Karaoke Birthday

For: Molly
Occasion: her birthday



As a prospective student for the Master's program, I met my friend Molly at a narrative therapy workshop last spring. I was super lucky to have chosen a seat next to her, because she has helped me out with lots of tips and tricks in the program, and--wouldn't you know it?--we're classmates now! (What's up, SOCW 541 Research Methods?)

But anyway, this card is sure interesting, isn't it? Who is this mysterious karaoke enthusiast? And just what is she singing?



Straight out of Springfield, Illinois, it's none other than Molly McLay! Serenading us all with the "Happy Birthday" song.

This young lady is extremely talented and passionate, and I'm excited to see where she goes (and I hope she can keep giving me advice in the future!)

To be or not to birthday

For: My uncle Joel
Occasion: his birthday


My uncle is an English teacher, and since I am an English nerd, I figured I should make a Shakespeare card. This quote comes from The Merchant of Venice, methinks.



For however aloof ol' Will was on the front of the card, he certainly perked up when he realized there was a party going on! I bet he just wants a piece of cake.

Birthday golf

For: My cousin Jimmy
Occasion: his birthday



I got to see Jimmy recently at a family gathering, and I found out that he's a big golfer (through direct questioning and secondhand detective work). So, as a variation on the "cake as ball" cards that crack me up so much, here's Jimmy about to tee off!

Fun detail: tied to the strap of his golf bag is a small Titlest golf ball bag. This bag was made for Jimmy by his brother Tommy who, along with his wife Traci, knits and sells all kinds of bags and things. You can check out their website at http://lapinknits.webs.com/!


But back to Jimmy's card:


He's just one easy putt away from a birthday birdie! The flag is a birthday hat, but it's very subtle. The color in these designs is water color pencil, which mimics the texture of the paper background--how fancy is that?

I wonder what sports I'll be cakeing up next!

Hip-Hop-Happy Birthday!

For: Domi
Occasion: her 21st birthday



Domi is a pretty intense dancer. I thought it'd be fun to make a dancing card (a Debbie Dots first!) and so on the front of the card I feature three dancers' legs and feet.




And on the inside, the dance steps spell out "Happy Birthday!" I'm not much of a dancer, but it looks pretty complicated to me. (Especially the Ys. I feel like you'd need some really good balance for that! Domi could so do it though.)
Anyway, I hope she had a great birthday!

One of a kind birthday

For: Moms! aka Greg's mom
Occasion: her birthday

A little context: Greg calls his mom "Moms." I have always thought it was hilarious and now I call her Moms too. The nickname is the overarching theme for this card.



It's true: there are a lot of moms out there. Some are bakers, some are business women, and others are pregnant. (In this card, most are floating torsos however.)



There is only one Moms! Here she is, surrounded by various interest of hers. There's skiis, a massage table, an oven, a fancy B&O-esque CD player, a bike, some wine, and a picture of her wonderful children, Greg and Sarah.

I am pretty much Moms's biggest fan. She's just a wonderful lady and has had all sorts of positive influences on my life. I hope she has a fantastic birthday and I miss her tons.

The Big Christmas Order (part 4)

After getting his birthday card, my grandpa decided to order 50 Christmas cards from Debbie Dots. He wanted 25 religious themed and 25 general Christmas (with a few caveats: no Santas and no cats and dogs--go figure!).

Here's the last of the non-religious cards:



Mittens with stitch work on maroon snow paper with army green background. I really like the detail of this design and the color combinations. I made 6 of these cards.




Because it's a mitten card, the message is about staying warm! This message is not in calligraphy (just black micron pen) and I think it fits the design well.

And that's all 50! If you'd like any of these (or entirely different designs) let me know by the end of October and I can get them made for you. The earlier the better--I'm already excited for Christmas this year!

