Cairn Man Thank You

For: The Samples
Occasion: Thank You

The Samples very kindly let us use their house in Breckinridge for a weekend getaway, so to thank them, I did a watercolor of a cairn shaped like a person that is prominently featured in their home. I think he's really cute for a pile of rocks! We had so much fun at their house and are hoping to see them this winter for some skiing.

Star Wars Birthday

For: Tommy
Occasion: his birthday

Tommy loved Star Wars à la R2D2, and given that BB8 is adorable, I created a mashup of the iconic robots to help celebrate his birthday. I think it turned out just great, and I hope Tommy likes it too!

Flower Birthday

For: Aunt Mary
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Aunt Mary's birthday this year, I wanted to practice my pen sketching and created this beautiful flower for her. The lines are so crisp--my high school sketching teacher would be proud! I added a swirly "Happy Birthday" and some simple swirly lines in the background. I hope Aunt Mary had a beautiful birthday!

Camping Birthday

For: Gina
Occasion: her birthday

Gina just completed an awesome camping road trip, so for her birthday card, I featured her and a friendly bear hanging out in a colorful tent/teepee. I love how you can tell Gina's got curly hair! The card was done on the light yellow paper and so everything except the stars and the tent material was colored in. Doesn't it look sharp? I had so much fun at our family birthday dinner for her and making the shoofly pie!

Crowd Birthday

For: Augie
Occasion: his birthday

For Augie's birthday card, I created an illustration of a colorful crowd cheering for his birthday. They look like muppet soccer fans, and that makes me really happy. I hope Augs is enjoying summer and getting pumped for another great year of school!

Spam Birthday

For: John
Occasion: his birthday

John is a really clever guy, so for his card I decided to have some fun with puns. The card features a mailbox that is unhappy at having received a can of spam. I used my metallic colored pencil for some shine and it came out just great. I hope John had a great birthday and is enjoying his last summer before college! 

Bear Birthday

For: Uncle Tom
Occasion: his birthday

To celebrate Uncle Tom's birthday, I created a portrait of a bespectacled bear wearing a birthday hat. I love how it came out--so playful and fun! I hope he had a great birthday and I can't wait to see him at Thanksgiving!

Relax Birthday

For: Sandie
Occasion: her birthday

Sandie is just awesome. She's an amazing professor and tons of fun. To help celebrate her big day and wish her relaxation in Hawaii, I created this colored pencil drawing of a mouse laid out on a mushroom cap. I love how it turned out and I hope Sandie had an amazing day!

New Baby Family

For: Sofi, Paul, and Jackson
Occasion: New Baby

Sofi and Paul's first baby, Jackson, was born on the summer solstice, and to help welcome him to the world, I created this fun venn diagram-esque rendering of the new family. It's such a cool idea and really captures the warmth and love between them and for the li'l guy. I cannot wait to meet the bundle!

Grandma's Birthday

For: This Year's Stranger
Occasion: Grandma's birthday

Each year in honor of my grandmother's birthday, I make a card for someone in the phone book that has a name similar to hers. I had been doing a lot of biking this summer, and on my hours-long training rides, I found myself thinking about how she would have loved to come visit me in the mountains. To honor this thought I created this colorful mountain in pinks and pastels. I really enjoy making this card every year and I hope it brought some joy to the recipient's day.

Monster Birthday

For: Zach
Occasion: his birthday

To help celebrate Zach's birthday, I did a doodle of a little monster riding his bike. He's wearing a party hat, of course. Placed over a mono-chromatic background in red, this card looks pretty sharp. I hope Zach had a great birthday, and that if he goes on a bike ride he gets to stop for blizzards, bread, and pie.

Horse Birthday

For: Alli
Occasion: her birthday

For Alli's first Debbie Dots birthday card, and since she loves horses, I featured a show horse decked out in birthday regalia with a Happy Birthday banner to boot. How playful is this card? I hope Alli had a great day and is enjoying newly married life in New York!

Peacock Birthday

For: Eileen
Occasion: her birthday

For Eileen's birthday card, I drew up this cute and whimsical little peacock in blues and teals and purples. I love how this looks, and I love Eileen, so it works out! I hope she is kicking butt this summer, and I hope to see her sometime soon.

Lamp Birthday

For: Anna
Occasion: her birthday

To help celebrate Anna's birthday, I did a quirky sketch featuring a woman who shines so bright she when she has to wear a lampshade to keep from blinding people with her brilliance. It's Anna, of course! I adore her so and am beyond excited that she gets to go back to Urbana-Campaign for a year! I wish her nothing but the best and can't wait to hear how things go at the old stomping ground.

Gator Birthday

For: Becky
Occasion: her birthday

Becky and Mark have a Gator (ATV) that they use to go on all kinds of adventures around their farm and the Windsor area. It sounds like Becky has a blast on it every day, so I featured her enjoying the many sights in a comic strip design. I loved making this card and I love how happy Becky looks in every frame. I hope she had a great birthday and I can't wait to see her down on the farms in a few weeks!