Relaxing Birthday

For: Claire
Occasion: her birthday

Claire is one of my favorite early bedtime/curly-haired ladies, so to celebrate her birthday, I featured a cute cartoon of her snuggled up under a blanket and reading a book while eating cookies and drinking coffee. I love Claire so much and miss her so much it's really ridiculous. I hope she has an amazing birthday and a great 2017!

Sweet Balloon Birthday

For: Riley
Occasion: her birthday

Mike's niece Riley is turning seven! To help celebrate her birthday, I created a cute caricature of her with a bow in her hair and freckles on her face--and, true to life, her bangs are all grown out! This card makes me so happy, and makes me miss this little munchkin so much. We hope she has a great day and can't wait to see her and the rest of the Keane clan in 2017!

Painter Birthday

For: Uncle Jer
Occasion: his birthday

My uncle Jer is an amazing artist, so for his birthday card this year, I featured a Harold and the Purple Crayon-esque drawing of him creating a hand-themed masterpiece! As everyone knows, hands are the hardest to draw, so I was pretty proud of how these came out. I had such a great time making this card and I am so glad Uncle Jer liked it so much. Here's hoping he gets the chance to pursue all kinds of awesome art this year!

St. Lawrence Birthday

For: Uncle Ned
Occasion: his birthday

Aunt Beth asked me to make a card to help celebrate Uncle Ned's 70th birthday! The St. Lawrence River is a very important place to Uncle Ned, so at Aunt Beth's suggestion I featured him aboard the Miss Kate and fishing at sunrise. My favorite detail on this card are the little fishies headed towards his bait! Making this card was very relaxing for me, so I hope he feels relaxed on his big day as well.

Weirdsmobile Christmas

For: Mike
Occasion: Christmas

While watching A White Christmas this year, I discovered the most amazing quote. When Bob admonishes Phil and Judy for their fake engagement, he tells Judy, "You might have been stuck with this weirdsmobile for life!" 'Weirdsmobile' is amazing, so I featured it in Mike's Christmas card; it was especially apropos as a big part of his Christmas gift was vehicle-related this year. I drew his car with a Christmas tree tied on top to complete the theme. I love Mike so much it's silly, and I hope he enjoyed our Christmas together!

Golden Rings Christmas

For: The Rings
Occasion: Christmas

The Rings graciously invited us over for Christmas dinner, so to thank them and wish them a Merry Christmas, I created a 5 golden rings card. Because, rings! It's their name! The math doesn't work out exactly, because there are seven Rings (people) total, but what can you do. (Swans a-swimming are pretty lame, anyway.) We had so much fun celebrating and were honored to be part of the festivities!

Twins Honk Christmas

For: The Twin
Occasion: Christmas

Christy has a "Think Snow" block-letter Christmas decoration, and once upon an epic rearranging, I changed it to say "Twins Honk!" We haven't even stopped laughing about it yet. For her Christmas card this year, I featured some honking Christmas geese twins with the letter blocks cluing her into the joke, not that she'd need the context. I love this card, I love my twin, and I hope she has an amazing Christmas!

Mech Christmas

For: Nathan
Occasion: Christmas

Nathan has an awesome board game called Mechs vs. Minions that we got to play a bunch while we were home for Thanksgiving. His favorite character is called Corki, obviously. I mean, he rides on a robotic dinosaur with a rocket launcher in his mouth. I gave Corki a Santa Hat for some extra Christmas spirit, and voila! An awesome Christmas card for my brother bear. I hope he has a great holiday and enjoys his week down on the farm!

Heat Miser Snow Miser Christmas

For: Mom
Occasion: Christmas

My mom loves the Heat Miser from The Year Without a Santa Claus, so I featured him and his brother, the Snow Miser, in her Christmas card this year. I had such a blast making this card and even had the movie on in the background! I hope Mom got to watch all our holiday favorites this year and has a wonderful Christmas.

Running Rudolph

For: Dad

Occasion: Christmas

My dad and I got to run in a Turkey Trot together over Thanksgiving, so for his Christmas card this year, I created a Rudolph up to the same tricks! His bib number is 1225, for December 25th! I love my dad so much and hope he has been up to some great winter running.

