Bespoke: The Moose and Badger Birthday Card

Every so often, a commission comes along that feels like a small adventure in itself. The Moose and Badger card was exactly that — a bespoke request from a client who asked me to create a custom birthday card featuring, of all duos, a moose and a badger. Not just side by side, but both wearing birthday hats.

It’s always a joy when someone approaches me with such a specific and personal idea. These are the projects where my paintbrush becomes a translator — taking someone’s story and turning it into something tangible.

Sketching the possibilities

To start, I created two different design options so the client could choose the one that resonated most. From there, the work began in earnest. I used watercolours — my medium of choice for their fluidity and character — to bring both animals to life.

I thought a lot about how these two might interact. It wasn’t enough to simply place them next to each other. I wanted the moose and badger to share a glance, a secret, a sense of celebration that only they understood. In my mind, it mirrored the bond between my client and the person she was giving the card to.

More than just a card

Once the painting was finished, I digitised the artwork and arranged it into a final card layout — the same process I use across my collections, ensuring everything is printed on responsibly sourced UK cardstock and finished to keepsake quality.

But this commission had something extra. The client didn’t just receive the birthday card; she also received the original artwork itself. It turned the piece into something more lasting — a personal treasure as much as a gift.

The reaction

When the package arrived, the client sent me a message that made the whole process worthwhile:

“Absolutely incredible, beautiful bespoke card & print. Above and beyond – thank you so much!”

It’s in those moments that I’m reminded why I love bespoke commissions. They allow me to step into someone else’s world for a short while, and to create something that captures a story only they fully understand.

  Why I cherish bespoke work

The Moose and Badger card is a reminder that greeting cards can be so much more than paper and ink. They can be markers of relationships, inside jokes, or shared memories — tiny artworks that carry meaning far beyond the moment they’re opened.

And for me as an artist, they are opportunities to explore unexpected pairings (a moose and a badger, after all!) and to push my creativity in directions I might not have gone alone.