Coffee Birthday

For: Alyssa
Occasion: her birthday

For Alyssa's birthday card, I created a whimsical coffee cup in fall colors and used papers to make the lid and sleeve with her name on it--how cool did this turn out? I hope Alyssa had amazing day and is getting all the caffeine she needs this year!

Sunrise Birthday

For: Theresa
Occasion: her birthday

For Theresa's birthday card this year, I tried to recreate a memory I have of a sunrise over the farms of Champaign. This is a pretty decent approximation of it, and I hope it affords Theresa the calm it gave me that morning 8-some years ago on the south farms. 

Golf Outfit Birthday

For: Uncle Jim
Occasion: his birthday

For Uncle Jim's birthday card, I created the silliest little golf outfit I could think of! I love the colors and the argyle and the elaborate hanger system to show it all off. Uncle Jim is one cool dude, and I hope he gets plenty of rounds in this year!

Mahalo Thank You

For: Dan and Janet
Occasion: Thank You

To thank Janet and Dan for their hospitality and organization of the epic Keane Hawaii trip, I made them this simple "mahalo" card featuring a lovely plumeria flower! I am so psyched with how this card turned out--look at those warm colors! We had just the best time together and it will be a trip that is not soon forgotten.

Wedding Congrats

For: Carson and Gonzo
Occasion: their wedding

To help celebrate Carson and Gonzo's wedding, I drew them a floral border mixed with a golden border. Carson and Jonathan are the best and we're so happy that they tied the knot! 

Mr. and Mrs. Wedding Card

For: Betsy and Rick
Occasion: their wedding

To celebrate Mike's cousin's wedding, I made them a card in purples and golds that reads "Mr. & Mrs." to celebrate their new titles as a married couple. I wrapped the columns of the letters with a vine of flowers for some extra flair. We were happy to hear that they had a wonderful celebration!

Beer Birthday

For: Tom
Occasion: his birthday

To celebrate Tom's birthday, I did a sepia-toned beer illustration! Look at that frothy beer head. And the wheat! It's like a beer company that was established the same year as Tom. It's such a normal card, I can't handle it--here's to Tom!

GI Birthday

For: Lidia
Occasion: her birthday

Lids is a GI doc, so for her birthday card I did a silly drawing of a GI tract with a big piece of cake in the stomach! I'm a little concerned that there's a lit candle on it still, but that's what happens sometimes. This card concept makes me laugh--poor guy had to go to the doctor during his party 'cause he ate his cake too fast! But if anyone can help, it's Dr. Spaho! I hope she had the best birthday and is looking forward to an amazing year. 

Toucan Birthday

For: Daissy
Occasion: her birthday

For Daissy's birthday card this year, I was feeling something tropical and landed on a toucan ready for a birthday party! Daissy is one of the hardest working people I know, so I'm hoping she does get to take a beach vacation this year and unwind!

Super Hero Birthday

For: Richardson
Occasion: his birthday

Chris is basically a super hero, so to celebrate his birthday, I did a drawing of this super hero man exposing his true birthday cake identity! When this concept came to me, I chuckled a bit--what a fun idea, right? I hope Chris had a super day and got all the cake he could want! 

Sto Lat Birthday

For: Johnson
Occasion: his birthday

To celebrate Johnson's big day, I made a card with worlds colliding--a Colorado license plate featuring the Polish happy birthday greeting, sto lat! I am pretty excited with how this card came out, and it was fun to see Johnson enjoy it so much. Here's hoping the next year is a great start to the full 100!

Expecting Twins

For: Our friends
Occasion: Pregnancy

A couple close to us is pregnant--with twins! I'm so excited I can't even handle it. To congratulate them on this awesome feat, I had to make a twin pregnancy card! This watercolor features the babes snuggling up with matching purple hats and pacifiers. To quote a magnet on my twin's fridge, "YAY, TWINS!" 

Dickens Sympathy Card

For: My Grandma
Occasion: In Sympathy

Both of my grandparents are big fans of Charles Dickens, and so for my grandmother's sympathy card for my grandfather's passing, I knew I wanted to find the perfect Dickens quote. After a lot of research, I landed on this one from Nicholas Nickleby: "and memory, however sad, is the best and purest link between this world and a better." I paired it with a subtle floral watercolor and paired it with blue papers. I miss my grandfather and hope Grandma found some small comfort in words from their favorite author. 

