Blog of the Week: Best Years' Blog ...

This week's blog recommendation for my card and gift related 'Blog of the Week' is the fabulous blog by Best Years.

For those who have not come across Best Years, the company is 'Europe's leading wholesaler of knitted and fair trade crochet toys'. I've featured their fabulous toys on the blog before (they have such an adorable collection) but I thought it was about time that I pointed out the Best Years' blog. I've visited the blog again and again over the last few months; I always find it to be an interesting read and very informative. The Best Years' blog covers a wide variety of topics; from product updates and news, to advice and inspiration for fellow sellers, retailers and consumers. I love that unexpected, but always interesting selection of posts. It's nice to see not just the sneak peeks at the new ranges, but also behind the scenes. A lot of hard work and globe trotting goes into sourcing every single one of the toys and I love that Best Years is incredibly vigilant; ensuring the people and factories producing the toys are working to the highest standards and taking good care of their employees.

Click here to take a look at the Best Years' blog. I look forward to hearing what you think!

Artistic Gift Ideas from Eggnogg ...

Today is dedicated to a collection of fun products for kids, direct from Eggnogg. Inspired by the requests of her own young children, asking for her to draw images they could colour-in, Eggnogg chief Kate Edmunds has created a diverse collection of colour-in gifts including: tablecloths, place mats, bunting, wall posters, pocket books and postcard books. Each product is crammed with Kate's quirky illustrations; with themes such as seaside, teatime and puzzle. I love the modern twist of these products; Eggnogg has developed a range of gifts that offer more interest and interactivity than the classic colouring-in book. As a gift idea, the colouring-in products are perfect for encouraging an artistic streak through creative play. I also think they would work well at a party, brightening up the table, keeping the kids entertained and filling the party bags too!

Eggnogg products are available to buy online from their NOTHS store. The colouring-in collection contains designs for boys and girls, with prices starting from just £4.99. To find out more about Eggnogg you can also visit their website.

Love London - Greeting Cards from Five Dollar Shake ...

At the start of the year, I published a brief blog post looking at the trends emerging in the world of greeting cards and gifts (click here if you missed it); attempting to figure out what 2012 may bring. One of the big trends I mentioned at the time focused on British themes and particularly the great city of London. This was demonstrated with a beautiful greeting card from Five Dollar Shake. Well, a few weeks have passed and I think it is about time that we took a proper look at the range. The collection is called 'Love London' and comprises a wide selection of cards for all occasions, covering everything from new babies to anniversaries and birthdays. Each design is peppered with the iconic skylines and landmarks; celebrating our capital city with a touch of luxury and heap of glitter ...

As with every Five Dollar Shake greeting card, the Love London collection is created with huge amounts of care and attention to detail. The last image is a close up from one of the designs, which shows the high-quality, patterned board and lashings of glitter that make the London landmarks shimmer and sparkle.

Five Dollar Shake greeting cards are available from stockists nationwide, with the Love London range retailing at about £3.20 per design (prices will vary between retailers). To find out more about this collection and other Five Dollar Shake products visit their website.

Laura Sherratt Designs - Chirpy Chums ...

Last Tuesday I headed down to London, for the first trade show of the year, Top Drawer Spring. It's been a few years since I last exhibited at, or visited Top Drawer and it was nice to be back in the familiar surroundings of Earls Court with a great gathering of the UK's best designers. There were hundreds of exhibitors showing thousands of new products; I had a great day browsing and over the next few weeks I intend to show you a lot of the amazing designs I saw.

I'm starting the process today with a new greeting card range launched at Top Drawer by Laura Sherratt Designs. Laura has many beautiful ranges of greeting card designs and the stand look so pretty with the whole collection on show. The new addition for 2012 is called 'Chirpy Chums; a set of delightful designs for birthdays, featuring the cutest patterned owls and embellished with shiny gems.

Laura's greeting cards are handmade in the UK and are available to view and purchase online at the Laura Sherratt Designs website. Chirpy Chums is a collection of 20 designs, retailing at £3.50 each. If you like what you've seen today, visit the website to find out more.

Owls are a favourite theme in the world of greeting cards and gifts - must be the big eyes and wisdom! If you want to see more examples check out my 'Owls, Owls, Owls' Flickr album.

Blog of the Week: Sage & Time Designs Blog ...

Sage & Time Designs is a custom-stationery business run by Designer Shannon Hernandez, creating a wide variety of vibrant stationery designs bursting with colour and pattern. I met Shannon in the modern, virtual way via Twitter; from the tweetosphere I was directed first to her website and subsequently to her blog. Shannon's blog celebrates 'crafty happenings from Brooklyn' and gives insight and inspiration into the production of bespoke stationery products. For me, an interest in all things craft-related goes 'hand in hand' with an interest in greeting cards and gifts. The art of creating something cool, interesting or pretty is at the heart of both crafts and designing greeting cards and gifts. The blog appears to be quite new but there is already a handful of posts from January and so I look forward to seeing how the blog develops in the next few months. My last little 'thumbs up' for this week's blog choice is for the giveaway currently running, who doesn't like a giveaway! Comprising vouchers and stationery gifts direct from Sage & Time Designs, the giveaway ends on February 1st, 2012, so get your skates on and head over to the Sage & Time Designs blog to find out more.

Fun, Humourous Greeting Cards From Frank ...

