Mountain Dreaming Birthday

For: Claire
Occasion: her birthday

And to wrap the year (and decade!) of Debbie Dots cards, I have this watercolor of a lady hiking the flatlands with her flowing hair showing a beautiful mountain scene. This card features a lot of things Claire and I have in common: a love of mountains, a love of hiking, and a grounding in the flat-lands of Illinois. I adore Miss Claire and hope this year brings her wonderful adventures, real and daydreamed!

Karate Birthday

For: Riley
Occasion: her birthday

Riley has been going to karate three times a week! For her birthday card this year, I did an drawing of her chopping a cupcake in half to show off her awesome skills. It's awesome that Riley is so dedicated to her karate practice--I'm sure she'll be a black belt any day now!

Water Polo Birthday

For: Uncle Jer
Occasion: his birthday

Uncle Jer used to play water polo, and from what the family says, he was a standout. To celebrate his big day this year, I did a watercolor illustration of a player using a cake for a ball! I love how the water turned out in this card, and I hope it brought back good memories for Uncle Jer.

Peas on Earth Christmas

For: Michael
Occasion: Christmas

Mike loves putting peas in as many meals as is reasonable to include them in! For his Christmas card this year, I changed a Christmas carol to include the beloved legume. We've got three peas on top of the world, signifying that there are, in fact, peas on Earth. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and that peas and Peace on Earth are meant to be.

Tree Rex Christmas

For: Nathan
Occasion: Christmas

Nathan's card features a dinosaur all dressed up as a Christmas Tree! (It's a Tree-Rex--get it?!) I had a great time sprucing up this angular, tiny-armed T-Rex with lights and tinsel and an ornament for each claw. I particularly enjoy the star hat. I hope Nathan has the best Christmas and gets everything he wants!

Rudolph Christmas

For: Adam
Occasion: Christmas

Adam has displayed a great affinity for Rudolph this season, so for his second Christmas card, I watercolored him a Rudolph of his own--look at that shiny nose! It has been such a treat witnessing his enthusiasm for the holiday. I hope he has the very best Christmas ever and gets to see all the lights he could ever imagine!

Family Christmas

For: The Twin
Occasion: Christmas

To help The Twin celebrate Christmas, I tried to capture this moment in her family's life. The four of them (note the baby bump!) looking at the lights of a Christmas tree, with Adam on Nathan's shoulders and Christy's arm around Nathan and holding Micro-Curry. This card makes me really, really happy and I hope The Twin loves it, too!

True Love Christmas

For: The Families
Occasion: Christmas

This year, we are spending Christmas with Mike's family, but I've gotten so used to making them all cards that I decided to do it anyway! Since we will be in absentia for my family's celebration, they all get cards as well. This year, Mike is my true love giving me a partridge in a pear tree!

I had such fun coming up with this design! The giggling I'm doing in the illustration is basically how I feel about the design -- being handed a tree is just delightful. 

Making this many cards is always a bit of a process. This year the total was 17! The amazing part was I was only lost two illustrations along the way (I always try to make a few extra knowing that my hand will slip or a smile might look a little sinister). 

So, I ended up with 17 nearly identical cards to send to 13 different families of Walshes and Keanes. I hope every relative, near and far, has a most magical Christmas full of love and joy. 

Ghost of Christmas Present

For: Mom
Occasion: Christmas

For my mom's Christmas card, I played on the idea of the Ghost of Christmas Present, and made a Halloween-y ghost holding a gift. Look at how happy he is! Mom introduced me to all the versions of a Christmas Carol, so this was a must. I hope Mom has a lovely Christmas and has enjoyed all of her favorite Christmas movies!

Cheese Board Christmas

For: Dad
Occasion: Christmas

My dearest dad has started making his own cheeses, because he is the coolest dad. To help in celebrate Christmas this year, I did a watercolor of a tree-shaped cheese board with lots of goodies on top! I paired it with a classic maroon patterned paper and put the whole thing an olive cardstock. I love how classy and warm and tasty this all looks--but I love my dad more, and hope he has the most wonderful holiday!

Snowman Snowball Christmas

For: Ames
Occasion: Christmas

My family has an ornament  of a snowman throwing a snowball. At some point in my clever teen years, I realized that this was akin to the snowman throwing a ball of his own flesh. We now call this little guy "Fleshball" which is so gross and funny and interesting. Ames always got a kick out of it, so for her Christmas card this year, she got a drawing of Fleshball in the flesh. Big thanks to Dad for sending me a pic of the ornament for accuracy!

