Fun Day Birthday

 For: Lydia
Occasion: her birthday

To help Lydia celebrate her birthday, I drew a simple colorful rainbow with a great message to live by: "Fill your days with fun"! I hope she is doing great, has and awesome birthday, and is looking forward to all kinds of delight this summer!

Newspaper Birthday

 For: Alex
Occasion: his birthday

For Alex's birthday card, I created a faux-front page to help him celebrate. This card is a lot of fun--let me walk you through it. The newspaper is called The Party Times, which has been "dreaming big since 1987." This particular issue is volume 35 and is yours for the low, low price of 0 cents! The headline reads "Another Year" with the lead reading "Older and wiser, scientists confirm." The caption of the photo of Alex says, "Alex waves at adoring public" and there's a pull quote by Everyone: "For he's a Jolly good fellow!" This card is so much fun I can't even stand it. I hope Alex has a wonderful day!

Name Ocean Birthday

 For: Aunt Sioux
Occasion: her birthday

Aunt Sioux loves the beach, so for her birthday card this year, I put a little ocean scene in the block letters of her name. Look at how lovely this is! I hope Sioux had a wonderful birthday and is looking forward to all kinds of relaxing this summer.

Southpaw Birthday

 For: Jess
Occasion: her birthday

For Jess's birthday, I drew a goofy illustration of the Chicago White Sox mascot, Southpaw! He's got a pendant flag that reads Jess, too! I am really pleased with how fun this card is, and am so happy she likes the card so well! "Let's Go, Go-Go White Sox!"

Letter Birthday

 For: Ceci
Occasion: her birthday

For Ceci's birthday, I created this playful way to depict her name in letter boxes -- C, E, C, I spells Ceci! I really like the colors on this one, and I hope she had a wonderful day!

Watercolor Birthday Cake

 For: Goober
Occasion: his birthday

For Goober's birthday card, I did a loose watercolor of a very colorful birthday cake! I wonder what flavor those cakes are -- hopefully something delicious! I hope Goober has a wonderful birthday and gets up to all kinds of fun stuff. 

Aloha, baby!

 For: Mari, Adam, and Kaia
Occasion: New baby

To help welcome sweet baby Jack to the world, I drew this happy sun with some stylized clouds. I added some subtle white polka dots to help add a playful quality. Baby Jack is so adorable I can't stand it--I hope he's enjoying his first few weeks here!

Thinking of You Bubble

 For: A loved one
Occasion: Get Well Soon

A relative had a pretty serious accident recently, so to let them know that I'm thinking of them and hoping their recovery goes well, I made a simple watercolor postcard with some cursive: "Thinking of you." I hope they are in decent spirits and doing alright.

Sandbox Birthday

 For: Adam
Occasion: his birthday

My not-so-little bud is four years old! To celebrate his birthday, I drew an illustration of him in his dad-made sandbox building four sand castles. I love the tongue of concentration and the curly hair peaking out from under his party hat! I love Adam so, so much and am glad he had a great time at his party with friends. I can't wait to snuggle him again soon!

Gem Birthday

 For: Janet
Occasion: her birthday

To help Janet celebrate her big day, I did a collage of some shiny and pretty papers to make a gem shape. With some white pen sparkle details and a "You're a real gem!" message, this card is lots of fun. I hope Janet has a wonderful birthday and gets to sparkle all year if she wants to!

Tropical Drinks Birthday

 For: Christina
Occasion: her birthday

To help Castelli celebrate her big day, I wanted to send some very relaxing and chill vibes her way. Enter some tropical drinks (with citrus slices and umbrellas!) casting a white space shadow in yellow due to a bright sun. This card was really fun to think through, and it was so fun to zoom-see Christina on her actual birthday! I hope this next year is full of lots of reasons to kick back and relax with a fruity drink.

Glad Soup

 For: A Friend
Occasion: Get Well Soon

A friend of mine was in a pretty rough accident, and so to wish her well and share gratitude that she's alright, I drew a bowl of alphabet soup where the letters read "Glad you're ok." I'm sending continuous vibes that her injuries heal up quickly and she feels confident to get back on the road when she's ready.

Cassette Tape Birthday

 For: Alex
Occasion: his birthday

Alex is a big music guy, so for his birthday card I drew a throwback cassette tape. The text on the tape reads "Happy Birthday" and "Alex," just to be perfectly clear that it's a birthday wish! Alex is truly a wonderful human and I am so happy to know him; here's hoping we get to hang out again soon!

Greek Birthday

 For: Jess
Occasion: her birthday

Jess goes to Greece every summer, so for her birthday card this year I drew some sunglasses reflecting a Greek town along with the Greek Happy Birthday wish - Χρόνια πολλά! I added in some all-seeing eyes wherever the letters allowed. It was super fun celebrating Jess's birthday and I hope she has an amazing year!

Penguin Birthday

 For: Lexi
Occasion: her birthday

Lexi is a wonderful human, and for whatever reason this year that idea translated into happy penguin energy in her birthday card. I so enjoy whenever we get the chance to chat and hope she has a great birthday and the best year ever!

Birdy Birthday

 For: Liz
Occasion: her birthday

For Liz's birthday card this year, I did a watercolor of a silly bird in a party hat. I love the white dots that add some super fine detail to this illustration (click to see a larger image). Liz is a truly delightful human and I hope she has a wonderful day!

Cute Grad

 For: Jaimie
Occasion: her graduation

Jaimie has worked so freaking hard to get her Master's, and so to celebrate I did a watercolor of her in a cute graduation outfit raising her diploma in victory. It's been impressive to witness her dedication over these past few years, and I had so much fun celebrating with everyone on the rooftop. Here's hoping her future is super bright--we know it will be!

Mom! Mother's Day

 For: Mom
Occasion: Mother's Day

For Mom's Mother's Day card, I did an illustration of all the different ways my sisters and I likely called upon her for assistance (or to share silly stories, or who knows?!). I particularly love the maaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhm in the background, and hope Mom enjoyed the spirit of the card!

Mother Sweater and Pearls

 For: Janet
Occasion: Mother's Day

For my lovely Mother-in-law's Mother's Day card, I did cut out the shapes of a teal patterned cardigan with purple trim and her iconic hairstyle. I paired them with a pearl necklace and earrings (in white pen) and, voilà! Essence of Janet. I hope she has a wonderful day celebrating. 

Star Birthday

 For: Thomas
Occasion: his birthday

Thomas is an entire year old, and so to celebrate his first year of life, I made a card in a star-shape (amazingly, a Debbie Dots first!). The purple card is full of polka dots and a multi-colored border. I love how his name nestles in with the big number one. I hope he had a wonderful birthday and I hope to see Lids soon!

Birthday Box

 For: Aunt Lauren
Occasion: her birthday

To help celebrate Aunt Lauren's birthday, I drew this festive present exploding with birthday energy! Confetti and a "Happy Birthday Lauren!" message abound for this simple but playful birthday wish. I hope she has a wonderful birthday and has lots of fun surprises for her big day. 

Golf Collage Birthday

 For: Luke
Occasion: his birthday

For Luke's birthday card, I cut out a golf club from some psychadelic paper and created a tee and ball to round out the golfing image on the green. I think it's lots of fun, and I hope Luke gets some great play in this year!

Flower Birthday

 For: Aunt Kelly
Occasion: her birthday

For Aunt Kelly's birthday card, I did a mixed media floral extravaganza! I painted the background paper and then cut out a purple flower to match the style. I think it's delightful for a May birthday and sings of Spring!