Today's blog post is a collection of fun, humorous greeting cards all the way from Lafayette, Indiana. From Frank is created by Kate Smith, with a little help from, you guessed it, her fab French Bulldog, Frank. The collection was inspired by Frank's humorous, human-like behaviour; when combined with Kate's talent for vocalising his thoughts, a collection of quirky greeting cards was born. Frank's main goal in life is to make people smile, and it's this simple idea that is at the forefront of each of the card designs. Frank's ambitions are becoming a reality as the cards spread through retailers across the USA and I think it's only a matter of time before Frank goes global. Alongside the cute, funny phrases; I love the collage style of the cards, using photos, sticky tape and dymo-like label text - take a look ...

The full From Frank collection can be seen online and comprises 50 designs that cover a wide variety of occasions, from traditional birthdays and engagements to special designs intended simply to cheer people up on a bad day. Currently From Frank greetings cards and available to trade customers; more information can be found on the From Frank website. For consumers the cards retail at $3.25, and a full list of stockists can be seen on the From Frank website.

Ten Top Stationery Designs from Cow & the Moon Paper Co ...

Today's blog post is ten stylish and sleek stationery designs direct from Canada's Cow & the Moon Paper Co (named after a fateful encounter with the nursery rhyme). Behind the designs is Kelly Linhares, a former Graphic Designer and Retail Marketing professional that launched Cow & the Moon Paper Co back in 2009. Carefully balancing a newborn and a sketchpad, Kelly developed a flexible collection of stationery including: notecards, thank you cards, invitations, greeting cards and 'itty bitties'. A Cow & the Moon Paper Co speciality, itty bitties are mini cards for topping flowers and gifts - a  sweet way to top a special present. With a particular interest in paper products, Kelly ensures all the designs are made with papers that feel as good as they look; as well as being 100% recycled to help protect the environment. I love the modern simplicity of the designs and the rich colours that are utilised throughout the collection, take a look and see what you think ...

Individual cards are priced at $2.99 each; packs of ten cards, such as thank you cards and invitations are $10.99 and the cute itty bitties are $0.99 each (prices are in American Dollars). To see more from Cow & the Moon Paper Co please take a wander over to their website, complete with online shop.

Luxury Greeting Cards from Valerie Valerie ...

When I was thinking about what to blog about today, the idea came that it would be nice to start the week with a touch of luxury. So let's cast aside any Monday morning blues and the cold, frosty UK weather ... this afternoon is dedicated to a beautiful collection of cards from independent publisher Valerie Valerie. Approaching their first anniversary as a limited company, Valerie Valerie specialise in luxurious, hand-finished and handmade greeting cards. Today's images are from the exquisite 'Topiary' collection; a set of eight birthday cards with intricate topiary patterns. Printed in delicate shades, on a high-quality, textured board; the designs feature bright spots of colour in the form of hearts, birds and apples hidden among the foliage. As a final extra special touch, each card is embellished with a one of a kind, hand-painted Valerie Valerie heart.

Valerie Valerie currently supply directly to the trade, and can be found in retailers across the UK, as well as in Australia and Hong Kong. The 'Topiary' range featured in today's blog post retails at £2.99. Trade folks can see all the cards shown today, and many more at Spring Fair - Stand 4FF61. If you can't wait, or won't be visiting the UK next month, why not check out the Valerie Valerie website to see more.

Blog of the Week: Blue Eyed Sun Blog ...

This week's pick for 'Blog of the Week' is the Blue Eyed Sun Blog. Along with a sparkling new website, Blue Eyed Sun has added the cool new blog to their growing online presence. I've chosen to point you towards this particular blog today because I think we can firmly place it in the 'one to watch' category. Currently exhibiting at the Top Drawer trade show in London, Blue Eyed Sun is this year celebrating their tenth anniversary in the industry. Those ten years translate to a wealth of expertise and insider knowledge that I am sure will come out time and time again in the new blog. Initial posts show a mix of product news, company updates and trade industry information; the posts contain huge bright pictures (sure to pull in card fans) and balanced, informative text. To take a look for yourself, click here. I hope you enjoy today's blog choice, please let me know what you think in the comments.

If you would like to nominate a card or gift related blog for 'Blog of the Week', email me the details at mail@cardandgiftblog.com

Made with Love Designs -

As I mentioned in last week's blog post previewing 2012 trends (click here if you missed it) all of the high-profile events such as the Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee are putting a huge focus on London and British themes; this is translating to lots of fabulous 'British-inspired' design and a celebration of iconic British themes on card and gift products. Today's post is a look at how UK-based, Made with Love Designs is using the union jack as the central theme within their online shop - first in a range of handmade greeting cards, and secondly in a collection of fabulous French Furniture.

The first images are from the 'God Save the Queen' birthday card collection. The classic union jack, recreated in a delightful selection of colours, hand-tied with a co-ordinated satin ribbon and printed with a punk-inspired typeface. Each design is printed to order in the colourway of your choice and can be fully personalised to include the name of the birthday boy or girl.

New to the Made with Love Designs online store is a boudoir section of fabulous French furniture including the unique and funky 'Union Jack' range. These statement furniture pieces are high quality and cool British style, which would make an extra special homeware gift for a loved one. Already a favourite of Vogue, each item is made with a luxurious Union Jack material, studding and a solid frame with antique paint finish.

Featured Items: 'God Save the Queen' cards are £4.50 or alternatively can be purchased as a boxed birthday card for £6 each. From the 'Union Jack' collection: Queen Anne chair, £295; Child's Chair, £160; Dining Chair, £250 and Footstool, £95.

To find out more about any of the items shown today please check out the Made with Love Designs website, you can click here to take a shortcut straight there.