Funzo Christmas

For: Ames
Occasion: Christmas

Poor Ames has been the resistant recipient of me singing "Hoarding Funzos in my sack, makes me happy, makes me hurt my baaaaaaack," which is my spin on a song Homer sings in the season 11 Christmas special. I get is stuck in my head endlessly over the Christmas holidays, but sadly, I'm not in Chicago this year to serenade her. To make up for my absence, I featured Homer dressed as Santa with a  sack full of Funzos in her card! I hope she has a great Christmas and doesn't hate this card too, too much.

Secret Santa

For: Alli
Occasion: Christmas

We drew Alli in the Keane sibs Secret Santa, so to accompany her gift, I made her a card of Santa in disguise glasses! I'm amazed this idea has never occurred to me before, but man I want to use it again as often as possible. The background is a funky red and green abstract thing, because sometimes that happens. We hope she has a great time hosting her first Christmas this year!

Family Christmas Card

For: Walsh relatives and the Keane clan
Occasion: Christmas

Sending a Christmas card to Mike's family when he can't visit for Christmas has become a tradition over the past two years (check out the previous designs here and here). Since we're both staying in Denver for the holidays this year, I decided to expand the tradition to my Walshes as well! That meant beefing up the number of cards from five to 13.  Here's a few photos to capture the six or so hour process:

 I sketched a few extra because I figured there'd be a mistake along the way--and look, there was!

I had so much fun making these cards, listening to Christmas music and getting in the holiday spirit. Now we're wishing a very merry Christmas to all our family from the ski slopes of the Colorado mountains!

Tattoo Santa

For: Sarah Sot
Occasion: Christmas

Sarah has had the stupidest year I've ever heard of, so to try to add some light to her holiday season, I sent her a tattooed Santa card! He's got ink of stars, trees, reindeer, holly, and of course, an homage to Noel on his shoulder. X-MAS 4EVA, amirite? I love Sarah so, miss her so much, and am focusing all my Christmas wishes on her health and happiness in 2017. 

Hanukkah Dreidel

For: The Biegens
Occasion: Hanukkah

To wish the Biegen family a happy Hanukkah, I created a dreidel made up of different festive symbols including a menorah, candles, coins, presents and stars of David! Doesn't it look pretty awesome? We had a lot of fun visiting a few weeks ago and I'm glad they liked the bread I made them for the challah-days!

Penguin Dreams Birthday

For: Aunt Katy
Occasion: her birthday

I love my aunt so, so much,  and hope all her dreams come true this year. To help demonstrate, I featured some penguins having their dreams finally realized by flying with balloons. Look at that little guy belly down in the corner--too fun! Aunt Katy has been such an amazing support in my life and I really hope she gets to fly this year, if that's what she wants to do!

Christmas Reindeere

For: The Currys
Occasion: Christmas

Mark and Becky have a bunch of John Deere farm equipment, so for their Christmas card this year, I made the logo festive and made a play on "reindeer!" I love how pretty this card is, and I'm glad they liked it, too! It was so fun seeing my twin-laws over Thanksgiving and playing reindeer games with them again!

Forest Animals Birthday

For: Aunt Glor
Occasion: her birthday

My Aunt Glor is a truly awesome lady. Twin says that Aunt Glor is her spirit animal, meaning that she'd like to be more like her (loving, uncomplaining, just truly excellent) and I totally agree. That strange turn of phrase between us inspired this year's card, which features several spirited animals (get it?). I hope she has a most amazing day--I was so happy to see her and the gang over Turkey day and hope that Christmas is lovely day for her as well!

Recliner Birthday

For: Grandpa Jerry
Occasion: his birthday

To celebrate Grandpa's birthday this year, I did a watercolor of the recliner I remember from my youth (though I'm pretty sure he got a new one many years ago). The chair is kicked back a bit and has a party hat and piece of cake resting on the arms, because there is clearly a party happening in the house! I hope my grandpa has an awesome birthday and I'm bummed to miss out on the festivities this weekend.

Mark Card Birthday

For: Mark
Occasion: his birthday

Mark is a great card player (some might say he is the "Great Dalmuti," even), so for his birthday card this year, I made him his own card! Loosely based off a Jack of Spades, the Mark card features Mark in a crown and holding a very festive balloon. I love, love, love when I get to see the Currys, and was so delighted to play games with them over Thanksgiving again this year!