The Big Christmas Order (part 3)

After getting his birthday card, my grandpa decided to order 50 Christmas cards from Debbie Dots. He wanted 25 religious themed and 25 general Christmas (with a few caveats: no Santas and no cats and dogs--go figure!).

Here are some of the non-religious cards:



My grandma makes delicious gingerbread cookies and houses. She's pretty famous for making them, so I figured it'd be fun to have a cookie card! It's grandpa and grandma as cookies, and they're in love (hence the heart shaped cookie). On light green with a red polka dot paper.



The dotted wreath card has two different backgrounds. I think it's neat how different they look based on which paper they got. I still haven't decided which one I like better--like a good momma, I love them both equally.

The Big Christmas Order (part 2)

After getting his birthday card, my grandpa decided to order 50 Christmas cards from Debbie Dots. He wanted 25 religious themed and 25 general Christmas (with a few caveats: no Santas and no cats and dogs--go figure!).

Here's a the rest more of the religious designs:



A candle on teal with a lined background. I made 6 of this design. The inside reads: "May all the light of the season be yours" in red calligraphy. It passes for both religious and secular.



An advent wreath in dots on light purple with a pastel snowflake background. This one has gotten a lot of positive feedback!



And finally an angel holding a bird on light blue with a polka dot background.

And those are all the religious designs!

The Big Christmas Order (part 1)

After getting his birthday card, my grandpa decided to order 50 Christmas cards from Debbie Dots. He wanted 25 religious themed and 25 general Christmas (with a few caveats: no Santas and no cats and dogs--go figure!).

Here's a few of the religious designs:



The holy family in dots on yellow. Paisley background in red and yellow. I made six of these.




Three wise men on camels in dots. Went with a sandy paper on teal. There are six of these designs as well.




The insides of all the cards in this order feature the cover paper with a calligraphic message like this one. All the messages in the religious cards are variations on this theme.

Birthday flowers

For: Aunt Marilyn
Occasion: her birthday



My Aunt Marilyn is a truly wonderful lady. She has been a great strength and source of support for our family, so I was really excited that I would both get to make her a card for her birthday and hand deliver it at a family gathering this weekend. She is a Master Gardener in Illinois and she wears pink pretty frequently. So, here she is putting those master gardening skills to work!




But, because it is her birthday, she's got to relax and enjoy the fruits (or flowers!) of her labor. And sip lemonade. And watch the sun set. Not a bad birthday at all.

The Birthday Song

For: My cousin Elly
Occasion: her birthday



My wonderful cousin is about to be a sophomore in high school, and she is really active in a number of choirs. Here, there's a diverse crowd warming up for what promises to be a very special tune.




Singing like Charlie Brown and the entire Peanuts gang, it's the birthday song for Elly! Though you can't hear them, they sound great--I promise.

I hope she has a wonderful birthday and lots of fun at her peace rally tonight!

A real luck wish

For: Greg
Occasion: Good luck

Greg is working for State Farm doing data mining and statistical modeling and lots of other things that I don't fully understand. He's got a big presentation to do for all the corporate heads this week.


As an intern, Greg has a shirt that reads "real research. real experience. real pay." We make fun of it all the time, and so I changed it here to "real preparation. real talent. real confidence." as a good luck twist. The shirt is gray with red lettering, and State Farm's logo is red and white, hence the color choices.


The HR motto for State Farm is, "State Farm: a great place to work." We also make fun of that a lot. My good luck twist this time is, "Greg Bopp: a great presenter at work."

I am so proud of him being all adult and successful. Go, Greg, go!

Hairy Birthday!

For: My cousin Jack
Occasion: his birthday


Jack is a big facts guy. He's got lots of random stats up his sleeve that he will pull out at any moment. I think it's awesome, so I figured I'd give him one more: "Hey Jack! Did you know your hair grew almost 5 inches in the last year?"




This is my rendition of Jack with 5 more inches of hair. I think it's hilarious. I hope his parents don't get mad at me for putting ideas in his head!