Floral Mortarboard Graduation

 For: Ames
Occasion: her graduation

To celebrate Amy's graduation with her M. Ed, I made a collage out of my prettiest blue flower papers to make a traditional mortarboard for her. Paired with metallic pen and a washi tape tassel, this card is pretty delightful. Ames worked so, so hard for her degree -- I hope she is quite proud of her accomplishment!

Irish Congrats

 For: Quam and Lindsay
Occasion: their engagement

Quam and Lindsay are engaged! They went off to the Emerald Isle and spent time in Galway where claddagh rings originated! I drew them a variation of the classic hands holding a heart and crown to wish them well -- the crown is the Irish word for congratulations: "Comhghairdeas." I am so excited for these two and cannot wait for their forever!

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!

Computer Congrats

 For: Tom
Occasion: Congratulations

Tom-Tom graduated with his master's in fancy computers, so to celebrate the momentous occasion, I did a super simple illustration of an old school computer with a happy graduate on screen! I am so impressed with Tom and his perseverance all these years. I wonder what he'll get up to in his free time now!

Sparkly Retirement

For: Aunt Glor
Occasion: her birthday

Aunt Glor retired! To help mark this feat in her epic career, I created a simple card with some dictionary definitions - "career," "librarian," and "retirement." I particularly love the definition of retirement: "the period at the end of a career when a person stops working to relax and enjoy their savings." I hope Aunt Glor enjoys this next chapter!

Wooden Ring Engagement

 For: Amy and Alex
Occasion: Engagement

To help celebrate Amy's engagement to Alex, I created a replication of her engagement ring! It features a rich wood panel paper and a teal glitter band in the middle, just like her ring! It's super unique, just like these two love birds, and I hope they enjoy this Christmas season as an engaged couple. 

Crystal Ball Congrats

 For: Eileen
Occasion: Graduation/New Job

To help celebrate Eileen's amazing accomplishment of graduating with her Master's and landing a sweet gig, I created this illustration of a fortune teller predicting "Wonderful things ahead" with her crystal ball! I am so stoked for Eileen and hope she is just pleased beyond pleased with how hard she has worked to get here. Here's to the future!

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!

Move Mountains Congrats

For:  Elissa
Occasion: Graduation

To celebrate Elissa's graduation with her environmental law degree (!), I made this watercolor illustration of some beautiful mountains and foothills paired with an encouraging "move mountains" message! I love this concept, because as a social worker and an environmental law-er, there are lots of obstacles that require a persistent and passionate force. Elissa has been a great support to me, and I cannot wait a single second longer to see where she goes next. 

Tropical Retirement

 For: Aunt Katy
Occasion: Retirement

To celebrate Aunt Katy's retirement, I drew her the most festive tropical beverage I could -- it's in a pineapple cup, people! I hope Aunt Katy slides into retirement with no problem and is able to find lots of time for her hobbies and for relaxing, too!

Awesome Retirement

 For: Uncle Vince
Occasion: Retirement

To celebrate Uncle Vince's retirement, I had to drop a truth bomb on him: "You can't retire from being awesome!" This next chapter is going to be so different from the previous ones -- I hope lots of awesomeness is on deck and ready to go to make this transition lots of fun for him. 

Crossword Congrats

 For: Emmy
Occasion: her birthday

My intern Emmy completed her placement with me this year! To celebrate and thank her for her incredible work, I made a crossword card that features some important words of her success: Congrats, Library, Internship, Emmy, and MSW! It was a real treat for me to work with her this past year, and I wish her nothing but the best as she continues her education!

Graduation Holler

 For: Leia
Occasion: her graduation

Leia got her Master's in Speech Language Pathology! What an amazing journey it's been. I am beyond impressed with Leia's persistence and I am excited to see where she lands. But first, let's all shout "Congrats, Leia!" and she can assess us. Hooray!

Congrats Splatter

 For: Kelsey
Occasion: Congratulations

Kelsey got a new job, so to send her off with lots of excitement, I splatter painted some green cardstock and paired it with a bold "Congrats!" message. Kelsey is hands down one of the most competent people I've ever worked with, so I know her future is bright!

Chuffed Congratulations

For: Sandie
Occasion: New Job

My boss got a new job! I will miss her dearly, but honestly I am chuffed to bits that she gets to go have a new opportunity. I am not clear exactly on what chuffed to bits means, but I figured some confetti and bright colors would do the trick! I cannot wait to hear about how the next chapter unfolds. 

Sparkly Congratulations

 For: Quam
Occasion: Congratulations

Quam predictably CRUSHED his dissertation defense, and I was so pumped afterwards I had to make him a glitter-y congratulations card. Because he is now officially a PhD holder, I cut my sparkliest papers to read "Dr. Q!" I will forever be impressed, and hope Quam is settling in to his newfound heights of academic success. 

Poop Doctor Congrats

For: Lidia
Occasion: Congratulations

If I'm making her friends poop cards, I have to make Lids her very own special poop card! Hers features cartoon-y versions of both doctor and happy little poop. Her clipboard says "UMASS GI - CONGRATS LIDIA!" I miss Lids so much and hope she's doing well out in Massachusetts.

Retirement Journey

For: Jill
Occasion: her retirement

Jill made it! She is now done with that 9-5 grind, and to help celebrate this amazing accomplishment, I created this retirement card for her. There's a storm in the background that the Work arrow points you to, and the weather clears up and is lovely on the path to retirement (there's even a picnic laid out!). It's been a treat working with Jill and I wish her nothing but the best as she adjusts to her new freedom. 

Welcome Baby

For: The Artzers
Occasion: New Baby

Aimee and Scott welcomed little Tilly into their family, and to celebrate I had to make them a card! It features all three wrapped up in a hug -- I love how the lines of everyone's clothes mesh together in distinct but complimentary designs. I am so pleased with how these caricatures came out and had such fun meeting this little lady last weekend. I can't wait to see how much she grows between now and next time!