Woody Allen is a creep.

For: Zach May
Occasion: his 21st birthday

Zach is a pretty intense Woody Allen movie buff. I figured it'd been a while since I'd drawn Woody Allen, so I might as well give it a shot.




I think this is creepy. But I had to come up with a way to introduce the following image:




Woody Allen flashing his boxers! (What else?)

It's a DVD cover (and also the image used for the Woody Allen section at That's Rentertainment). Kinda weird, but also kind of fun.

One important thing to note: I don't think Zach or Woody Allen are this odd.
So, happy birthday, Zach!

Cosmic quotes and birthday balloons

For: my friend Anna
Occasion: her fabulous birthday

I was reading a book earlier this summer (Succulent Wild Woman) and I came across a quote that smacked me across the face and said "Anna Hoffman" to me. How perfect that her birthday was a few weeks later and I could use it in her card!



On the front, I created images from the first part of the quote: "Perfect peaches, lilting street musicians, a butterfly landing on your shoulder" (Sark, 74).


And I created a few more on the inside:"children wearing pajamas in the daytime, old women on benches laughing" (74).

What made this quote really speak to me (in honor of Anna) was the fascination it seems to portray for a disparate cross-section of life. Anna has an awesome variety of interests and a real zest for the quirky--I thought this was a good way to convey my appreciation of those qualities.

For: My cousin, Eileen
Occasion: her birthday

Eileen reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger. I decided to make a card that I would have liked (and, quite frankly, still do!).



A totally new take on balloon letters! The inside had "Happy Birthday!" in more balloon shapes. I think it's a really interesting idea, and I hope to work on some ways to perfect the technique!

Father's Day

For: My Dad
Occasion: Father's Day

Plain and simple, I love my dad. He is calm and collected, and I am proud to be his daughter. For this card, I focused on an inside joke between us. We want to circumnavigate, or walk around the perimeter of, our hometown, the Great Lakes, and a variety of locations because we think it would be great fun--and who are we kidding, it so would be!

The inside of the card read: "Thanks--you've saved me from a lot of walking. Happy Father's Day!"

This card represents a break in the trend of my cards for this holiday. Since I was 8 years old, my Father's Day cards have featured, or complained about, the lack of a comparable holiday for kids--something I adeptly titled "Kids Day." Even last year, I made mention of it--though I did so begrudgingly, knowing it was expected and, quite frankly, ridiculous. And this year, with this card, I almost made it without the expected reference.

That is, until I tried to put the "Debbie Dots" insignia on the back of the card.


Maybe next year.

Some sporty birthdays!

Today is two of my friends' birthdays! Here are their cards:

For: Kathleen
Occasion: her birthday




This wonderful young lady is going to USC in the fall to study physical therapy! I thought it would be hilarious fun to use people letters, and have them playing sports and stretching. So here we have soccer and tennis players shaking hands in an "H" and a super flexible guy stretching into a "K!"


The "happy birthday" greeting is a similar story: a surfer and a fencer are making each other's acquaintance in the "H" and the "B" is doing a pretty radical yoga pose. Kathleen is going to be a fantastic physical therapist, and I miss her and wish her all the best in what promises to be a very accomplished career.


For: Nathan Curry!
Occasion: his birthday



Nathan golfs! This card reminds me more of my older style in that I made the image out of paper instead of using a pen sketch. I think it looks fantastic though.



Wah-wah. Cheesy golf puns. But, that's what you get when you're friends with me!

I hope both these wonderful people have a fantastic birthday!

A wholly holy birthday

My cousin Kathy is a cloistered nun-to-be, and it's her birthday soon!

For: Kathy, a.k.a. Sister Cora Marie
Occasion: her birthday



This card was a unique challenge for me, and there were a few pieces I had to consider as I made it. First off, Kathy can only receive three letters a month, and I was not sure if a greeting card would count as a letter. Also, I figured the card should be appropriate with a religious theme, given her career choice and current setting (not the occasion for a stripper card, folks!). And finally, I was not sure if I should call her by her nun name or the name I grew up knowing her by. So I went as religious as possible, following what I hope are the rules.



Being a relatively non-religious sort (I prefer "spiritual," thank you very much) I figured this was a fairly nondenominational birthday wish. Making this card got me thinking about her life choices, and I definitely admire her passion and dedication. I am really excited to see her in August for her official nunning ceremony!