Birthday Cake

 For: Sofi
Occasion: birthday

To celebrate Sofi's birthday, I did an illustration of a beautiful cake in black and white with candles spelling out "Happy Birthday, Sofija!" Then the background has a splash of water colors to make the whole thing pop. I miss Sofi a lot and hope she had a great time celebrating her birthday. 

Ecstatic Cupcake Birthday

 For: Danielle
Occasion: her birthday

Danielle is 10 and I cannot believe it for one single second. To help her celebrate her first decade of life, I created a little her, sliding down a giant cupcake! The style of this card is awesome (mixed-media, anyone?) and I am particularly pleased with the joy on her face. I mean, take a closer look:

Nothing better than a larger-than-life cupcake on your birthday! I miss my spirit niece and hope I get to see her again soon!

WD-40 Birthday

 For: Adam
Occasion: his birthday

Adam is officially over the hill, and as he often likes to submit requests for his birthday cards, he asked that I "lean in" to his turning 40. Thus, we have a WD-40 can renamed UR-40, with some plucky advertisements:

"Squeaky Joints; Aches and Pains; Stiff Rusted Parts; Drives out Hope," "DANGER: Harmful or Fatal," and "1 MIDLIFE CRISIS/14600 Days."

I had a great time coming up with this card concept, and hope Adam enjoyed his big day, all jokes aside.

Happy Birthday 2 You!

 For: Cole
Occasion: his birthday

Wouldn't you know it--Cole is two, too! To celebrate his birthday of pairs, I played on the to/two homophone with a birthday wish "Cole - Happy birthday 2 you!" The background features doodles in pairs as well -- two circles, squares, triangles and dots! I hope the 2s are the opposite of terrible and Cole enjoyed his Zoom birthday party!

2 Balloon Birthday

 For: Ryan
Occasion: his birthday

"Ryan is 2!" You read that right --  the little guy is another year old! To celebrate, I illustrated two balloons for him to count -- one with stripes and one with polka dots. I love the simplicity and brightness of this card. It was so fun to see him have a special cupcake at his Zoom birthday this evening!

Yoga Birthday

 For: Bri
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Bri's big day, I did a watercolor illustration of her in tree pose using her out-breath to blow out a candle on a cupcake! I used some heart paper to be the yoga mat, and the entire card just tickles me. I hope Bri had a wonderful day full of relaxation and wellness!

Sympathy Paws

For: Lex
Occasion: In Sympathy

The passing of a dog is the loss of a very special friend. To acknowledge the sadness of a family member's passing, I sent along this card with a paw print turned into a heart. I hope they are doing okay and that happy memories will provide comfort in time. 

Sonogram Heart Congrats

 For: More Friends
Occasion: Pregnancy

Everyone and their (soon-to-be) mother is pregnant! To celebrate another forthcoming bundle, I sent off a quick sonogram card in response to the sonogram photo text breaking the news. I can't wait to meet this secret tiny human and hope I get to babysit some day!

Party Animal Birthday

 For: Amy
Occasion: her birthday

To celebrate Amy's birthday, I made a stylized watercolor and ink illustration of her with her cat, Catsby, resting on her head. It's got a sleepy feel, which I think is perfect for a low-key pandemic birthday celebration. I know Ames adores this cat, so I hope they all have a wonderful time celebrating her big day.

Basketball Birthday

 For: Doug
Occasion: his birthday

Dougie is friend we made through basketball -- the fates aligned when we were all put on the random individuals team oh those many years ago. To celebrate his big day, I adapted a basketball man image in water color with my white pen for the pebbles on the face. I really like how this turned out and look forward to playing again soon!

Party Hat Birthday

 For: O'Shea
Occasion: his birthday

To help celebrate O'Shea's birthday, I played with a slightly 3D design to depict a party hat with pom pom and fringe. I folded up all the yellow bits for this effect in the third dimension, and then the red hat paper is slightly conical. 

Subtle, but fun! I hope O'Shea had the best day and that all good things come his way this year. 

Candle Birthday

 For: Julie
Occasion: her birthday

For Julie's birthday card, I wanted to send some calm, relaxing vibes like those of a candle's flame dancing. I had a lot of fun playing with my white pen for the glass container around the shape of the wax. Julie is such a good friend to my sister, and I wish her nothing but the best this year!