Sunset Birthday

For: Alli
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Alli's birthday this year, I did a watercolor of a beautiful sunset. Is this from their Florida trip? Is it at The River? Is it in Hawaii this October? Doesn't matter, so long as Alli has a great birthday and gets to take in lots of relaxing moments this year.

Director Birthday

For: Zach
Occasion: his birthday

Zach is crushing it as an orchestra director out in New York. For his birthday card this year, I did an illustration of him conducting an ensemble singing "Happy Birthday" to him. I am pleased that the kinds of notes are correct for the tune! It was so, so, so great to see Zach and Alyssa last weekend, and I hope we get to see them again at the tail end of their road trip!

German Birthday

For: Eileen
Occasion: her birthday

Eileen is traveling for a semester abroad in Germany this spring, and so to wish her a happy birthday in the language she's been studying, I sketched out my very best line-y shadow box birthday greeting. Per the internet (and a previous German card), "Alles gute zum Geburtstag!" equates to Happy Birthday (I hope). Eileen is one cool lady and I hope she enjoyed her day!

Father's Day Golf

For: Dan
Occasion: Father's Day

For my f-i-l's Father's Day card, I did a watercolor of a golf bag with a few clubs that read "happy father's day!" Dan is a big golfer, and I was feeling orange-y that day, so here's the result! I am glad Dan had a wonderful time in France, but I do like knowing that he and Janet are on the same continent! 

Goat Birthday

For: Becky
Occasion: her birthday

To help Becky celebrate her birthday in Goat-town, I created this playful little goat in a party hat and munching on a matching polka-dotted banner! I really love how this illustration turned out--look at those mischievous eyes! Becky is so, so great, and I wish I got to see her more often than just a few times a year. Looking forward to heading to Goat-town later in July though!

Train Birthday

For: Jackson
Occasion: his birthday

To celebrate Jackson's second birthday, I created this cool train card for him! Using colored pencil to fill in the mountainous background, the train itself is left the color of the card stock and outlined in black pen. How cool does this look? I think Jackson is the coolest little guy I know, and I hope he's enjoying being a big brother so far!

Shoe Birthday

For: Will
Occasion: his birthday

To celebrate Will's birthday, I did a drawing of a shoe similar to the ones he wears with the laces spelling out "happy birthday" in twisty cursive. I've had this idea for years, and now that I no longer work with boss man, I figured now was the time. I miss seeing Will every day and I hope he has a great birthday!

Spider Father's Day

For: My dad
Occasion: Father's Day

To celebrate my dear dad this Father's Day, I did a watercolor of a spider trapped in a glass! The text reads "Dad, thanks for everything." My dad is one of those dads that can and will do everything for his daughters, including trap the scary bugs. It's no secret that I adore my father, and I'm so glad he's back on the continent--I always feel better when he's just a call away!

Star Wars Father's Day

For: Nathan
Occasion: Father's Day

To celebrate Nathan's first ever father's day, I created this delightful watercolor illustration of him wearing a Star Wars t-shirt and a Darth Vader mask while holding baby Adam, who's swaddled in a Jedi outfit. I love love love love how this card turned out, and I am so excited to see how fantastic of a dad Nathan will be to Adam--no dark side affiliations here!

Wrapped in Rainbows Wedding

For: Karly and Buck
Occasion: Their wedding

Karly and Buck are getting married today! To celebrate their commitment to each other, I did a watercolor of them hugging and wrapped in a rainbow. Nothing could be more appropriate for the brightest, happiest bride on her big day! I hope everything goes smoothly and they feel the love from all around the country.

Picking Flowers Birthday

For: Kathleen
Occasion: her birthday

For Kathleen's birthday card, I did a watercolor illustration of a hand that had picked a beautiful sprig for flowers. I think this turned out wonderfully, and I am particularly impressed with the hand (hands are the hardest forever and ever). I miss Kathleen a lot and hope she had a great birthday and is living her best life!

20-sided Die Birthday

For: Nathan
Occasion: his birthday

To celebrate Nathan's 29th, I did my best attempt at drawing two 20 sided die that would add up to his age! These are tricky shapes to draw, my friends. I hope Nathan has the best year ever and enjoys getting baby Adam up to speed on the D&D.

Swimming Teacup Birthday

For: Riley
Occasion: her birthday

For Riley's birthday card, I did a paper cut collage of her floating in a teacup pool. My favorite detail on this card (other than all of them) is the brown paper I used for her hair that has little spots in it that look like water bubbles! Isn't this design just super neat? I hope Riley has a great birthday and has the best summer ever!

Bouquet of Flowers Birthday

For: Kathy
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate the lovely Kathy's birthday, I did a watercolor of a beautiful bouquet of flowers. I love how the painting turned out (watercolor flowers are just the best, aren't they?) and am so pleased that Kathy liked her card! I hope she and her beau have a wonderful day celebrating. 

Bike Collage Birthday

For: Karly
Occasion: her birthday

It's Karly Star's birthday! And given that she's about to head out on an epic bike tour for her honeymoon, I decided to chop up my REI ad and create a collage of Karly in a Pearl Izumi jersey and holding a bike overhead in victory! Of course she has a pink polka dot party hat to help with the festive air. I love Karly and hope she has a wonderful day celebrating!

High Five Anniversary

For: Michael
Occasion: Our 5th Anniversary

To celebrate our fifth anniversary, I featured a staple of our relationship: the high five. We both have goofy balloon hands because obviously. The "High 5!" font is reminiscent of a dating anniversary we have in our house that has been updated since year 2ish, I believe--it has read "Happy 3.75!" and other such specific increments. I love Mike so much and can't believe it's already been and only been five years!