Kindred Spirit Birthday

For: Winokur
Occasion: her birthday

There's a little book called "Kindred Spirits, Forever Friends" that Win got me for Christmas last year that really captures the special connection she and I have. For her birthday card this year, I decided to paint the women on the cover who resemble the two of us. I love Win with all my heart and wish we got to see each other more often. I hope we can get together soon to celebrate her birthday! 

Squirrel Birthday

For: Maddie
Occasion: her birthday

I was in a Fall mood when it came time to create Maddie's birthday card, so I featured a happy little squirrel surrounded by autumn leaves. Maddie strikes me as a very playful lady, so I think this card does a great job of wishing her a November birthday--sent it off just in time before the snow started falling in Denver too. I hope she has a wonderful year this year!

Hedgehog Birthday

For: Daissy
Occasion: her birthday

For Daissy's birthday card, I painted a happy little hedgehog holding a birthday sign! I really like the detail of this guy's hat and little spikes. I hope Daissy had a great day and I'm so pumped that she's such a successful lawyer now in Chicago!

Fall Rumble Birthday

For: Alyssa
Occasion: her birthday

I got to see Alyssa briefly over my birthday weekend in Chicago and it was really great to see her and her beautiful home! She shared a story with Mike and I about how her dance team had risen to the occasion of a rainy game and literally rolled in the mud to keep the performance going. I loved it so much that I did a fall-themed interpretation of the dance for Alyssa's birthday--she is featured in a playful watercolor with lots of leaves stuck in her hair. I was imagining her as a little girl dancing away and enjoying the fall weather--I hope she had at least this much fun on her birthday!

Art not War Birthday

For: Theresa
Occasion: her birthday

Theresa recently finished her therapeutic arts certificate, and so to honor the accomplishment, I created a birthday card with a message that I feel is very "Theresa." The watercolor features a bird lifting the "a" out  of "war" and lifting it to complete "art." I am really excited by how this card turned out and hope Theresa is finding time for making art this year!

Whale Birthday

For: Uncle Jim
Occasion: his birthday

For Uncle Jim's birthday card, I wanted to paint a whale so that I could wish him "a whale of a birthday!" This little guy does the job with his party hat tied on so that the ocean waters don't wash away the party. I've always struggled a little with making water look water-y, so I was happy to create the opportunity to practice.
I hope Uncle Jim had a great day and that he's excited to be a grandpa next year!

Pinhole Birthday

For: Tom
Occasion: his birthday

For Tom's birthday card, I decided to use a technique that is new to the Debbie Dots world! I used a thumbtack to create a million-billion little holes to create the letters of his name. I back-lit this photo so that everyone in the blogosphere would be able to see the attention to detail.
I freaking love this card, and I freaking love Tom, so I'm glad he could be the first recipient of this fun technique.

Flower Window Birthday

For: Lidia
Occasion: her birthday

I like to try to do funky things for Lidia's birthday cards, and this year I thought it would be fun to create some fun cutouts in the card to accentuate the art. I'm always associating Lids with flowers, so I created a watercolor of this pretty purple one (I'm always associating purple with her as well) and cut out a diamond in the blue card stock. This was a fun card to make and I think I should do more in this style!
I miss Lids so much and hope she's having a great time out in Boston!

Mandala Birthday

For: Laura
Occasion: her birthday

Laura is an OT working with kiddos, so I thought for her birthday card I'd create a playful mandala! My thinking was that since she is sometimes teaching little ones to hold crayons, I wanted to emulate the beauty of child art. I figured the natural calming powers of a mandala might be fun too!
I hope Laura had a great day!