Sympathy Bird

For: My dad
Occasion: In sympathy

My grandfather passed away, and to try to help comfort my dad, I created a sympathy card for him. When I was young, and whenever it was dessert time, my grandpa would get me to look out the window saying there was a bird or an eagle out there--while my head was turned, he would steal a bite of my brownie or whatever tasty treat we were having! It is such a sweet memory now, and I used it as the image for my dad's card: an open window with a bird flying through the air. 

Hooray! Wedding

For: Anna and Jason
Occasion: their wedding

Anna and Jason got married this weekend, so to help them celebrate their nuptials, I did a silly cartoon illustration of the happy couple with a block letter "HOORAY!" above them. I love Jason's thumbs up and Anna's bright hair--they sort of look like puppets some how! I hope the ceremony was lovely and they are ready for a long and happy life together. 

Unicorn Birthday

For: Marie
Occasion: her birthday

I wanted Marie to have a magical birthday, so for her card this year, I did a watercolor of the prettiest little unicorn I could! I made sure its party hat didn't cover up its magical unicorn horn. I love all the bright happy colors and I hope Marie had the brightest, happiest day!

Colorful Colorado Birthday

For: Conor
Occasion: his birthday

I'm still so excited that Conor lives in Colorado, so to celebrate his birthday this year, I did a watercolor of the signs you see at the Colorado border: "Welcome to Colorful Colorado". I've always appreciated that these signs are wooden and not colorful, so that we can all focus on the colors we see around us--just like in this watercolor! Look at that rainbow of mountains and sky! Conor is such an excellent human--I hope we can get together soon and do some outdoorsy stuff!

California Bear Birthday

For: Krystina
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Krystina's birthday, I did a watercolor of a bear hugging California (her home these last several years) and a bouquet. I love how cute and cuddly this card is, and I really wanted it to feel warm and welcoming. Krystina is such a cool lady--she wrote me a letter that arrived the day after I made this card for her--it was so wonderful to hear from her after I'd spent an evening thinking about her! I hope she has an amazing year and lots of fun in Cali!

Hula Birthday

For: Aunt Sherry
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Aunt Sherry's birthday, I did a watercolor of a hula dancer under a palm tree! She and the fam went on a trip to Hawaii last winter, and I might have had my own Hawaiian vacation in mind when I made her card--shhh! Aunt Sherry is just the coolest lady and I hope she had a relaxing and wonderful birthday. 

Starbucks Birthday

For: Warren
Occasion: his birthday

Warren is a big fan of Starbucks, so for his birthday card this year, I did a watercolor of the iconic mermaid fish lady...what even is the Starbucks mascot? I hope he had a wonderful day and treated himself to a tasty coffee or two!

Hawaiian Wedding Congratulations

For: John and Laie
Occasion: their wedding

To celebrate John and Laie's wedding, I did this little watercolor of the happy couple underneath a banner that reads "Ho'omaika'i!"--the internet told me it's the Hawaiian word for congratulations, and I hope it was right! We had the most incredible time celebrating with the Woolvertons on the big island, and I am so happy to have seen where the family lives out there. I can't wait until we find another reason to go back and visit!

Sunflower Wedding

For: Kathy and Alex
Occasion: their wedding

My cousin got married this past weekend, and to help celebrate her nuptials, I did this watercolor of the happy couple in a field of sunflowers. I think I captured the look of their wedding pretty well, and am so delighted that Kathy has found her match. I wish them nothing but the best in their marriage!

Thank Yous

For: My family
Occasion: Thank You

To thank my family for the gifties they got me for my birthday, I made a couple cards!

I had fun with my metallic sharpies!

And you know I have to make a little me every now and again!

New Home Collage

For: Ames
Occasion: New Home

Ames went and closed on a condo, so to celebrate her home-ownership, I did this fun paper collage for her! I loved picking all the colors and am particularly fond of the heart-shaped door knob. I'm so proud of Ames and hope she loves living in her new place!

Sweater Thank You

For: Dan and Janet
Occasion: Thank You

Janet and Dan got me the most wonderful sweater for my birthday, so to thank them for increasing my snuggliness this fall and winter, I got ambitious and did a sweater cut-out.

And then since the cut-out was so intact, I pasted it on the inside and wrote my note around the circle so the message wouldn't show through on the front. Pretty neat, right?