Cabin Birthday

 For: Aunt Joan
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Aunt Joan's birthday, I did a watercolor illustration of a tiny cake peaking through the window of her cabin in the woods! I love how Earthy and peaceful this scene is. I hope she had a wonderful, relaxing day and gets to get away soon!

Thanksgiving Leaves

 For: The Walsh-Rocks
Occasion: Thanksgiving

To share grateful feelings with the Walsh Thanksgiving hosts, I created a goofy watercolor illustration of (presumably) Aunt Glor and Uncle Vince deep in a pile of some beautiful Midwestern leaves. Though I couldn't make it back to celebrate in Chicago this year, my heart is always with my family on this holiday. I hope they all had a wonderful celebration full of great food and lots of gratitude. 

Odo Birthday

 For: Quam
Occasion: his birthday

For Quam's birthday card, I did an illustration of everyone's favorite Founder/Shape-shifter Odo! Turns out he literally is the happy birthday message in this case. I have so enjoyed watching so much Star Trek these last years, and love sharing insights and theories with Quam. I hope his birthday was an awesome one and that this next year is incredible!

Trippy Birthday

 For: Jaimie
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Jaimie's birthday, I watercolored lots of bright colors and shapes for a bright and happy vibe! Jaimie has been into Meow Wolf and just really interesting things besides, so for her card I tried to capture some of the interesting visuals. It was so fun celebrating her birthday with the immersive Van Gogh exhibit -- I hope this year is a great one for her!

R Birthday

 For: Rukiyah
Occasion: her birthday

For Rukiyah's birthday card this year, I created an R filled in with leafy figures in color changes from light teal to deep purple (with shades of green and blue in between!). I miss Rukiyah and hope her day and year is full of adventure and fun.

Piñata Birthday

 For: Carson
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Caron's birthday this year, I did a piñata mid-destruction (but looking happy!) spilling out lots of tasty candy. I hope Carson's day is colorful and sweet, too!

Ocean Thank You

 For: Castelli
Occasion: Thank You

To thank Castelli for coming to visit me (and helping me fill up the air in my tires, my least favorite of all errands!), I made a card featuring purple mountains, a bright yellow sun, and lovely ocean and beach. I carved the scene into foam and traced it with pen, colored the plate with markers, then pressed it onto the card stock. Color the rest of it black, because why not, and here we are! 

It was such a treat to hang out with Castelli and I just so appreciate her friendship and energy!

Ray of Sunshine Birthday

 For: Jennifer
Occasion: her birthday

For Jennifer's birthday card, I did an illustration of her in as flower with the cheeky text, "I AM A RAY OF F*CKING SUNSHINE." This foul language is a Debbie Dots first, but we were really feeling it for this particular card this particular year. Had a lot of fun celebrating and hoping that Jennifer really does feel like sunshine all year. 

Fall Tree Birthday

 For: Win
Occasion: her birthday

To help Win celebrate her birthday, I did a simple watercolor of a Midwestern maple tree in oranges and reds (to contrast the fall color out in Colorado, which is yellow). I wanted to give her a touch of home in a playful style, and I really love the white line that separates the colors and the sky. I love Win so much and am so grateful for her continued presence in my life. Here's hoping she has an amazing year!

Peppa Pig Birthday

 For: Tilly
Occasion: her birthday

Little miss Tills is a whole two years old, and I can't believe it! To help her celebrate her birthday, I drew a picture of Peppa Pig with a party hat and balloon! I don't know much about Peppa (other than a video my nephs watch with figurines playing in a pool?), but I hope it's a book or show that Tilly enjoys!

New Baby

 For: Matt and Marie 
Occasion: New baby

Marie and Matt had their baby girl Evelyn, and so to celebrate this bundle of magic joining us all, I did a watercolor of a happy cloud in a sunset with stars and a moon! Evelyn's middle name is Sky, and since that is an incredible name, I had to use it as the theme for her "welcome to life!" card. I hope her first days have been full of cuddles and hugs. 

Collage Cupcake

 For: Maddie
Occasion: her birthday

For Maddie's birthday, I created a collage using some neat papers! I folded the cupcake liner paper to look extra like a cupcake liner and the candle is made of sparkly glitter for some extra fun. I hope Maddie has a fantastic birthday and is looking forward to a year of fun!

Move Mountains Congrats

For:  Elissa
Occasion: Graduation

To celebrate Elissa's graduation with her environmental law degree (!), I made this watercolor illustration of some beautiful mountains and foothills paired with an encouraging "move mountains" message! I love this concept, because as a social worker and an environmental law-er, there are lots of obstacles that require a persistent and passionate force. Elissa has been a great support to me, and I cannot wait a single second longer to see where she goes next.