Flower Ice Cream

 For: Lydia
Occasion: her birthday

For Lydia's birthday card, I painted an illustration of an ice cream cone as a vase for lots of flowers imitating scoops of ice cream with a cherry on top! I think this is a very neat idea, and I hope it helped Lydia enjoy her birthday!

Cannon Birthday

 For: Alex
Occasion: his birthday

Alex is a Civil War aficionado, so for his birthday card this year, I did an illustration of an old timey cannon shooting out a cannon ball. The flames read "Happy Birthday" and the ball "Alex!" This was a super fun card to illustrate and it was great to see Alex over his birthday weekend.  

Swing Birthday

 For: Jess
Occasion: her birthday

To help Jess celebrate her birthday, I drew a picture of her flying among the clouds on a swing wearing a party hat. This card is inspired by our epic adventure last year wherein we checked out the Royal Gorge and I swung out over it all, facing my fear of heights. Jess is just a dream and I hope she has an amazing birthday!

Cake it Easy Birthday

 For: Aunt Sioux
Occasion: her birthday

To help Sioux celebrate her birthday, I did a drawing of the most chill cupcake I've ever seen relaxed on a lounge chair wearing shades.  The text reads "cake it easy!" I love this card and it was so great to see Aunt Sioux on her actual birthday--what a treat for me!

Square Root Birthday

 For: Ankeet
Occasion: his birthday

Ankeet is a math teacher extraordinaire! For his birthday card this year, I quadruple checked what would be the answer of 34 for a square root, and landed on 1156! I am so delighted with the simplicity of this card (and the subtle shading!) and hope Goober has the very best year yet!

Beer Birthday

 For: Ceci
Occasion: her birthday

For Ceci's birthday card this year, I did an illustration of a six-pack in a Happy Birthday box! I imagine with her little one on her hands, she doesn't often get the chance to unwind, but here's hoping she has a great day!

Cloyster Birthday

 For: Adam
Occasion: his birthday

Adam loves Pokémon and is a particular fan of this guy named Cloyster! For my little guy's 5th birthday, I did an illustration of Cloyster with his main head spike turned into a party hat for some extra birthday fun. I adore my sweet nephew and can't wait to see him soon!

Chile Wreath Thank You

 For: Theresa and Scott
Occasion: Thank You

To thank Theresa and Scott for their incredible hospitality at their Santa Fe home, I made them an illustration of a chile wreath shaped in a heart on their door. We had so much fun wandering around together and chatting about big life questions -- my heart was so full after the weekend I had to send a thank you card! I cannot wait to come visit again soon!

Cherry Blossom Birthday

 For: Janet
Occasion: her birthday

Janet and Dan recently took an epic trip to Japan, and so to capture a piece of that journey in her birthday card this year, I did a delicate watercolor of a cherry blossom tree. I love how this card came out and am so glad it found her on her travels up north this year!

Birthday C

 For: Castelli
Occasion: her birthday

To help Christina celebrate her birthday this year, I used my watercolors and some masking fluid to create a whimsical card that celebrates her initial! Christina is a truly wonderful human who I learn so much from and am forever inspired by. I hope this next year is an incredible one and she has many fun adventures!

Guitar Birthday

 For: Alex
Occasion: his birthday

To help Alex celebrate his first Florida birthday, I paired some simple collage and hand lettering to create a guitar that shapes the B in Happy Birthday Alex! I miss Alex so much and look forward to continued photos of alligators as he spots 'em!

Watering Can Flowers

 For: Janet
Occasion: Mother's Day

For my mother-in-law's Mother's Day card, I did an illustrations of some lovely spring flowers peaking out of a blue watering can that reads "Happy Mother's Day!" in a swirly script. I love the colors of this card and am glad Janet got to spend some time with family on the day!

Floral Mom

 For: Mom
Occasion: Mother's Day

For my mom's Mother's Day card this year, I did a papercut of M-O-M in a fun font in orange card stock and then paired it with a orange-y, red-y, yellow-y floral pattern to make it really pop! I think this card came out neat and I hope it helped Mama have a lovely Mother's Day!

Flower Birthday

 For: Jess
Occasion: her birthday

For Jess's birthday card this year, I used my Posca pens to create vibrant floral petals paired with a new green marker for stems and leaves. I paired the image with a simple "happy birthday jess" message for a lovely spring-time card! I hope Jess is doing great and that we all can get together soon!

Ivy Birthday

 For: Lexi
Occasion: her birthday

For Lexi's birthday card, I used all greens to illustrate a very earthy "Happy birthday" message. I had a lot of fun imagining and decorating this design with markers and glitter pens and colored pencils galore. I hope Lexi has an awesome day and an even more amazing year!

Hang In There Sloth

For: Owen
Occasion: Get Well Soon

To help hasten Owen's recovery, I did an illustration of Baby Sloth hanging out in a tree with an orange popsicle to soothe her throat! The punny message is "Hang in there!" I am so proud of sweet O and hope he feels amazing again soon!

Get Whale Soon

 For: Adam
Occasion: Get Well Soon

For Adam's recovery card. I did an illustration of a big happy whale with hearts coming out of his blow hole. The punny message is "Get Whale Soon!" Our little guy is so brave and handled surgery like a pro!

Cake Birthday

 For: Liz
Occasion: her birthday

To help Liz celebrate her birthday. I did an illustration of a tall piece of cake whose layers read, "Happy Birthday, Liz!" I love the detail of the frosting edge and the subtle shadows on the plate. I miss Liz and Brian bunches and hope they are doing well out in NJ!

Owl Birthday

 For: Thomas
Occasion: his birthday

Thomas is two already and I don't hardly believe it! For his birthday card this year, I featured an illustration of a wise old owl wearing a party hat and holding a balloon perched on a big ol' 2! The text all together reads, "Look Who's 2." I hope Thomas and fam are doing great!

Cassette Birthday

 For: Aunt Lauren
Occasion: her birthday

For Aunt Lauren's birthday card, I did a retro illustration of a cassette tape labeled "B-Day Jams!!" I am betting the tape featured an awesome mix of tunes. Whatever the case, I hope she has a rockin' birthday!

Outline Letter Birthday

 For: Luke
Occasion: his birthday

For this simple card, I used my metallic markers to draw bubble letters of "Happy Birthday, Luke!" and then traced over it with pen. I love the effect of this style and hope it helped ring in a celebratory day!

Name Candle Cake Birthday

 For: Aunt Kelly
Occasion: her birthday

For Aunt Kelly's birthday card, I imagined her name in script as candles and topped a birthday cake with it! I rather like the whimsy of this idea and hope Aunt Kelly enjoyed it too--here's hoping she had a wonderful birthday!