Eagle Birthday

For: Chris
Occasion: his birthday

Chris really likes the style of the American Southwest, and so for his birthday card, I sketched a very intense eagle wearing a not-so-intense party hat. Keeping all the colors in the yellows and oranges really helps this card pop!

Quirky Plant Birthday

For: Aunt Joan
Occasion: her birthday

My aunt Joan is hilarious and quirky and fun, and so for her birthday card I created an image of her watering a plant that has grown in the shape of a J--which I think is hilarious and quirky and fun! I particularly like how her curly hair turned out. The entire design smacks of whimsy to me.

I hope she has an awesome day, and I hope to see her again soon!

Thanksgiving Turkey

For: My funny family
Occasion: Thanksgiving

I was not able to go home for Thanksgiving this year, so I made this turkey card to take my place at the dinner table. I decided to use lots of different papers for the turkey's feathers, and I think the bold shapes look neat.

I miss 'em, I'm thankful for 'em, and I hope they have a great celebration!

Hello Kitty Birthday

For: Rukiyah
Occasion: her birthday

Miss Rukiyah is a big Hello Kitty fan, so I decided to feature the infamous cat for her birthday card. She's wearing a red and pink outfit and so the background papers are pink and colorful to match.

On the inside, Hello Kitty has a party hat on and is so excited that it's Rukiyah's big day! For such a simple figure, she really can be very expressive!

I miss Rukiyah so much and hope she has a fantastic day!

Passport Birthday

For: Leslie
Occasion: her birthday

Leslie has become something of a world traveler, so I decided to create a passport for her birthday card! The front features a simplified version of a United States passport.

On the inside, the card opens up like a real passport and has some of her traveling information:
"United States of America
11171988
Happy Birthday
Surname/Nom/Appellidos
Mendoza
Given names/Prenoms/Nombres
Leslie"

In her passport photo, Leslie is wearing a party hat. The stamps that she has collected from various countries include hearts, stars, and my name in Chinese, as those are the stamps I have. Leslie has been to China, though, so I think the effect is neat.

I hope Leslie has a great day and has some exciting adventures this year!

Creative Birthday

For: Maggie
Occasion: her birthday

Maggie is a wonderful intern who I met at a computer training for work. We don't work together, unfortunately, but we do grab lunch every now and again and wonder aloud about the bizarreness of our jobs. She is a very creative, intuitive person, and so I set out to make a creative, intuitive image! There are four circles dissecting a whimsical tree that all meet together for a diamond "Maggie" nameplate in the middle.

I hope she had a great day, and it was fun (as always) to process at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant!

Proud Cupcake Birthday

For: Win
Occasion: her birthday

Win's favorite cupcake is the snickerdoodle one from  Denver's own Big Fat Cupcake. She likes it so much because a) it is delicious and b) it has no frosting! Her card features one of the famed cupcakes pointing out its lack of frosting and being very proud about it. And it should be proud, because it's delicious.

On the inside, the cupcake is literally doing handstands over the other frosted cupcakes. The text reads, "Hope your birthday is as sweet and unique as you!"

I was in cahoots with some friends and managed to get Win a snickerdoodle cupcake for her birthday! They only make them on Saturdays, but the coordination was totally worth it. I hope Win has an amazing day!

Whimsy Tree Birthday

For: my cousin Maddie
Occasion: her birthday

For Maddie's card, I created a fun fall tree with a little girl hanging out with her owl friend. To me, this image captures Maddie's spirit, which is overwhelmingly friendly and fun. The background paper mimics the colored leaves on the trees, which I think is pretty neat!

On the inside, one of the tree branches has a birthday cake resting on it, and the candle flames look just like the colored leaves. The branch reads "Happy Birthday!"

I hope Maddie has a wonderful day!