Thinking of You Flowers

 For: A Friend
Occasion: Thinking of You

A friend of mine has been going through a tough time, so to let her know I'm thinking of her, I drew some vibrant flowers to help wish her well. I hope she and everyone is hanging in there.

Colorado Birthday

 For: Brian
Occasion: his birthday

Since Brian and Liz are moving away from colorful Colorado this summer, for Brian's birthday card I did a gouache painting of the state flag mixed with some purple mountains (majesty!). I like the fluid look of this card quite a bit. I hope Brian has a great birthday and is looking forward to the wedding so soon!

Anime Birthday

 For: Sam
Occasion: her birthday

Sam loves anime and dying her hair neat colors, so for her birthday this year I drew her as an anime character with every color hair possible all at once! I really hope she likes it -- I love this card. I have never drawn in this style before, and let me tell you, it is not easy! Sam is a very cool kiddo, and I hope she has the best birthday!

Treat Your Shelf Birthday

 For: Leia
Occasion: her birthday

Leia is a bibliophile if I've ever met one (and I work at a library, folks!), so to celebrate her birthday, I created an illustration of a bookshelf with many books. All the way on the right there's a stack of three that together read, "Treat your shelf" -- a punny take on the "treat yourself" mantra. There's a party hat on the shelf, too, which is how you know it's a serious birthday demand! I adore Leia so and hope she has the very best birthday -- this year is going to be huge!

Plant Birthday

 For: Allyson
Occasion: her birthday

To help Allyson celebrate her birthday, I created a gouache painting of a green, green plant! I was feeling some major earthy vibes in contemplating Allyson this year, so leaned into them and created a potted plant with a shadow, I really love how this turned out and hope Allyson has a great birthday!

Silly Goose Birthday

 For: Owen
Occasion: his birthday

My little bud is two years old and I don't believe it. He is the silliest goose I know, so to celebrate his birthday, I drew the silliest Canada Goose we've ever seen! Look at those twisty legs, hat, confetti, balloon, glasses and tongue. I hope Owie has the very best birthday ever, and I'm so sad to miss the party--we will have a special celebration soon!

Heart Thank You

 For: Kathleen
Occasion: Thank You

Kathleen is the "Social Worker Wrangler" that made sure our work was on track as we wrote the Trauma-informed strategies workbook for the Public Library Association. To thank her for all of her assistance. I made this card to accompany the gifties we got her. Through all of our virtual meetings, Kathleen sat in front of a poster with a heart on it, so I did an illustration of her set up with her fantastic glasses! 

The conference went amazing, the book looks awesome, and we crushed our session. What a wild and wonderful journey this whole process has been!

Birthday Balloons

 For: Aunt Julie
Occasion: her birthday

For Aunt Julie's birthday card, I watercolored some colorful balloons that spell out "Happy Birthday"! I love how fun and playful this image is. I hope Aunt Julie enjoys it and has a wonderful day and year. 

3 Heart Anniversary

For: Michael
Occasion: Our Anniversary

Mike and I have been married for (just about) three years! We celebrated early with a fancy dinner and homemade cards. I painted him the angle bracket 3 heart to commemorate the three years we have spent together as a married couple (how could I not?). I love Mike so much and cannot believe all that's happened in these past three years. Here's to the future together!

 

Name Birthday

 For: Sofi
Occasion: her birthday

I've been studying and practicing different styles of handwriting since Christmas, and finally felt ready to try my hand at a stylized name! Also, Sofi's full name is so beautiful and swoopy, I really wanted to give it a shot. I am so pleased with how fancy and regal this card turned out -- I hope Sof has an elegant and wonderful birthday!

Brain Birthday

 For: Danielle
Occasion: her birthday

Danielle is super into brains right now (and wants to be a brain surgeon! How cool!), so to celebrate her day and her passion, I did an illustration of a happy pink brain in a party hat and dancing with a cupcake. I love Danielle so and hope she had a wonderful birthday!

Tattoo Birthday

 For: Adam
Occasion: his birthday

I did not receive a specific challenge from Adam this year, so left to my own devices I created this birthday-i-fied tattoo scene. Looks like Adam is committing to the birthday cake tat, while clutching a cupcake. I love that the cake is even an option on the board. What goofiness. I hope Adam had a wonderful birthday and is looking forward to an awesome year!

Thomas the Tank Engine Smile Birthday

 For: Cole
Occasion: his birthday

For Cole's birthday card, I featured the big smiling face of his favorite talking train to help him celebrate his big day! I love how this card turned out (and how it uses the same materials as his brother's, to very different effect!). I hope Cole had a wonderful birthday -- I cannot believe he is 3!

Thomas the Tank Birthday

 For: Ryan
Occasion: his birthday

To help Ryan celebrate his 3rd birthday, I did an illustration of everyone's favorite tank engine (with an inaccurate yellow 3) to help celebrate the day! I paired it with a "Happy Birthday Ryan!" message so he'd know this card is just for him. I hope He and his brother had an awesome day!

Bird Birthday

 For: Bri
Occasion: her birthday

To help Bri celebrate her birthday this year, I painted a festive little birb wearing a party hat! Look how cute this little guy is. I hope Bri has the best birthday every and is looking forward to a year of awesomeness!

Adventure Birthday

 For: Amy
Occasion: her birthday

To help Ames celebrate her birthday, I made a stylized globe with some gel pens and metallic flair. This card is definitely "ready for an adventure" -- I mean, look at those squiggly continents! I am so pleased Ames liked her card and even happier that the card and gifties were located!

Warzone Birthday

 For: Dougie
Occasion: his birthday

Doug, Mike, and friends have spent many an hour playing Warzone in the past few years, so to celebrate Doug's big day this year, I did an illustration of him diving out of a plane with some birthday paraphernalia. I don't really understand the game, but they seem to have fun with it so I hope this card made him chuckle!

Yeti Birthday

 For: O'Shea
Occasion: his birthday

When I sat down to make O'Shea's birthday card, I was feeling a little goofy and a little cold (Colorado was uncharacteristically cold that week!), which resulted in this silly yeti with a party hat and balloon. The pun is that he is "Yeti to Party." O'Shea is a great dude and I hope he had an awesome day!

Soaring Birthday

 For: Julie
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Julie's birthday, I did a collage of a bird spreading its wings over a cloudy sky. I wanted to send a message of peace and hope to Julie, and this is the best way I could figure out how! I really like how the card looks and hope Julie had a wonderful day.