Jack-o-nephews Halloween

 For: Owen and Adam
Occasion: Halloween

Owen and Adam have been in the Halloween spirit for a good long time! To help them celebrate the holiday finally arriving, I did a watercolor of the dynamic duo as jack-o-lanterns! Owen's pumpkin's lid is a little darker and has straight hair, where Adam's is a little lighter and curly. I put them on a green paper background, added some shadows and then a whole lot of stars! I love this card, I love my nephs, and I love "cute" Halloween, too!

Poetry Birthday

 For: Theresa
Occasion: her birthday

My dear Theresa encouraged me to take a poetry class with her over the summer, and it was truly life-changing for me. To help her celebrate her birthday, I did an illustration of her with a giant feather quill and flowing hair writing all kinds of whimsical words! I really love this image, and more than that, I love, love, love that I got to have lunch with her and her partner so close to her birthday--her birthday, but all kinds of gifts for me!

No Wrong Way Birthday

 For: Alyssa
Occasion: her birthday

To help Alyssa celebrate her birthday, I did a sparkly, block-letter-y, arrow-y font to spell out "There's no wrong way to birthday!" Whether she went out on the town or had a quite night in with the family (or a myriad of other choices), I hope she feels happy about however she chose to celebrate!

Telescope Birthday

 For: Uncle Jim
Occasion: his birthday

My uncle shares a name with the James Webb telescope that has been taking such neat pictures of late! To help him celebrate his birthday, I paired a sparkly drawing of the telescope with a "Have a stellar birthday!" wish, along with some planets, stars, and other celestial bodies. I fancied myself quite the clever card-maker when I thought of this design! But it's not about me--I hope Uncle Jim had a birthday that was out of this world!

Dinosaur Birthday

 For: Tom
Occasion: his birthday

Tom gets strange cards from me every year. This year, he came to visit me right before his birthday, and I pointed out the mysterious dinosaur duo that showed up in the hallway of my building. When I got to make him a card just a few weeks later, I knew just who to feature! These goofy dinos are celebrating how great Tom is, and they are pretty excited about all that glitter confetti, too. I adore Tom-Tom and am so happy I got to see him so close to his big day!

Baklava Birthday

 For: Lidia
Occasion: her birthday

For Lidia's birthday card, I did a watercolor illustration of a piece of baklava and glued it onto a sheet of wrinkled wax paper for some authenticity! I've never used wax paper in a card before, and I really love the look and feel that it provided. It really brought me back to having baklava at Lidia's place when we were kids!

D Birthday

 For: Daissy
Occasion: her birthday

For Daissy's birthday card this year, I did a floral illustration of her namesake flower, the daisy, in the shape of a D! I really love the soft but vibrant playfulness of this card. I miss Daissy's energy in my life and hope she has a fantastic day (nay, month!) celebrating!

Monkey Birthday

 For: Richardson
Occasion: his birthday

For Chris's birthday card, I did a pared back collage of a speak, see, and hear no evil monkey statue with party hats that all have a glittery pom-pom on top! It was wild running into Chris in the airport in Chicago this summer, and I hope he has the very best birthday!

Only Birthdays

 For: Marie
Occasion: her birthday

Marie recommended Only Murders in the Building over the summer as a show with some great Serial vibes, and I finally got around to watching! It's a delightful romp, so for her birthday card, I did a  play on the show's title to make it "Only Birthdays in the Building" which I put on caution tape behind the silhouette of a birthday cake. I really love this card and enjoyed the show! I hope Marie has the very best birthday and that I get to see her soon!

Poker Birthday

 For: Johnson
Occasion: his birthday

To help Johnson celebrate his birthday, I did a poker themed card featuring a big poker chip and the four suits (in vibrant gel pen) with a "Happy Birthday!" message. Not gonna lie, I am pretty pleased with how straight many of my free-handed lines were in this card. The pleasure of the hand-drawn, my friends! Anyhow, Johnson is just the best and I hope we get to hang out again soon!

Chickens Birthday

 For: Conor
Occasion: his birthday

Conor moved into an awesome house that came fully furnished with a chicken coop! Word is still out on whether they will keep chickens, but to help celebrate the birthday, i did a watercolor of the former residents decked out in party paraphernalia. Conor is such a dear friend; I hope he has an amazing day!

Smile Birthday

 For: Krystina
Occasion: her birthday

To help Krystina celebrate her birthday, I drew an illustration of her with the biggest smile wearing a party hat! As a UIUC alum, I figured she would appreciate the orange as well. Krystina is truly a lovely human and I miss her so--hoping she's have a great Fall!

Crawfish Birthday

 For: Dare
Occasion: his birthday

To help celebrate Dare's birthday, I did an illustration of a crawfish full of character! I heard he was going to have crawfish to help celebrate his big day, so I figured, why not try my hand at a happy little crustacean in a party hat? I hope Dare has a wonderful day!

Sun Flower Birthday

 For: Aunt Sherry
Occasion: her birthday

To help celebrate Aunt Sherry's birthday, I did an illustration of a very happy sunflower wearing a very sparkly party hat! I just love how fall-y and friendly this card is on an orange sky. It was so fun to see Aunt Sherry so close to her birthday--I hope she has a wonderful time celebrating!