Bear Hat Birthday

For: Lydia
Occasion: her birthday

For Lydia's birthday card, I wanted to feature her quirky, hip style, so I created this character wearing a bear hat and holding a heart balloon. I think it captures exactly what I set out to do, and makes me really happy besides. I used some heavily patterned background papers with a sketchy style to help complete the look.

I hope Lydia enjoys her card and has a great day!

Mona Cat Birthday

For: Jess
Occasion: her birthday

Jess is a phenomenal social worker, a great friend, and a cat lady. I decided to play to her quirkier side when I created this cat version of da Vinci's Mona Lisa. I love how the smirk came out on this feline copy--subtle and mysterious, just like Jess.

I hope she had a great birthday!

iPad Birthday

For: Aunt Sioux
Occasion: her birthday

Aunt Sioux is an awesome connoisseur of technology, so I featured a special birthday iPad in her card this year! The apps spell out "HAPPY BD@Y 2U" and their titles read "Have an Amazing Peaceful & Positive Year," "Be Daring And Yourself," and "2Day is Ur Day!"

A few fun features on this card: the time is 5:27, which is Aunt Sioux's birthday, the calendar is correctly reading May 27, and the home button is a birthday cake.

I love Aunt Sioux and hope she had an awesome day!

3D Monster Birthday

For: Goober
Occasion: his birthday

For Goober's birthday card, I thought it'd be fun to make a 3D monster, with the red and blue shadows in Anaglyph style. Goober's big into video games and movies, so this little guy made sense to me to help ring in another year.

I really like how this turned out, particularly the pairing with the buzzing background paper. I hope Goober had a great birthday!

Playing Card Birthday

For: Ceci
Occasion: her birthday

For Ceci's birthday card, I made a special playing card dedicated to her! Based off a Queen card, I adapted the design to be Ceci and birthday specific, featuring her beautiful hair and birthday cakes. Another fun feature is that the "C" in each corner is paired with a letter to spell her name--CeCi!

I hope Ceci had a great day and all her wishes come true.

Champion Architect

For: Jackie
Occasion: Graduation

Jackie just finished her M.Arch degree, so I created this card to point out that she is now a "M.Archampion!" The card features a watercolor of a modern building (that is probably pretty structurally unsound--Jackie would know!).

I am so proud of Jackie-town for pushing through and totally rocking this degree. Here's to an end of the long nights at studio (I hope!).

Way to Grow!

For: Lydia
Occasion: Confirmation/graduation

Lydia is graduating 8th grade and getting confirmed! To celebrate these big changes in her life, I created this "Way to Grow!" card. Lydia also has a bit of a green thumb, which helped play into my choice of the floral doodle.

I hope she had a great time celebrating and enjoys these special moments!

Flowers Birthday

For: Terra
Occasion: her birthday

When I think of Terra, I think of happiness and flowers and all kinds of wonderful and calming things. For her birthday card this year, I followed that instinct and created a flower-themed card. I used some new markers for the  main image and one of my floral backgrounds. 

I miss Terra and hope she has an amazing year!

Mother's Day Boggle

For: My mom
Occasion: Mother's Day

My mom is a puzzle-solver, game-winner, quick-thinker type, so I figured this Boggle card would be perfect for her this year! The letters connect to read "Happy Mothers Day."

I love my mom (even though she beats me at everything we play--notably every game of Words with Friends we've undertaken). I hope she had fun in her garden today and that I get to see her again soon!

Creative Coffee Birthday

For: Lexi
Occasion: her birthday

Lexi has become an epic email pen-pal of mine, so I wanted to feature her wonderful spirit and propensity for caffeinated beverages in a birthday card for her. The mug/teacup has doodles and different hues of watercolor; the background paper has a funky pattern; ultimately, this card captures a little piece of what it means to be Lexi.

I hope she's doing well and can't wait for my next email update!

Lightbulb Birthday

For: Jen
Occasion: her birthday

When I was thinking about what to do for Jen's card, I couldn't shake this feeling of big ideas and lots of adventure. Jen is in a doctoral program and a world traveler, and I get the sense she is going to accomplish big things in her life. This lead me to an ocean scene in a lightbulb (I don't exactly understand, but it captured what I was going for perfectly). 

I miss Jen's quirky laugh and hope she is doing well in Ohio!

Congratulations Star

For: Beth
Occasion: New Job

My friend and coworker, Beth, got a new job! She is a really wonderful person and has so much talent, so I created this congratulations card with a big bright star on it. Beth ran lots of art groups at our job, so I used some painters tape techniques to give the star a neat look.

I love Beth and know she will do very well at her new gig. I can't wait for our get-togethers where we can chat about our new jobs!

Letters Birthday

For: Luke
Occasion: his birthday

I have been facilitating an art therapy group with a street artist, and I thought I'd try out my own lettering skills for Luke's birthday card. I think it looks pretty cool, which is good because Luke is pretty cool too.

I hope he has an awesome day and a great year!

Bear Birthday

For: Aunt Kelly
Occasion: her birthday

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For Aunt Kelly's birthday card, I created this bear watercolor to coincide with my optimistic feelings about Spring! He is holding a flower and a triple-scoop ice cream cone. I really like his playful, boxy body and the subtle blue sky.

I hope Aunt Kelly has an awesome day and can somehow get her hands on an icecream cone like that!