Why'd Hila Send Me Shredded Chicken?

Surprise! She didn't! It was the most heavenly, fresh, melt-in-your-mouth, sweet Halva I've ever tasted!



I picked up a charming package from Hila today that she sent to me while she was visiting her home in Israel recently. Several months ago she had made me something that I'm certain was also special, as everything she does is, but it never made it all the way here! Other side of the world and all that. This time she put together tiny precious treasures with such (surprise!) attention to detail and loving care that opening all the goodies was the most fun I've had with ma clothes on.

In addition to the Halva (which I ate half of for dinner!), was a gorgeous turquoise inlaid jewel box in my new favorite color, "with love from Temple Street Night Market, Kowloon Hong Kong" the tiny red note attached read. Also inside was a sheer pouch filled with wonderful felt beads from Zefat's Market that I can't wait to use in a necklace! Woo. The coup de grace was a little packet which contained actual bits of "Cluttered" Hila's masterpiece animation film set she constructed over two and a half years and now sits preserved beneath plexiglass cases for safe keeping.

She gave me an "aging" test for her hand-made corridor floor, which if you look in the upper right hand image you'll see the realistic grout detailing she created. I'm looking directly at the thing right now and I can't understand how she's made this floor! It's a corrugated base, with alternating squares of black and white foam core on top of that. I think she actually grouted those tiles with a tinted grout material and then finished it all with an array of surface texturing and varnishes that make the end result look exactly like real vintage tile work. Unbelievable. She sent the floor for me to have as a coaster, yeah, right. Although, that would be kind of cool. And then she has the nerve to tell me to use one of the cushions from the living room set as a pin cushion? No way, that baby's going in some animation tests with the cat and then into a place of honor here. You'd need a macro lens shot to see the level of detailing in this one piece of Cluttered. Her stitching is perversely precise. The print and ruffle are perfectly to scale. The tassels are not only topped with beads the right color and size but their pink bands are ringed with the tiniest gold edging it probably doesn't even show up in photo above!

And all of these goodies came wrapped up in a delightfully crunchie vintage sewing pattern tissue. LOVED IT! (I'm saving everything, all the pretty patterned ribbons and her hand-written notes which, by the way, looked as though they were printed by the world smallest typewriter.)

I've decided that Hila is living in a universe that can fit on the head of a pin. Thank you for sharing your divine treasures with me, Hila.



And Miss Izzy says thank you! for all your kind well wishes. Here's hoping she'll feel better each day.