How much do I love these sweet butterfly cards? Yes, this is hella girlie (as I stated in my Flickr comment), but so lovely, and obviously made with care. Searching around printed cards online (like I do), I came upon these and this great little company – Old Lady Bern Designs. Not that I really need to add to my already huge collection of printed cards. I know it’s ridiculous, but I just can’t stop. There’s something magical about sending a printed card nowadays. Ever since the Internet made those cheapy drugstore cards almost obsolete, there’s been a slew of local artisans making beautiful printed pieces.
There are also companies that specialize in stylish, quality printed cards. while I was out at the Park Slope Farmer’s Market recently (no Yuppier words were ever spoken, I know), I discovered some gorgeous cards from Loop, a company out of Philadelphia that creates beautiful papers and textiles made from eco-friendly materials. I purchased a set of note cards with different designs of tree branches, that I might actually use as wall art, if I can find some reasonably-priced frames to fit them.
When I sent our birth announcement out, I went through Tinyprints, and found tons of sweet designs. They put it on great quality card stock and even mailed it out to our mailing list, and it was not at all expensive.
Like with most other things these days (farm fresh food, micro-brewed beers), there really is an arts-and-crafts movement in the realm of printed materials; where small quantities are printed and the designs are unique, pretty and well thought out. As a child of the drugstore greeting card generation, I have a giddy fascination with these new collectibles.