Marathon Bubble

For: Christy
Occasion: The Marathon!

Christy ran her first marathon, and did an absolutely amazing job! I gave her this card, featuring us as bubble people. She's the pink one running across the "26.2" line--I am the red one on the sidelines cheering her on.

On the inside, the bubble twins are hugging, and the Christy-bubble has a medal that's a smiley face. The text reads "I'm so proud of you, twin!"

I was really happy to be able to give her a big bubble hug once she finished the race!

Performance Art Birthday

For: Anna
Occasion: her birthday

Anna is an artist, but a grounded artist. For her card, I created a ridiculous cake-centered performance art scene, with a figure balancing a cake in an almost-yoga pose under a single, hanging lightbulb. "Oh, it's so avant gard..." the text says.

On the inside, the figure has dove into the cake headfirst, and is balancing there. (Oh, art for art's sake.) The image is accompanied with the message, "Happy Birthday!"

I hope Anna's birthday was great and not entirely ridiculous.

Martini Birthday

For: Jess
Occasion: her birthday

Jess is a really wonderful lady who is super busy and doesn't get much time to unwind. Since this is the case, I figured she would like a birthday martini! I like how the candle sits in the glass and how "liquid-y" the drink looks.

On the inside, the same font as the front spelling out a simple "Happy Birthday!" I love how the Ys are empty martini glasses.

I hope Jess has a relaxing birthday and gets the chance to have some fun!

Cotton Candy and Carlton Fisk

For: My dad
Occasion: his birthday

My dad recently captured a very funny memory from my youth for a short story. In it, he described his one and only interaction with Carlton Fisk at a Sox game during the summer of '92. For my dad's birthday card, I created a 3-flap card to try to capture what that story conveyed.

This is Carlton Fisk looking at my dad.

This is my dad, not sure why Carlton is looking at him like that.

And here's what was really horrifying Carlton: A four-year-old me, covered in cotton candy.

I love, admire, and respect my dad so much. You can read the inspiration for this card (aka his version of the story) here.

Tie Metaphor Birthday

For: Ryan
Occasion: his birthday

Ryan is a really metaphorical guy: he creates amazing and elaborate themes for his workshops that blow the rest of us away. He's also a snappy dresser, and thus! the tie metaphor: "Ryan, I hope your birthday is a fierce tie..."

"Fabulous and fun!"

I was really excited when this card concept came together--it's definitely one-of-a-kind (just like Ryan!).
Can't wait to see what kind of ties and metaphors the next year brings!

Baseball Facts Birthday

For: my cousin Joel
Occasion: his birthday

My cousin Joel is a really smart cookie and loves baseball, so I thought I'd see what interesting factoids I could find for his birthday. Turns out, the first indoor baseball game was played on his birthday (April 9th) in 1965. Did you know that?

On the inside, the following warm sentiments: "A lot of important things happened today. Happy Birthday!"
I hope Joel's birthday is lots of fun--one for the history books!

Canasta Birthday

For: Mom
Occasion: her birthday

Over break, my mom taught me how to play Canasta and it is really fun! The image on the front of the card is a clean canasta (meaning it has no wild cards) and it's made of aces, which are 20 points a piece. All told, just this canasta would get her 640 points.

On the inside, she gets another hundred points for having a red three. The text reads, "hope this year deals you a winning hand!" and given the points she's already gotten in this card, that seems pretty likely.

I hope my mom has a great birthday, and I can't wait to play canasta with her again soon!

Self-Care Card Workshop

For: The Graduate Social Work Association
Occasion: Self-care workshop

I was delighted to be asked to do another workshop about the therapeutic benefits of greeting cards for my peers. This time, we made greeting cards to ourselves that focused on self-care!

On the front of our cards, we drew images of what we do for self-care. This is a picture of a candle that I light to help me relax. On the insides of our cards, we wrote messages to ourselves that were inspirational and encouraging. 

I really enjoyed myself (as I always do) and am grateful to everyone who came out for the workshop!

Guitar Birthday

For: JP
Occasion: his birthday

My cousin JP is quite a musician. He's been in bands and playing instruments for as long as I can remember, and is currently the front man for The Stolen Season out in Texas. This is a silhouette of JP rockin' out on the guitar.

On the inside, a simple "happy birthday" in the block cursive I created just for this card. JP is really super talented, and I can't wait to see what kinds of gigs and CDs he does in the next year!