Disney Birthday

For: Jess
Occasion: her birthday

Jess really likes Disney World, so for her birthday card, I wanted to make her into a Disney princess! I featured her blue eyes in the big Disney style, and gave her some Minnie ears to make the ensemble complete. "Happy Birthday, Jess!" is written in the iconic Disney font, and the background paper mimics Minnie's polka dots. I love this card so much, and hope Jess had a great day!

Tea Bird Birthday

For: Anna
Occasion: her birthday

Anna had to do an art project in college that somehow involved an interesting teacup (the one she bought for it had pink flowers on it, if I remember correctly). I wanted to incorporate the teacup and saucer with an earthy image, as Anna's bearthday is on Earth Day. I borrowed the idea of a bird looking at an image of himself on the teacup, and I could not be happier with how it came out. I love the colors and the shine of the tea in the cup...just pleased as punch with this card.

I hope Anna had a great day!

Easter Egg

For: Christy and Nathan
Occasion: Easter

The Twin and Nathan were kind enough to host me over Easter (let alone each set up two scavenger hunts for me!), and all I got them was this card. I used a wax candle to sketch out the egg and then added the watercolors on top. I love the look of the card, but I love them more!

Bunny Pile Easter

For: Mom, Dad, and Amy
Occasion: Easter

I got to go home for Easter, and I wanted to share my joy with the family by making them an Easter card! The only logical choice for such a celebration is a pile of brightly colored bunnies stacked on top of one another. The card is playful and fun, and I had a great time seeing the funny bunny family.

Speed Skating Birthday

For:  My dad
Occasion: his birthday

My dad has started taking speed skating classes, and has even competed in some races! It's awesome to hear about his training, and he seems to have a great time doing it. For his birthday card this year, I created a watercolor of a speed skater among flashes of speed! This was a really fun card to make, as I had never really thought about body alignment of skaters--had to look at all kinds of images to get it close to right.

It was so great to see my dad over Easter--he seems to be in tip-top speed skating shape!

New Baby Owl

For: The Biegens
Occasion: New Baby

To help welcome Baby Shia to the world, I created a bird themed card. It features the whole family (in owl form) from left to right with Adam, Shia (as the egg), Win, and Danielle. It was so great to see them last weekend and meet the little man! Here's to a happy life for our new bundle of joy. 

Danielle Birthday

For: The Bee
Occasion: her birthday

Danielle's original birthday card never made it to the Biegen residence, so I made her another one last week to hand deliver. It features Danielle sitting cross-legged and holding up her name on top of a background of her favorite colors! I had so much fun playing cookies with The Bee last weekend--I hope we can play together again soon!

R Birthday

For: Ryan
Occasion: his birthday

Ryan is a very creative and spirited guy, and I wanted to feature that in his birthday card this year. I've also been itching to do some elaborate hand lettering and--TADAH!--the two came together in this fantastic purpley card. I had a lot of fun coming up with the shapes and designs for this, and hope Ryan "RaRa" had at least as much fun on his big day.

Letters Birthday

For: Joel
Occasion: his birthday

For Joel's birthday card, I created a Happy Birthday message out of different objects--presents, ice cream, sandwiches, and the like.  I think the card turned out great and I hope he had an awesome day!

Bullethead Birthday

For: Mom

Occasion: her birthday

Whenever we were sick, my mom would invite us into her room to watch TV; she had a propensity for the old black and white Rocketman, probably due to its epic special effects and cheesy dialogue. She called the show "Bullethead" and would make hilarious commentary on what we were watching. For her card, I did a black and white rendition of Bullethead, adding subtle blues and oranges for some flair.

It's a ridiculous card, but I had fun making it and remembering the good times, being bundled up sick and laughing. 

Guitar Birthday

For: JP
Occasion: his birthday

JP is a master guitar player. For his birthday card, I wanted to pay homage to his abilities by creating a watercolor of a "guitar guy," and this is what I got! I saw a concert poster similar to this image, and really love the '70s feel that ended up coming through with the colors.

I hope JP had a great birthday!

Yankees Birthday

For: Brian
Occasion: his birthday

Brian is a big New York sports guy, and particularly enjoys the Yankees. For his card, I watercolored a flat-brimmed Yankees hat. I changed the flag label to a birthday cake for some extra birthday flair. I hope Brian has a great year that goes better than the Yankees season opener (oh burn!).

Mandala Birthday

For: Aunt Julie
Occasion: her birthday

My aunt has six children, and I imagine that her life is very extraordinarily busy managing all of the Azzarelli clan. To honor that beautiful chaos, I created a mandala for her birthday card. I hope she had a great day and that this year unfolds calming ways!