framed.

Stephanie & Lael were happily married a little over a year ago. My story with them is a good example of the stress and jitters my clients sometime suffer through in the chaos of their wedding preparations - and how in the end these are no more than little hiccups that are easily forgot once the day passes and they have each other. They don't say a wedding is one of the most stressful events in a person's life for nothing! I always strive to be a calm, patient voice to guide and take care of my clients in the short interactions I have with them, so on the ketubah front at least they can count on having a beautiful art piece that will show up on time, will stand muster with the rabbi, and will grace their homes forever.

Stephanie & Lael ordered one of my most popular designs - TWIN CHERRY TREES (available in the shop)- in a warm colorway to feature their carefully composed custom text. It was a fun quick order and the bride was very happy - they loved the design! - until her groom saw the ketubah unveiled and said he didn't like the colors. Cue panic!

To be clear, mistakes are few and far in between, but when they do occur I never take them lightly. If it's my fault I will refund, send a replacement, or cover the costs of returning-fixing-sending the ketubah back in time. There is that grey area on occasions when clients open their gift-wrapped order and tell me they made a mistake on their text or they don't like the colors they've chosen. I always feel guilty for not reading their mind or just knowing better. I am a classic perfectionist and any flaw is a mortal strike - thankfully with this job I rarely get to feel this way.

I really felt for Stephanie and Lael, two weeks before the wedding and they wanted to know if they could change the ketubah's colors all together! I gave them a price and time quote but encouraged them to think it over. They were stressed and emotional and I was convinced they'll like their ketubah as-is once the wedding fog cleared since they loved the design so much. It might sound presumptuous but in these cases I encourage my clients to look at their ketubah in different light conditions and to place it against the walls in their home to better judge how it will really look in its final resting place. It's amazing the difference a good night sleep or two will have, too. In this case, it helped a lot and after much consideration Stephanie and Lael decided to keep their ketubah in the colorway they originally chose. It was the best decision, as these breathtaking photos show (taken by The Spragues). In fact, their wedding was so beautiful I am tempted to share an inappropriate amount of their photos with you! Instead I'll limit myself to those featuring the ketubah, which colors in the end complimented the venue so well.

F E E D B A C K 

I'm overwhelmed, it's so beautiful. Lael turned to me during the start of the ketubah signing and said “I really like the ketubah” while he started tearing up, which then made me tear up. The ornateness of the design juxtaposed with all the honey tones of the wood table and gave the whole thing this really cool earthy feel, like it combined both our styles. 

Thank you SO much for all your patience and help, you've really been exceptional to work with.

S T E P H A N I E  &  L A E L

photos by The Spragues

Congratulations Stephanie & Lael!

Thank you for choosing the Twin Cherry Trees ketubah 

for your celebration and to display in your home 

for a lifetime to come 

For more photos of this wedding and others, see my 
CLIENT PHOTOS GALLERY

To Order Your Own 
H E I R L O O M   P A P E R C U T   K E T U B A H
Contact me HERE | Go to MY SHOP

My most requested design to personalize & recreate is the TWIN TREES ketubah, which seems to have really struck a chord with couples. The one that started it all however, was back in May 2013, for a bride who wanted a bigger cherry blossoms ketubah than the one I had listed in my shop. It was also my first time layering more than one papercut.
Whenever I see photos of this ketubah, I think of a moonlit forest with owls and a whispering brook where an intimate ceremony takes place. I'm a romantic sometimes, alright?

For more photos of this ketubah & other incarnations of the design go HERE

If you too would like to order a Twin Trees ketubah, please contact me HERE

After my latest post featuring a 2-years old commission that included a new take on my much loved Twin Trees, (see: DR. WHO WAS HERE, I thought it's only natural to follow up with this much newer order from April of this year. I happened to semi-document the progress of it - I never do this! - so you also get to see glimpses of how I get on in my studio!

Believe me, I know what it's like getting stuck into a mission and losing sense of time. I often work through the night enjoying creating bespoke ketubot for my clients and realizing it's a new day only when the sun rays hit the ketubah. If you too suffer from the same time management affliction, you know: Time gets away from you and suddenly it's almost too late to get the ketubah that will remind you of your special day for years to come. It's for this reason that I've set up a new SALE section in my Woodland Papercuts shop!

There are 5 new listings and 5 old favorite ketubot in the shop for a special Off-Season price. All of these are ready to be mailed within days of purchase, a great solution for couples that time got away from them! Below are 4 of the new ketubot on sale:

Back in 2013 I created a custom papercut for Eric & Angela's wedding. I think their papercut was the first 16X24 inches big I made? Their ketubah was a modern version in three languages that celebrated the scenic landscape of Texas. Sadly I have no good photos of it (what am I doing here?) but imagine a desert landscape of Texan cliffs, a river snaking across the land, and a great tree.

They were a joy to work with, and left a touching note after receiving the ketubah:


I recently found an email they sent a year ago (gosh, how time flies!) that made me tear up. As a wedding vendor I send out my artwork to the clients and then rarely hear from them again. That this note came years later is truly unique - and I can't believe I've been doing this long enough to get feedback years later!

I've done anniversary ketubot before, but none were like this one: it started in 2015, when Lily contacted me shortly before her October wedding to make her ketubah. She fell in love with the TWIN CHERRY TREES ketubah that I often customize one way or another for clients. Unfortunately there wasn't enough time before her wedding and we couldn't make it work - we parted ways disappointed.

Fast forward to 2016, when Lily's now-husband Gary contacted me to surprise his wife with the ketubah she fell in love with for their first anniversary! You want to swoon ladies? I sure did! Sooo romantic and sweet - and I was quite flattered to be asked.

So forward we went! With the custom text Gary wanted we settled on super-sizing the design to 18.5X24 inches. What's cool about it is that the text is their original ketubah with the scanned-in signatures! So Lily got her dream ketubah after all - and on an even grander scale than she imagined! Cue Love, Actually folks - it. is. real.
The turnaround for this order felt pretty quick for me, more so because I couldn't wait for their anniversary and to hear how it turned out. Imagine me jumping up and down with excess energy like a toddler; that's me when I was waiting for the courier to pick up the ketubah, for it to clear customs, for it to reach Seattle, when there was an attempted delivery, when I got notice the package was signed for... I was a nervous wreck!

Two days after their anniversary Lily kindly emailed me the news: It worked! She was surprised & delighted! But let her tell you in her own words:

For more photos of this ketubah & other custom designs go  HERE

If you too would like to order a custom ketubah, please contact me HERE

There's a lot to say about 2016, but like the rest of the world I can succinctly say it sucked. Sucked bad. For me personally it's been a year of growth, one very painful at the start but steadfast at the end. Around the world it was 'terrible' capped off with 'I give up on you, humanity'. I gotta say that feeling overwhelmed me too in November. But since this is a work blog, I've decided to focus on the positive and send off 2016 with a winner:

As I make all ketubot bespoke, this design had many personal touches added to it with every couple, from colors to elements. Here are a few beautiful examples of its past evolutions:

Whenever I see an artist write about copycats and forgers, I get this ugly feeling in my stomach. I feel angry on their behalf and on behalf of anyone who purchased the fake not knowing what true art they were missing out on. Also, I don't like to see ugliness online (who does, right?). It's why I struggled with posting this. I wrote this post after several of my works copied one afternoon and quickly wrote out my frustration. I've since seen more of my designs replicated and I AM NOT FLATTERED. So I'm going to be a bit negative here, then post some pretty photos. Be warned.