New Job Desk

 For: Sharon
Occasion: New Job

Sharon also recently left the library, so to wish her well on the next chapter in her career, I created a simple desk with a monitor, plant, and mug on top. It reads, "Congrats on the new job, Sharon!" (Imagine if you went into work and your screen just had your name on it like this!) I am so proud of her for taking the leap and can't wait to hear about how the work unfolds on many bike rides to come. 

Beach Vacation Birthday

 For: Alli
Occasion: her birthday

On the heels of Alli's tropical vacation for a big birthday and anniversary celebration all-in-one, I drew this lovely beach scene with pink skies and palm trees to help commemorate the moment in time! It was so great to see Alli so close to her birthday and I hope she had a wonderful day--I hope even more that this year will be the best one yet!

Soup Can Birthday

 For: Zach
Occasion: his birthday

To help Zach celebrate his birthday, I did an illustration of a Campbell's knock off brand called Celebration. They are serving up a condensed birthday soup, and I have no idea what that would be (it's probably gross--don't think too hard about it). I miss Zach all the time and hope he's having a great start to summer!

E Birthday

 For: Eileen
Occasion: her birthday

For Eileen's birthday card, I painted the most beautiful E I've ever seen! I love the southwestern-inspired colors that tie together with the background paper and teal card stock. Eileen is a super cool lady and I hope she has the very best day and an even better year--she really deserves to!

Float Your Boat Birthday

 For: Becky
Occasion: her birthday

Becky gets to spend a lot of time on the boat in the summer, so to celebrate her birthday, I created this silly illustration for her: "Whatever floats your boat!" In this case, 'Whatever' is literally floating the boat which happens to have a giant cupcake on board. This card makes me so happy--I hope Becky had a great time celebrating!

Worf Birthday

 For: DeLace
Occasion: his birthday

To help DeLace celebrate his birthday, I did an illustration of Worf from the TNG episode, "Parallels." He says, "I assumed you or one of the others would try to mount an unexpected social gathering" to Riker, moments before walking into his surprise party where they put a golden party hat on his head. This idea is perfect on so many levels for DeLace, and I'm really pleased with how the card came out. I hope he has a great year and gets to enjoy lots of Star Trek and other fandoms.  

Dinosaur Ballerina Birthday

 For: Giuliana
Occasion: her birthday

To help celebrate Giuliana's third birthday, I drew her a dinosaur in a tutu! Jules is such a rambunctious and wonderful kiddo, I really wanted to capture her spirit and am so pleased with this card. I'm going to miss her so much when they move and can't wait until I get to see her again soon!

Cute Animal Birthday

 For: Emily
Occasion: her birthday

For Emily's first birthday card, I copied the style of these cute partying animals from the background paper. There's a pink dog with a lightning bolt over her eye, a panda with cute glasses, and a cat with a star on her eye, too! Emily is so sweet and I hoped she had the best day--I loved seeing the picture of her carrying around her card.

Jacks Birthday

 For: Jackson
Occasion: his birthday

Jackson turned six, and I can't even believe it. To celebrate his big day, I cut out the shiniest, bounciest bouncy ball I could imagine and then drew six silver jacks. When I was his age, I remember being so enamored with this game. I hope Jackson has an amazing birthday and is looking forward to a great year!

Father's Day Hat

 For: Dad
Occasion: Father's Day

My dad had a hat while I was growing up that said "Father of Twins" with two little blue figures on it. I was always fascinated with the hat (as one of the twins), but to honor Dad's entire parenting journey, I created a variation of that iconic hat that says, "Happy Father's Day!" with three little figures on it. It was a treat to talk with Dad today, and I hope he feels celebrated today and every day.

Grill Father's Day

 For: Dan
Occasion: Father's Day

To help Dan celebrate Father's Day, I did an illustration of a grill (with some pretty out of control flames!). Dan is a grill master (Spiedies, anyone?!) and I can't wait to join the Keane clan in a few weeks for lots of family dinners.

Classic Birthday

 For: Will
Occasion: his birthday

For Will's birthday card, I created a design of the iconic Will style: red glasses and a white button-up shirt. The glasses read "Happy" and the collar "Birthday." I am just so happy with how this card came out and am so glad he enjoyed the image!

Basketball Birthday

 For: Nathan
Occasion: his birthday

To celebrate Nathan's birthday, I did an illustration of a basketball going through a net with a "Nathan!" banner blocking the rim. I love how the ball turned out with all those individual dots. But I love Nathan even more and hope he had a wonderful birthday!

Purple Wedding

 For: Stu and Reina
Occasion: their wedding

To celebrate Stu and Reina's nuptials, I did an illustration of the happy couple enjoying their day. I am so pleased that I guessed light purple as one of the wedding colors and just love that this captured some of their silly joy. The wedding was such a lovely celebration of their awesome partnership, and I can't wait to see them at The River for years to come.

Ice Cream Birthday

 For: Kathy
Occasion: her birthday

Kathy loves ice cream, so for her birthday card I used lots of cool printed papers to create a specialty cone! The cone is music notes on beige, which is more perfect than is reasonable and then we have two delightful scoops: maybe strawberry and cotton candy? I hope Kathy has a wonderful birthday and is looking forward to a summer of fun!

Cute Cake Birthday

 For: Karly
Occasion: her birthday

Karly loves pink and is the biggest fan of cake I have ever encountered! To celebrate her big day, I created this adorable illustration of a cake with the brightest pinks I could muster. I miss Karls a lot and hope she has the very best birthday with all the cake she requires!

HBD Birthday

 For: Riley
Occasion: her birthday

For Riley's birthday card this year, I tried to be cool by making an #HBD card with lots of spots and little cakes and cake slices! I don't know how the kids communicate these days, but I do hope the Happy Birthday message was loud and clear and she has a great year!

Fancy Cake Birthday

 For: Marilynne
Occasion: her birthday

To help Marilynne celebrate her birthday, I did an illustration of a strawberry cake in the fanciest glass cake saver I've never seen! I so enjoy chatting with Marilynne and had a lovely time celebrating at her birthday dinner. I can't wait to read the books she recommended and chat about them soon!

Giggle Mouse Thank You

 For: DeLace
Occasion: Thank You

To thank DeLace for being the world's best coworker during an exceptionally bizarre handful of years, I made him this card featuring a mouse being tickled and giggling. During the switch to remote work (when we were both ridiculously productive), we landed on a joke about "giggling the mouse," a mis-typing of the WFH trope to "jiggle the mouse." With my time at the library coming to a close, I am proud of everything we accomplished and hope to hear more about the great work he will continue in my absence.  

Fancy Job Congrats

 For: Jennifer
Occasion: Congratulations

Jen got a promotion, and to help celebrate, I made this wonderfully inappropriate card for her! The idea came to me, I laughed, and then had to make it for her. I am glad she loved it and can't wait to hear all about how she tackles this new role!

Anniversary Squeeze

 For: Mike
Occasion: 9 year dating-i-versary

Mike foolishly thinks that since we are married, we no longer have to celebrate our dating anniversary. He is wrong of course, so I made him a card featuring an illustration of how we both feel about this holiday in our relationship. Here's to many more years of dating!

Hawk Graduation

 For: Riley
Occasion: Graduation

Riley is a high school grad, so to celebrate her awesome achievement, I drew her alma mater mascot with a mortar board. Look how serious! I hope Riley had a great senior year and is looking forward to her time at MSU!