Visual aesthetics from the mid-century modern era, with a touch of Japan. Gorgeous work by Josh Brill of Lumadessa each limited to 50, signed and numbered by the artist. $20 each, a great gift for the bird lover in your family.

Having trouble finding snarky greeting cards? Copywriter Joel Gryniewski wouldn’t put up with the void when he was trying to woo now fiance Lauren Wienblatt, an art director with whom he launched the letterpress card company Old Tom Foolery. One Craigslist letterpress purchase and a successful stationary show later, their “unsappy, uncrappy letterpress greetings” are earning a following on both coasts. (In SF, they’re available at Green Apple Books and Wishbone; in New York, Kate’s Paperie and  Greenwich Letterpress sells them.) One favorite reads “Kudos*” with the footnote “The congratulatory kind — not the women’s candy bar.” Another, “Wishing you a speedy recovery*,” ends “Chop-chop. I’m tired of covering for your sick ass.” The duo’s tactile and entertaining approach to high quality cards just may be enough to make up for paperless Mothers Days gone by.

Sorry, Hallmark, but your cards … well, they suck. Hence, we’re always on the lookout for excellent indie card stores and ingenious new greeting card designers, like Stephanie Orma, the founder of She’s SO Creative. The SF-based cardstress’ line of quirky, humorous greetings features offbeat characters and thoughtful animals reminiscent of Gary Larson’s Far Side comics — and they beat the funny pants off of Shoebox.

No one’s going to believe you’re a master magician with a deck of plain old Bicycles. Your amateurish act might benefit from the addition of a little Smoke & MIrrors — which just so happens to be the name two new sets of cards from Dan & Dave, devotees to the art of card magic and flourishes. In their attempt to add a little style to sleight of hand, they’ve enlisted the assistance of reknowned artist Si Scott to put his design stamp on their classy card stock. All of the artwork on each deck has been illustrated by hand in pen and ink with the cards marked “Smoke” layed out on white and the “Mirror” cards done up in black. Each also comes with a specially designed pack. You’re sure to look like a pro with either pair of these Aces in the Hole, but in order to perform like one, you’re going to have to brush up on your skills.

There’s something about bearded men, and I should know…I have a beard…and I’m a man. St. Louis-based Artist Ashley Goldberg must share this sentiment because she certainly seems fascinated with them enough to make them the subject of many of her darling designs…If you’re into collecting prints of dudes with face fuzz, we’d suggest heading to her Etsy Shop to purchase one or possibly more of these adorable images. Even if Chin bristles aren’t your thing there’s a plethora of precious pictures that Ms. Goldberg has churned out for your visual enjoyment and monetary patronage, all of which possess a certain simplicity and childlike innocence making for an admirable addition to anyone’s art collection.

Via design*sponge

My local drugstore’s card aisle leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to subjects outside of birthday and Christmas, so I’m usually left speechless, so to say, when it comes to the moments in between. Whimsy Press has created a slew of attractive cards with witty sayings for all those other momentous occasions in life, i.e. the “Shut Up” card you can give to the jerk behind you at the concert who won’t stop yammering, the “Other Fish” card that goes to a friend who was just dumped; the seratonin-revver “You’re Swell” that promotes all-around good feelings and the funny-but-true “Build a bridge. Get over it.” for drama-loving pals. The simple design and innocent feel belie the smart-ass messaging, but there’s no doubt: nothing says it like a card.

I think the fact that I was just incapacitated by laughter for at least twenty minutes over Some Ecards could say a lot about my character…like that I’m a terrible person with no issue indulging in schadenfreude, and/or that I have a completely twisted sense of humor (thanks, Dad.) I was a little relieved though, to learn that my friend Suki, who’s expecting a baby with his girlfriend in the fall, was thoroughly amused by the “you’re going to be a great father, assuming you’re the father” card I sent off without a second thought. With dozens of inappropriately hilarious versions for virtually any imaginable situation, they’re sure to be enoyed by anyone with a decent sense of humor.

And if not, they suck at life and you shouldn’t be friends with them anyways.

via NOTCOT

I’m getting quite a kick this morning out of Bald Guy Greeting Cards. They have that morbid sense of humor that I have come to respect and love, and the design work isn’t too shabby either. When you go to their website, and read the history of how Ian and Sean dreamt up the company, you’re sure to laugh. For instance, you’ll learn that their first sale was made in San Francisco in December of 2005… 10 Christmas cards to a Jewish guy; or that if you buy 1000 cards from them, you have the chance of being added to their ‘history page’ by virtue of being the first person to buy 1000 cards. These guys and their cards reek of comedy, and I hope that someday I can have dinner with them and brainstorm some new card ideas. They have a retail locator on the site and also sell directly from the site– cards are $3. You should understand that the true magic of the cards are in the inside– so I’ve included a few of my favorites after the jump…
READ MORE…

The Li Xi Gift Envelope combines Asian tradition, craft and symbolism with a twist of modern design. Traditionally envelopes like these were given during the Chinese New Year, but in an effort to preserve this child-hood memory in a modern world, designer Tram Pham created a laser-cut version which allowed a much higher level of detail in comparison to the old-school traditional die-cutting methods. The results, as you can see are delicate, beautiful and quite impressive.

We’re big fans of these one-of-a-kind multiple-use holiday cards crafted from real wood veneer by Thing Farm. The front of the card has a removable ornament, and while we only know Christmas day as the best day to travel besides Easter, we still think this is pretty nifty. Like snowflakes, no two cards are alike– and they’re only $6.00. Don’t get caught giving Hallmark cards this year! Via Grassroots Modern

If you’re like me, you don’t have the stomach for cheesy holiday greeting cards. It’s one thing to receive such a card, but it’s an entirely different proposition to send one. You all are familiar with the cards to which I am referring. Potion Brand is coming to the rescue this year with high quality, enviro-friendly, and design savvy greeting cards (if you remember we also suggested Potion Brand a couple of years ago). They offer standard cards in 3 unique series’ (box of 12 is $18, with some gift tags included), or you can get custom with your cards, applying your own message to one of Potion’s various design templates. These cards will not only settle your design-discriminating stomach, but are also sure to impress those on your holiday mailing list.