Ancient Mythos Birthday

For: Nathan
Occasion: his birthday

Nathan developed a super fun board game that is called Ancient Mythos. It features the Olympians AND some hand-illustrated art by The Twin and I! I got to create all the Olympians, and I based Apollo and Aphrodite off Nathan and Twin; these two characters were called upon to help celebrate Nathan's big day in his birthday card this year! The card was a hit, and the game is an even bigger one. I can't wait till I get my own copy!

Bike Bird Birthday

For: Kathleen
Occasion: her birthday

Kathleen is a really lovely person, and I admire her for all sorts of reasons! We were emailing recently and talking about self-care (my fave), so I thought I'd feature that in this year's birthday card. This illustration is perfectly my idea of who Kathleen is, and pays homage to the bike she had back in college! I hope she had a lovely birthday and is enjoying the start of her summer.

K Birthday

For: Katelyn
Occasion: her birthday

Katelyn is a dear sweet friend of mine. For her birthday card, I decided to use polka dots to create the basic shape of the letter K. I connected the middles of these dots, which ended up given the letter an artsy and sciencey feel. I really like how this card turned out, and I hope Katelyn is feeling connected in all kinds of ways.

White Coat Congrats

For: Lidia
Occasion: her graduation from Med School

Lidia is such a rock star--she just graduated from Rush Med and is headed out to the east coast for her residency! To mark this awesome feat, I created an awesome card! Here's the front:

Doctor looking cool with her white coat and stethoscope, giving the world a thumbs up.

Lift that arm, and you see the other hand holding a bouquet of flowers, along with the "Lidia Spaho, MD" embroidery that's stitched into the coat.

Open both arms, and you get a great big "Congrats!" I am so, so, so unbelievably proud of Lidia, and I can't wait to hear how things go out East. 

Sunflower Birthday

For: Karly
Occasion: her birthday

Karly is a veritable ray of sunshine, so to celebrate her birthday I created a very detailed sketch of a sunflower! I love how the image turned out and is so perfectly matched with the background paper. I had such a blast seeing Karls in Denver last week and hope she continues to own her brightness in the coming year. I miss her spirit already!

Motorcycle Birthday

For: Sean
Occasion: his birthday

Sean is the only person I know in Colorado who has a motorcycle, and he'll occasionally treat himself to rides up in the mountains. I can't be sure, but I imagine they all end like this, overlooking the scenery with the moon setting low. I love how this card looks, and had a great time celebrating with the gang on Saturday. I hope he gets some sweet rides in soon!

Sparkle Cake Birthday

For: Riley
Occasion: her birthday

For Riley's birthday card, I used some simple and sleek paper cutting to create a cake out of white space. I love how the outside is so sparkly--who doesn't love glitter? I hope Riley enjoyed her birthday and got some great cake to help celebrate!

Cincinnati Congratulations

For: Eileen
Occasion: graduation

Eileen graduated from Downers South and is headed out to the University of Cincinnati in the fall to study biomedical engineering! To celebrate this amazing feat, I created a design that uses the awesome UC typography as the C for the Congratulations wish. I'm so proud of Eileen and I hope she enjoys her summer and is excited for college life. 

Ice Cream Birthday

For: Kathy
Occasion: her birthday

Kathy loves ice cream, so to help celebrate her big day, I created some playful summery cones! The banners read "Summer is here!" and "Time for birthday cheer!" I like how happy this card is, and I hope it helps Kathy get through the last few days of teaching!

Butterfly Birthday

For: Lydia
Occasion: her birthday

For Lydia's birthday card, I decided to practice my watercolor shading to make this beautiful butterfly. With a bright yellow background, I think this card is perfect to celebrate a Spring birthday. I hope Lydia had a wonderful day!

Okay? Anniversary

For: Mike
Occasion: Our Anniversary

Mike and I just hit our 2-year mark, and to celebrate this awesome feat, I created a card featuring a quote from yours truly. The first time I told Mike I loved him (almost two years ago), I said, "I just love you, okay?" Nothing like making a sweet sentiment slightly aggressive to show how much you really care. I love Mike even more now and can't wait for the next million years together. 

Latte Engagement

For: Amy and Eric
Occasion: their engagement

Amy and Eric are 1) everyone's favorite couple, 2) living abroad in Prague and, 3) living it up with European cafes (you can read about their sweet adventures here). To celebrate their sweet love, I made a watercolor of one of the lattes they've been sipping. The sugar packets are "love" brand and the menu on the tray has their names on top. I miss them both so much and hope we get to connect when they come back stateside!

Star Birthday

For: Jess
Occasion: her birthday

Jess is one of the most wonderful people I know. Back in the day, her cousins made a song about her that gets stuck in my head more often than is reasonable, but it's so catchy! "The star of Jessica burns bright!" This card features Jess riding her star and enjoying the zero Gs of space. I miss Jess so much and hope to catch up soon!

Beach Birthday

For: Sioux
Occasion: her birthday

Aunt Sioux loves the beach. For her birthday card this year, I created a whimsical watercolor beach scene, complete with a funky umbrella, cute had and celebratory cupcake. Wherever this is, I wish I could be there. I hope Sioux had a great birthday and enjoyed her party! Here's to another year of some sweet beach vacations.

Netflix Birthday

For: Ceci
Occasion: her birthday

Ceci turned 21 this year, and is a big Netflix fan besides--these facts have the making of a great day! The text reads "It's your birthday...time 4 Netflix and wine." I've been having a lot of fun with hand lettering lately, and I got to add in some fun watercolor detail on this one. I love how the card looks, and I hope Ceci did get to unwind after another semester of school!

Benny Birthday

For: Goober

Occasion: his birthday

Goober is a big Bulls fan, so I made him a Benny the Bull birthday card. I'm such a big fan of this card, it's ridiculous. Using my fancy colored pencils on the red cardstock gave it such a cool look. Click the photo and you can see the subtle red detailing of the mascot fur (is it fur?). I hope Goober had a great day and that the Bulls make it farther next year.

Swing Birthday

For: Christina

Occasion: her birthday

For Christina's card, I created a black and white pen sketch of two people (presumably she and her betrothed, Ben) swinging and sharing a birthday cupcake. I tied it up with some fancy hand lettering of the birthday wish and contrasted the black and white with some bright summery colors. I miss Christina so and can't wait to catch up!