Cat Christmas

For: Alex
Occasion: Christmas

Amy and Alex just got a kitten named "The Great Catsby," so for Alex's Christmas card, I featured the tiny little guy staring up in awe at a giant Snow Cat! The idea of this card is just so sweet. (Check out the detail on the scarf!) It was so nice to meet Alex over Thanksgiving and I hope he and Ames have a great holiday together as cat parents. 

Serene Christmas

For: Becky and Mark
Occasion: Christmas

My twin-laws' Christmas card this year features a beautiful watercolor of blue trees in with bright red birds all around. I saw something similar to this, and am so pleased I was able to pull it off! Little bird shapes aren't easy to make with how I (don't) take care of my brushes. I adore the Currys so and hope they've had just the best holiday season so far. 

Paper Tree Christmas

For: Sarah
Occasion: Christmas

Sarah has a love for greeting cards that rivals mine, so to wish her a Merry Christmas and thank her for all the cards she's sent, I made this little patterned tree card! Each tree and star combo features a different metallic tinsel that I drew on. All the trees also got a silver shadow--it reminds me of all the Christmas trees Charlie Brown didn't pick! I hope Sarah has a lovely Christmas and gets lots of cards!

Roller Skate Birthday

For: Aunt Katy
Occasion: her birthday

Aunt Katy is celebrating a big birthday this year! To help celebrate, I did a collage of my favorite patterned papers to create a funky pair of roller skates. (The idea of Aunt Katy having a blast roller skating makes me smile so much!) I adore my dear aunt and hope her next year is full of lots of silly fun. 

Singing Fish Birthday

For: Grandpa Jerry
Occasion: his birthday

My grandfather is a big fan of all things slightly cheesy and animatronic, so for his birthday card this year, I did a watercolor of those singing bass on a plaque! I gave the fish a birthday hat and drew accurate "Happy Birthday" notes to adorn the background. I hope Gramps has an awesome day and gets lots of fun toys to play with!

Apple Birthday

For: Aunt Glor
Occasion: her birthday

For Aunt Glor's birthday this year, I did a patterned apple! I really like how this looks -- it's kind of a quilt, it's kind of 90s fabric pattern! Whatever it is, it is bright and happy and quirky, which is the perfect way to celebrate my wonderful aunt. I hope she has the very best day and is looking forward to another year of awesome!

Smart Cookie Graduation

For: Mike
Occasion: Graduation

Mike graduated college! To celebrate this incredible achievement, I did a watercolor of a chocolate cookie and paper cut a mortarboard and tassel for it to wear. I am so, so, so proud of Mike for sticking it out and bringing home the BS!

Western Birthday

For: Mark
Occasion: his birthday

Twin let me know that my father-twin-law really loves Westerns, so for his birthday card this year I created a mock movie poster of a film called Birthday. The style of this is so fun and I did my best to have a Western-style font. Turns out, Mark was a sheriff in his high school play, so this card was even more spot on than I could have imagined! I miss the Currys so much and hope to see them soon!

Pretty Bird Birthday

For: Aunt Kat
Occasion: her birthday

For Aunt Kat's birthday card, I did a marker doodle of the prettiest birds I could! I love the folk art influence in the shapes and how bright and fun this card turned out. Aunt Kat is just such a delight and I hope she had the most wonderful day! It was so nice to see her at Thanksgiving this year.

Name Sign Birthday

For: Paul
Occasion: his birthday

For Paul's birthday, I did an illustration of four people holding up the letters of his name. "Gimme a P, gimme an A, gimme a U, gimme an L! What's that spell?" Paul, of course! I hope he had a wonderful day and is looking forward to a great year. 

Air Balloon Birthday

For: Uncle Jim
Occasion: his birthday

For Uncle Jim's birthday card this year, I played with his history as an airman and did a doodle of a fun way to fly--in a hot air balloon! I hope Uncle Jim had a wonderful birthday and is looking forward to another year of adventure, airborne and otherwise. 

Cardmaker Birthday

For: Aunt Joan
Occasion: her birthday

Aunt Joan is a maker of cards as well, and so to celebrate her big day, I created the most meta card of Debbie Dots' history: a card featuring Aunt Joan making a birthday card! I assume her craft space is a touch neater than mine, so the creative clutter is more contained than in my studio. This card just makes me really happy and I hope Aunt Joan got a kick out of it too!

