T.I. Pavilion Thank You

For: The Keanes
Occasion: Thank You

After another lovely week at the Thousand Islands with Mike and his family, I continued my tradition of creating a Thank You card that features an iconic building of the park. This year, I chose The Pavilion where I did a yoga class with my future sister-in-law and was coached on how to dive by Maggie and Mike. A fun easter egg in this card is how high the water is on the dock--The St. Lawrence was so high this year! I had a truly wonderful time and am, as always, impressed with Janet and Dan's ability to pull off such a great week for everyone. We are looking forward to next year already!

Lake House Birthday

For: Uncle Joel
Occasion: his birthday

When I saw Uncle Joel at our annual Shelbyville trip a few weeks before his birthday, we got on a conversation about vacation homes on bodies of water. He remarked that he has always been very drawn to the idea, and that his family would be renting a lake house up in Michigan shortly thereafter. I wanted to do my best to capture the essence of such houses in his card, and think this woodsy watercolor does the trick. I hope Uncle Joel had a great birthday and that this next year has lots of vacation time in store!

Taco Birthday

For: Jimmy
Occasion: his birthday

For Jimmy's birthday, I really, really wanted to draw a taco. So I did! I have never drawn a taco before, and figured hey, who doesn't like tacos? It was so fun catching up with Jimmy in response to this taco card, and I'm glad he enjoyed it!

Wedding Watercolor

For: Lidia and Petrika
Occasion: their wedding

To help celebrate Lidia and Petrika's wedding, I did a watercolor of the happy couple in their wedding ensembles. I love how playful and fun the card turned out, and had such a wonderful time at their American reception a two weekends ago. Lids was stunning and totally pulled off having two wedding celebrations a month a part! I love her so much and am wishing her well during this next chapter of her and Peter's life together.

Unicorn Good Luck

For: Richardson
Occasion: Good Luck

To wish Chris well on his second Iron Man race, I continued the tradition from last year and did another unicorn. This one has an Iron Man tattoo on its rump and is wearing four running shoes on its hooves. The "Good Luck" message has a bike in the Os, and for the swimming portion, I figured a unicorn would probably swim naked? I had fun making the card and was happy to hear that Chris successfully finished the race!

Candelabra Birthday

For: Gina
Occasion: her birthday

Gina came over for dinner a few weeks back and brought her candelabra to add to the ambience out on the deck. For her birthday card a few weeks later, I decided to replace simple birthday candles with the far superior candelabra option! The cake reads "Happy Birthday, Gina!" in a circle around the base of cake's hardware. This card made me giggle from the moment I thought of it, and I'm glad Gina enjoyed it, too!

Moose Drool Birthday

For: Mollie

Occasion: her birthday

Mollie has a silly pup named Moose Drool, so for her birthday card, I did a drawing of him with a party hat on! I love how curious his eyes are here. I hope Molls had a great day and I can't wait to get together soon!

Bear Hug Birthday

For: Elly
Occasion: her birthday

Elly has done all kinds of epic things this year, like graduate college and set up her life in a new city. Having plopped myself down in another state where I didn't know many people, in thinking about that experience for me and what she might be going through, I wanted her card to depict the idea that she is well-loved. This led me to hugs, and then to a panda hugging a heart! I think it turned out pretty cute and I hope it helps her on her journey this year of kicking some serious butt-age. 

Basketball Birthday

For: Jack
Occasion: his birthday

Jack is waaaaaay in to basketball right now, so for his birthday card, I featured a wide-eyed cartoon version of him looking expectantly over the ball and up at the rim. I love how this card turned out--particularly the dots on the ball itself. I hope Jack had a great day to kick off what will become a wonderful year!

Blue Bear Birthday

For: Adam
Occasion: his birthday

To celebrate Adam's birthday this year, I did a drawing of the famous Blue Bear statue in Denver as viewed from the inside of the Convention Center. A "HAPPY B-DAY ADAM!" message is visible to the bear and all those on the street. It's a funky idea and it turned out pretty interesting; I had a good time figuring out the lines and details for this card. I hope Adam had a great birthday and is looking forward to another year of fun in Colorado!

(Special thanks to Adam for sending me this picture.)