Bike Birthday

 For: Zach
Occasion: his birthday

I have lots of fond memories of biking around with Zach in college, and so I featured a squiggly bike illustration in his birthday card. I rather enjoyed making this card and hope Zach is able to take as many spins around town as he wants to this year!

Bee Birthday

For: Alli
Occasion: her birthday

To help Alli celebrate her "bee-day," I did a cute, fuzzy illustration of a little bumble bee floating to its party in a festive hat! I hope Alli has a great day and an even better year. (Fun fact, this was the first birthday card I ever made on an airplane!)

Cake Birthday

 For: Eileen
Occasion: her birthday

I had so much joy and delight in painting this for Eileen's birthday! A happy little cake with her name floating over it--something about it was just such a treat for me. It's been so fun seeing Eileen so much recently and I hope she got all kinds of treats on her big day!

Teal Wedding Congrats

 For: Amy and Alex
Occasion: their wedding

For their wedding card separate from the fantastic invites, I played up the teal them and drew caricatures of the happy couple with a ribbon winding around them that reads "Happily Ever After" with their wedding date. The ceremony was so amazing and the wedding so much fun! I wish nothing but the best for the happy couple in their marriage. 

Teal Floral Invites

 For: Amy and Alex
Occasion: their wedding

I was honored to create the art for Amy and Alex's wedding invitations! Here is a photo of the original larger painting that I then got scanned and printed to be sent out. I had so much fun playing with different ideas and love, love, love how the final work turned out!

TMBG Birthday

 For: DeLace
Occasion: his birthday

DeLace and I share a deep affection for the band TMBG, and so for his birthday card this year I drew the Johns in party hats and the epic lyrics from the song "Older." This card tickles me and I hope DeLace enjoys it in the playful spirit in which it's intended!

Houseboat Birthday

 For: Becky
Occasion: her birthday

Becky loves her houseboat! For her birthday card, I broke down the concept into emoji shapes to create a fun equation: house plus boat equals birthday fun! I adore Becky so and can't wait for the day I can go down and visit her on the lake in her happy place. 

Monster Birthday

 For: Emily
Occasion: her birthday

Little Miss Emily turned three! To help her celebrate her the big day, I made a sweet little monster wearing three party hats and with three silly teeth! I hope Emily has a great year and enjoys being a big sister!

Ice Cream Birthday

 For: Giuliana
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate sweet G's birthday, I drew her the cutest ice cream cone wearing a party hat! I adore Jules and miss playing with her so much--I hope we get to hang out more soon!

Cool Birthday

 For: Jackson
Occasion: his birthday

For Jackson's birthday card, I used my fancy colored pencils to create an ombre effect popsicle and paired it with the text "Have a Cool Day!" I love how this card captures the fun of summer and hope Jackson has even more fun on his birthday!

Mobile Birthday

 For: Will 
Occasion: his birthday

Will always had an artistic mobile in his office and often used it as a metaphor for how family systems are impacted when one member makes change. To birthday-ify this concept, I added lots of birthday symbols to this version and added in a shadow in darker green to amplify the sense that it's floating in the air. Will was a great influence on my life and I hope he has the very best year yet!

Air Balloon Father's Day

 For: Dad
Occasion: Father's Day

My dad and I have hashed another plan to go on a hot air balloon trip over the Rockies (not all of them, but a few for some cool views)! To honor and solidify this intention, for his Father's Day card this year I did an illustration of a hot air balloon high in the clouds with the text "Out of this World Dad!" My dad is a truly excellent father and I am always honored to be his daughter. 

River Father's Day

 For: Dan
Occasion: Father's Day

To wish Dan a Happy Father's Day, I did a colored pencil illustration of the beautiful St. Lawrence River. I have the best father-in-law a gal could ask for and wanted to make something extra special for him this year. I cannot wait to join the fam up north for some family time and R and R next month!

Retirement Jokes

 For: Aunt Sioux
Occasion: Retirement

To help Sioux celebrate her retirement, I made this hilarious card with the punchy one-liner "Retirement jokes don't work." I am rather impressed with myself for this one, and liked playing with fonts to complement the joke. A giant congrats to Sioux on wrapping up her very successful career!

Party Animal Birthday

 For: Nathan
Occasion: his birthday

Nathan loves frosted animal crackers, so for his birthday card this year I drew a cookie elephant and lion in party hats! I had a lot of fun making the sprinkles on the pink and white frosting, and am rather pleased with the "party animal" text. I adore Brother Bear and hope we get to hang out more soon!

Reading Birthday

 For: Kai
Occasion: their birthday

Kai loves to read, so for their birthday card I did an illustration of them shrouded in colorful polka dots coming out of a book! The dots all come together to read "Happy Birthday!" in orange. It was so fun to make this card and I am so glad Kai enjoyed it so well!

Wildflower Birthday

 For: Karly
Occasion: her birthday

To help Karly celebrate her birthday, I did a silhouette illustration of her with her head full of wildflowers! Karly is such a lovely, whimsical human and I hope this year is just magical for her. 

Disco Ball Birthday

 For: Riley
Occasion: her birthday

For Riley's birthday card this year, I did a watercolor illustration of a disco ball to set a festive tone for her big day! I have been thinking about disco balls lately (thanks to some Taylor Swift research) and wanted to see how to capture the shine without any actual sparkle. This card was so fun to make and I hope Riley's birthday was even more fun!

Dandelion Wishes

 For: Kathy
Occasion: her birthday

Continuing to play with some line work, I created this lovely dandelion gone to seed as a playful take on blowing out a candle for a birthday wish! Kathy is such a lovely person and I hope all her birthday wishes come true -- over cake or otherwise!

Irrelephant Birthday

 For: Marilynne
Occasion: his birthday

Marilynne is as big of an elephant fan as I am! To help celebrate her birthday, I drew a ballerina elephant with a party hat on with the punny phrase "Age is irrelephant!" I am so excited to see what this next year brings for Marilynne and wish her nothing but success!

Basketball Swishes Birthday

For: Dustin
Occasion: his birthday

Dustin is one of the biggest basketball fans I know! For his birthday card, I created an image of a ball in a hoop with the hilarious pun "Birthday Swishes!" Dustin has been such an influential figure in my life the past few years and I'm so grateful to get to work together.

 

Sudoku Anniversary

 For: Michael
Occasion: our dating anniversary

Michael has become a sudoku master! For our 11th anniversary of our first date, I created a sudoku board in the shape of a heart. I am so pleased with this card and am forever delighted to celebrate fun moments in our relationship!

Mazel Congrats

 For: Danielle
Occasion: her Bat Mitzvah

To congratulate Danielle on her amazing accomplishment, I created a simple Mazel Tov! card featuring the colors from the invitations I made for the big event. It was so fun to be involved in the big party and I am so proud of all her hard work!

Taylor Swift Bat Mitzvah Invites

 For: Danielle
Occasion: her Bat Mitzvah Invitations

The Biegens asked if I would make the Taylor Swift themed invitations for Danielle's Bat Mitzvah, and after thinking about it a bit, I created a watercolor in the party colors featuring Swiftie Friendship bracelets with her Hebrew name on them! It was so much fun to conceptualize and make for my sweet friend Danielle--I am so glad she loved them so much!