Thanksgiving Pie

For: The Walsh-Rocks
Occasion: Thanksgiving

To share gratitude with the hosts of our fantastic Thanksgiving feast, I did a watercolor of a pie! I love how this pie turned out and had such a wonderful time celebrating with my family in Chicago. There's always so much to be thankful for!

Singing Birthday

For: Quam
Occasion: his birthday

Quam has always had a mighty singing voice (and voice in general), so to celebrate his big day, I did a caricature of him singing in a choir. I have yet to do a picture of Quam for a card and I think I captured him pretty well! I hope he had the very best day and is looking forward to a year of singing and fun. 

Sun Music Birthday

For: Rukiyah
Occasion: her birthday

Rukiyah is one of my most vibrant and colorful friends, and I've been in a major yellow and sun phase, which means! To celebrate her birthday, I did an illustration of the sun listening to music with its rainbow headphones! I love how calm and happy this turned out -- it captures the vibe I was going for perfectly. I hope Rukiyah had a wonderful birthday!

Cat Birthday

For: Carson
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Carson's birthday, I did a drawing of a happy and warm cat hanging out outside. The cat has a knitted scarf (click for detail!) and is just as snuggly as can be. I hope Carson had a wonderful birthday and is looking forward to a great year!

Cafe Birthday

For: Jennifer
Occasion: her birthday

Jennifer recently had a trip to Paris, and so to celebrate her birthday this year, I did a whimsical watercolor of a street cafe called "Café du Monde." It has been a real treat working with her, and I'm excited to see where our projects take us next year!

Welcome Baby

For: The Artzers
Occasion: New Baby

Aimee and Scott welcomed little Tilly into their family, and to celebrate I had to make them a card! It features all three wrapped up in a hug -- I love how the lines of everyone's clothes mesh together in distinct but complimentary designs. I am so pleased with how these caricatures came out and had such fun meeting this little lady last weekend. I can't wait to see how much she grows between now and next time!

Bright Flower Birthday

For: Win
Occasion: her birthday

For Win's birthday card this year, I was feeling some major bright happy nature vibes! Those vibes resulted in these vibrant marker flowers on top of a swirly green background. I really love how this card turned out, and I had such a wonderful time catching up with Win over brunch right before her big day. Here's to a year of appreciating the little things!

Sun Birthday

For: Maddie
Occasion: her birthday

For Maddie's birthday card, I went with some cold blues to contrast with the image of a warm sun -- I am a big fan of how this turned out! I hope Maddie's birthday was delightful and her year is full of warmth in every season.

Creepy Engagement

For: Jada and Stu
Occasion: Engagement

Jada and Stu are into some creepy stuff -- I mean they got engaged at the Telluride Horror Festival, 'cause that's their thing! To celebrate their commitment to each other (and to capitalize on Halloween), I made them the most unique Congratulations card I ever have. I'm so happy for Jada I can barely stand it--hope she and Stu have a lifetime of the fun scary stuff together!

Hiking Birthday

For: Gina
Occasion: her (belated) birthday

Gina's birthday was back in the summer, but she's been on an epic cross-country road trip with no mailing address all this time! She finally stopped by Denver and we got together for a classic Family Dinner -- this was the perfect chance to get her a birthday card. I drew her all dressed in her hiking gear and coming out of a circle that features the purple mountains majesty! Gina is just the coolest, and I'm so pumped that she's going to land in Colorado, albeit on the western slope. Time for me to have a road trip!

Champagne Birthday

For: Alyssa
Occasion: her birthday

Alyssa is among the sweetest people I've ever known, and totally deserving of a champagne toast on her birthday! I hope this celebratory card helped ring in what will be another great year for her and her family. 

Mother Earth Birthday

For: Theresa
Occasion: her birthday

Theresa is very connected to the Earth and spirituality; for her birthday card this year, I did a swirly watercolor interpretation of Mother Earth! I have a slight bias towards curly hair, so I gave Her amber waves. I also copied the vines onto the card itself, and I love this technique! After nearly 10 years, I still come up with new ideas occasionally--love that Theresa's card is the blogs thousandth birthday card!