Banner Birthday

For: Aunt Kat
Occasion: her birthday

My Aunt Kat is one of the nicest and sweetest people I know. For her birthday card, I wanted to capture and celebrate her friendly essence, so I featured an adorable cartoon version of her with a big, garland-y birthday banner behind her and other party paraphernalia. One of my favorite details is how you can see the banner through the balloon! It was so awesome seeing Aunt Kat over Thanksgiving again this year!

Piñata Birthday

For: Paul
Occasion: his birthday

I realized that I had never done a piñata-themed birthday card just in time to do on for Paul's birthday! This piñata may be filled with candy, but he is ready for some cake as well. I hope Paul gets whatever sweet treat he wants today!

Cubs Goat Birthday

For: Uncle Jim
Occasion: his birthday

Hey Chicago, what do you say? Watching the Cubs World Series win was the highlight of November for sure. To keep that good juju flowing into December, I mixed all my Cubs metaphors and made my Uncle Jim this delightful card. It features a billy goat with 108 years of beard tied in a knot wearing a cubs hat and a pair of Harry Carey glasses. The text reads, "'Bout time." I love how this card turned out, and I'm so glad Uncle Jim got to 1)experience the curse being broken and 2)be the recipient of my excitement about the win in card form. Go, Cubs, Go!

Cat Glasses Birthday

For: Aunt Joan
Occasion: her birthday

My aunt is a super fun lady, so to celebrate her birthday, I made this super fun cat! She has sewn a bunch of cat stuffed animals for sick kids, so I featured a friendly feline wearing a great pair of glasses and a festive party hat. I miss Aunt Joan a bunch and hope she's having a great holiday season!

Ampersand Wedding Card

For: Uncle Brian and Aunt Liz
Occasion: Their Wedding

My uncle got married over the Thanksgiving holiday with a lovely ceremony and reception. To wish he and his bride well, I created a whimsical card featuring a giant ampersand with some love birds perched atop. All together, the card reads, "And they lived happily ever after..." We had such a good time at the wedding--I hope married life is a fairy tale for them!

Optical Illusion Q

For: Quam
Occasion: his birthday

To celebrate Quam's birthday, I made the fanciest "Q" that I've ever even seen. It's so swirly and line-y, just try not to get caught in an infinite loop looking at it. The complexity of the card was fun to figure out, and came at a time that I needed something else to focus on. It's no surprise to me that Quam provided me that distraction--he's a great friend and I hope he has the most wonderful year!

Love Turkey Thanksgiving

For: The Walsh-Rock hosts
Occasion: Thanksgiving

The Walsh-Rocks hosted another fabulous Thanksgiving celebration in their home this year. There was love, laughter, and more pies than I've ever seen in one place all together. I so loved being able to spend the holiday with my family, and felt I had to thank those who made it all possible. This little turkey with heart feathers does the job just fine, I feel. I'm so thankful to be part of the best family of them all!

Team Walsh Thank You

For: Team Walsh

Occasion: Thank You

Out of no where, Team Walsh sent me some stamps and supply funds for the Debbie Dots enterprise! As a thank you for their amazing generosity, I created a team poster of the whole gang in matching blues and teals. Everyone looks great don't they? I can't wait to see them all at Walsh Thanksgiving/Wedding-palooza next week!

Mountain Birthday

For: Win
Occasion: her birthday

For Win's birthday card, I created a fun and spunky watercolor mountain scene. Win is a big part of why I live in Colorado (she put the idea in my head after college), and so I wanted to feature our mountains. I love Win so much and I wish her nothing but the best for this next year--maybe we'll get up to the mountains together some time soon!

Flower Birthday

For: Maddie
Occasion: her birthday

For Maddie's birthday, I decided to play around with some shading of my fancy colored pencils. I went with funky flowers, and look how cool they turned out! I hope Maddie is enjoying school and that this next year brings all kinds of whimsy and fun.

Blue New Home

For: Alli and Mark
Occasion: New Home

Alli and Mark just bought their first house in Summit, and to celebrate, I did a whimsical version of their home. It's playful and fun while still demonstrating a fair attention to detail. We wish them many happy years and memories--can't wait to come see the place!

