From the moment Maggie Williams was able to hold a pencil in her hand, she has been creating art. Doodling in the margins of her assignments or experimenting with pencils and paints, her creativity is constant.

But out of all the things that Williams creates, her favorite is her birthday cards. From simple drawings of birthday cakes and balloons she did when she was young, her cards have become detailed works of art. Often done in pencil, Williams will draw in a very playful, cartoony style, personalizing each card to whomever is receiving them.

“I try to make my birthday cards really funny,” Williams said. “When I’m getting ready to make one I think to myself: What would this person like? What would they find funny? How can I make them laugh?”

For instance, for her younger sister’s birthday Williams was inspired by their shared love of Nickelodeon TV-shows. Drawing characters from

“H20 Just Add Water” and “House of Anubis,” she wanted to make the card truly special. Filling it with inside jokes and references to things the pair had laughed about in the past, it ended up being a hit.

As a perfectionist, Williams will spend hours upon hours trying to perfect her cards. She will draw dozens of variations until her hands go numb and her pencils dull. Taking into consideration not only the person, but also what TV-shows they watch, what books they read, which pop culture references that they would be likely to pick up on, it all goes to show just how much she cares.

“I would say that gift giving is my love language,” Williams said. “I love being able to make people happy or to make them laugh with my art. It’s just the best feeling for someone to look at your art and say ‘Wow this is cool!’”

Williams believes that there is something special about making things by hand, that there is a charming quality to pencil drawings and paintings you can’t quite find anywhere else. In going out of her way to make these hand made birthday cards, she had found them to be the most personal gift she could give.

And though there are many ways to express your love for someone, both artistic and not. It is through silly cartoons and inside jokes that Williams does it best.