Half Birthday Baby

For: Castelli's goddaughter
Occasion: her 1.5 birthday

Castelli's goddaughter turned one and a half, and as the funnest godmother I've ever heard of, she asked me to make a half birthday card for her! My context was simple: baby's got cute brown hair that she always gets food in. I put her in a high chair with her very own half cake with a 1 1/2 candle--of course, there's frosting in her hair! I had so much fun making this card and was so excited C asked me to make it. 

Sign Birthday

For: Uncle Jim
Occasion: his birthday

Uncle Jim had an epic road trip over the summer with my aunt Joan -- to celebrate their big adventure, I featured one of those wooden sign posts that points you in different directions! The signs all read "Happy Birthday Uncle Jim!" I had a lot of fun using brown paper for the card and really had fun with the greenery. Uncle Jim is just the best and I hope he had an awesome day!

Paddle Birthday

For: Tom
Occasion: his birthday

Sometimes I just get a feeling that I really want to draw a particular kind of image for someone. For Tom's card, the spirit moved me and I ended up with this drawing of him canoeing with concentric paddle circles. Does Tom engage in watersports? Not that I know of -- but I couldn't shake that this was the card this year. Gotta go where the spirit moves you--and with Tom sometimes that's angry turtles and happy lamps. I hope Tom had a wonderful birthday and is looking forward to this next year!

Motorcycle Chic Birthday

For: Lidia
Occasion: her birthday

Lids is a total badass in a lot of ways, but one super fun fact is that she and her hubby ride motorcycles! To celebrate this in her birthday card this year, I did a minimalist drawing of her in a black leather jacket, some sweet shades, and her characteristic pony tail. Lids is so wonderful and I hope she has found the time to relax since her very busy birthday!

Doodle Birthday

For: Daissy
Occasion: her birthday

For Daissy's card this year, I tried to capture all the feelings that come up when I think about her. It started with a big heart in the middle (for love, of course!) and then spread out to leaves and swirls and boxes and dots that all come together and capture this intense and wonderful energy--pretty close to my goal! I hope Daissy had an amazing day and is ready for another year of awesomeness!

Fun Birthday

For: Chris
Occasion: his birthday

For Chris's birthday card, I was feeling some major party vibes, so I drew a caricature of Chris in a "woo!" shirt having a great time! I miss Chris and the entire little family -- I hope he had a super fun birthday!

Hiking Boot Birthday

For: Marie
Occasion: her birthday

Marie is new to Colorado and totally digging the outdoor lifestyle! To celebrate her birthday this year, I did a rendition of a biking boot that features some trees and scraggy mountains in it. My hiking boots have always been blue, hence the color of this card. It's so fun having Marie out here--I can't wait until we can play in the mountains together again!

Record Birthday

For: Johnson
Occasion: his birthday

Johnson has a record player, and as record players are the symbol of coolness, I featured a swirly record in his birthday card this year! I really like how the lines are a little squiggly and wobbly. The center of the record features a double J for his initials -- I can't wait to see him at a family dinner again soon!

Cheers Birthday

For: Conor
Occasion: his birthday

Now that Conor lives in Colorado, he's got access to all the delicious beer we've got out here! For his birthday card, I drew a stylized pint with a happy "cheers!" banner floating across it (as sometimes happens). Conor is such a lovely human and I hope he had a relaxing day.

Ocean Birthday

For: Krystina
Occasion: her birthday

For Krystina's birthday card, I used my colored pencils to try to capture the reflections of a setting sin on the water. I have had a major fascination with yellow the last few months, so this opportunity to play with a yellow sky was super welcome! Krystina is such a wonderful friend--I hope she had a fantastic birthday!

Cake for Breakfast Birthday

For: Aunt Sherry
Occasion: her birthday

For Aunt Sherry's birthday, I drew a slice of cake with a candle in it along with the best message: "eat cake for breakfast"! Aunt Sherry is just the coolest lady and so deserving of all kinds of happiness--I hope her birthday was a great start to an awesome year!

Coffee Birthday

For: Warren
Occasion: his birthday

Warren loves coffee, so to celebrate his big day, I did a drawing of a coffee cup in stark bold colors! Then I added a dotted "Happy Birthday" message underneath. I think it turned out pretty neat and I hope Warren had a great day!

Birdie Engagement

For: Molly and Barry
Occasion: their engagement

Molly and Barry are engaged! To celebrate their happiness, I drew them a picture of pretty pink birds who are so clearly in love with each other. I am so happy for Molls and I can't wait for their happily ever after!