Hip Get Well Soon

For: The Twin
Occasion: Get Well Soon

The Twin had hip surgery recently, so to usher in a speedy recovery, I drew her a skeleton of hips telling her "You'll heal up just fine!" Below, I borrowed a line from Shakira to offer them some reliability: "These hips don't lie." So far, The Twin is doing just great and I'm happy to help out and watch Gilmore Girls while she recovers. 

Fox Birthday

For: Alyssa
Occasion: her birthday

For Alyssa's birthday card this year, I created a watercolor of a classy fox that I paired with a background of similarly colored shapes. I loved doing the shading on this little guy. And it seems like foxes are becoming the next owl in hip animal illustrations, so I was excited to be on trend for one of my chicest friends!

Hanger Encouragement

For: A Friend
Occasion: Encouragement

Someone close to me recently got some discouraging news, so to send along my good vibes, I created this card featuring a hanger bent into a "hang in there" message. I used my metallic marker with some colorful accents to give it some shape; unfortunately it's hard to make out in the photo on the dark background. I'm sending good luck to the card recipient and all who may need it!

Flower Birthday

For: Theresa
Occasion: her birthday

Theresa is a fabulous inspiration, support, and guide to so many who have been fortunate enough to cross paths with her. For her birthday card this year, I created some flowers and used my fancy colored pencils to do some shading. I think it came out beautiful and I hope Theresa had a wonderful and relaxing day. 

Camera Birthday

For: Uncle Jim 

Occasion: his birthday

My uncle is a photographer extraordinaire, so for his birthday card I did a happy doodle of a camera and a lens in party hats. Since I used a green background, I decided to only use greens to color the design for some monochromatic fun. It was tons of fun to draw and I hope Uncle Jim gets to take some great shots this year. 

Snorkel Cup Birthday

For: Tom
Occasion: his birthday

Tom is one of my favorite people, and as such, he gets some of my most interesting cards! This year, it's a snorkeler in a slurpee cup floating a "Happy Birthday" sign. What a weird idea, right? I had fun playing with light blues to be the water and the straw on the light blue background of the card. I miss Tom so much and I hope everything is going well in Wisconsin!

Fly Fishing Birthday

For: Johnson
Occasion: his birthday

Johnson has been big into fly fishing this year, so to celebrate his birthday I created an illustration of a fly fisherman doing his thing in the glow of the mountains. The colors of this card really knock my socks off--so rich on a light blue background! It was awesome celebrating with Johnson and I hope he gets plenty more opportunity to fly fish this year. 

Goat Birthday

For: Lidia
Occasion: her birthday

Lidia often jokes about goats, since apparently there are a bunch of goats in Albania. After all her cards, it didn't occur to me to feature a goat until this year! He's super colorful and wearing a birthday hat on one horn--he's all ready for the party! It was so great to see Lids so close to her big day--I can't wait for the wedding this summer!

Watering Can Birthday

For: Daissy
Occasion: her birthday

Daissy is a force of energy and passion in her day-to-day life. To help celebrate the birthday, I recreated this image of a woman growing flowers in her hair. Something about it really spoke to me, and I hope Daissy enjoyed it too!

Ironman Triple Birthday

For: Chris
Occasion: his birthday

Last year, Chris completed the half Ironman in Hawaii and the Triple Bypass (aka 120 mile bike ride over three mountains that I also did). To honor this ridiculousness, I imposed the elevation map of the bike ride inside the Ironman symbol.

And, since it's a birthday card, I made a removable party hat for the guy. Chris is seriously the best, and I hope his day was equally amazing!

Beard Birthday

For: Marie
Occasion: her birthday

Marie is a lover of beards and all things quirk. To honor that delightful combination, I created a drawing of an old man writing "Happy Birthday Marie" over and over again on his beard. This card. It's basically everything that could ever be perfect for her birthday. I hope it was a great one!

Birthday Birdie

For: Krystina
Occasion: her birthday

To help celebrate Krystina's birthday this year, I created a peaceful little birdie poised on some flora. I love the look of this card--particularly the yellow tips to the leaves! Krystina is a total rock star, and I hope she has the most incredible birthday imaginable!