When it rains, it pours

I'm not exactly sure what inspired my recent spurt of creativity - whether it was repressed from a month of filling orders (which I love but frequently leaves me little time to create) or whether it was speaking to a shop owner who encouraged me to do more birthday, animal- and New York-themed cards - but I have created 11 new designs in the last week. The first batch was revealed in the last post, and here is the second round:



This birthday card illustrates a popular Russian birthday tradition. It's similar to the American pin the tail on the donkey and the Mexican pinata in that the birthday child is blindfolded, then led to a place where his or her gifts have been tied to a suspension rope. The child is given a pair of scissors and must try to cut off their presents while blindfolded.



Riders of the F train in Brooklyn will be familiar with this card, which is modeled off the Kentile Floors sign between Smith-9th Sts and the 4th Avenue stop. Kentile Floors made asbestos tiles, among other types of tiles, and went bankrupt in the 1980s after a number of asbestos-related lawsuits were filed against the company.



This card is a variation of my popular Heart Bubbles card, and features the same little girl blowing bubbles that spell out 'happy birthday.'



This card was intended to be a Father's Day card, and still can be used as one, but I left it blank so that it could be used for other purposes.



Mother's Day featuring a flower mother and her flower children. The color palette of the flowers is inspired by a flower clock I bought in Perugia in 2008.



This Mother's Day card is actually inspired by a photograph my boyfriend took of a mother duck and her little ducklings in Prospect Park back in July 2009.



This card is a variation on my New York Valentine card, and features the same little boy and girl sitting on a bench in Central Park. Only now, it's springtime: the grass is turning green again and the lake is thawing. If only it would happen soon enough!