Cards by Pennychoo (Part 2) - Jazz Cats ...

As promised, today we're back with another dose of vintage-inspired glamour from the fabulous Pennychoo. Say hello to the 'Jazz Cats' ...

The range consists of twelve designs in a variety of bright colours, which make the black and white cats jump off the page. Cool and hip, these felines are available as both birthday cards and blank designs, which can be utilised for any occasion.

Like the 'Way out West' range shown on yesterday's post, these cards are 145mm square and come with co-ordinated envelope and cello-wrapping. Retailing at £2.50 each of these cards and the rest of the Pennychoo collection are available to buy online from the Pennychoo website.

Cards by Pennychoo (Part 1) - Way Out West ...

Pennychoo create quirky cards with a fun retro style. Amongst the cool vintage-inspired designs and humorous text there are a selection of designs to suit any event. Today & tomorrow I'm going to be showing you two new Pennychoo ranges: this morning 'Way Out West' and tomorrow come back and see the absolutely darling 'Jazz Cats'.

The designer behind Pennychoo is Sue Lee a Graphic Designer based in London and living her life in Sepia! Sue has taken her passion for vintage (particularly 1940's and 1950's) as a starting point to inspire her designs; the result, as you will see today is a fab range of greetings cards that feel funky and modern while retaining their vintage roots.

'Way Out West' is a collection of 19 designs. Split into categories including words, wishes, weddings and wisdom there is plenty of Old West charm on offer. Designs are blank on the inside for you to fill in your message (in your best Wild West impression of course).

Cards are 145mm square and supplied with co-ordinated envelope and cello-wrapping. Retailing at £2.50 each, they are available to purchase online from the Pennychoo website. Click here to see the whole collection. Don't forget to come back tomorrow to see some more gorgeous Greetings Cards.

NEW! Rachael Taylor Designs: Botanic ...

Today's post is dedicated to a great new product from a Card & Gift Blog favourite ... Rachael Taylor Designs. 'Botanic' is a set of boxed notecards with sophisticated floral designs that would make a lovely gift or the perfect stationery supply for your thank you notes.

Launched at the end of the January the designs have been released by international publisher teNeues. The notecards are a unique long format, each card measures 4 1/3 by 8 2/3, which gives the stationery a modern, contemporary feel. 

Rachael has designed five separate floral images in her unique, signature style. Each luxurious decorated box contains twenty cards (four of each design) and twenty co-ordinated envelopes. The box is also sturdy enough to be reused as storage once the notecards have been sent. 

The 'Botanic' notecard box can be purchased online directly from the tuNeues website. Retailing at £9.99/$15.95 orders can be shipped worldwide. 


Rachael has kindly arranged offered Card & Gift Blog readers a 20% discount, just enter the promotional code RTAY20 when purchasing these delightful notecards at teNeues.com - the offer is valid to the end of February so pop along now and pick up some designer stationery with style. 

Gift Wrap: Local Paper Shop ...

It seems a long while since we last has a post about gift wrap; as it's an item that is essential to every gift I thought it would be a nice to start the week with a quick look at a collection of wrap. Today's post features some lovely graphic designs from The Local Paper Shop. 

Specialists in high quality, Eco-conscious gift wrap collections each design is based on an individually inspired theme. The gift wraps shown on today's post are inspired by Costa Rica, a city that is full of beautiful, intricately designed architectural features. The San Jose Collection reflects the city through a collection of detailed prints.

The beautiful patterns are created in translucent white and opaque blue or magenta inks set on  a Kraft colored background; the FSC certified paper sheets are created with 30% recycled post-consumer fibre.

Designs can be purchased individually with two sheets of recycled paper per tube; the sheets measure 24" × 36". Rolls are $8 each (prices in American Dollars).

To see or purchase any of these gift wrap designs visit The Local Paper shop's online store.

Gifts: Cha Cha Handbags ...

As much as I love leafing through fashion magazines looking at all the lovely 'It' bags I'm always a little bit more thrilled to find something more unique with it's own individual personality. With this in mind I'm really happy today to be able to share a lovely collection of bags that fulfil this ideal ... handmade and unique they make a gorgeous gift for fashionable girls.

These beautiful designs are by Cha Cha who make handbags using traditional techniques; hand cutting exterior pieces and sewing bags one at a time. The canvas linings are screen printed in house with original ChaCha graphics. Each handbag is made in Canada and no two are exactly alike.

The first images are the 'Naomi' bag, a tall bucket style bag made of soft but durable leather. The lining is a cute bike & cyclist print. With both interior and exterior pockets and drawstring closure this is a beautiful and practical design. The adjustable strap allows the bag to be worn over the shoulder or cross body
Made to order the bag is available to purchase for $265 (prices in today's post are in American Dollars).

The 'Olivia' bag is a sleek shoulder bag made of super smooth leather. Cinched at the top it opens up to reveal a heap of space for all your everyday essentials. The lining features a typographic design of phrases and quotes. The bag has three interior slip pockets and one zipper pocket. Like the 'Naomi' this design also features an adjustable strap for maximising the ways to carry it. 'Olivia' retails at $295.

'Mimi' is a cute mini bucket bag that is perfect any day no matter where you venture. Lightweight, with a drawstring closure and long strap you can keep all of your essentials safe, while hardly noticing you're carrying them around. Like all of the Cha Cha range the 'Mimi' bag is made from a supple leather that will only get better with age. The bag is finished with the Cha Cha graphics lining. Like the earlier designs it is made to order for $115.

My last image today is an adorable pouch bag; use it for pencils, eye liner and lipstick or anything else you can think of. Funky and practical it's a sweet add on gift or stocking filler. The pouch is made of vegetable tanned leather, which is screen printed by hand and finished with a zip closure. Multiple designs are available to purchase online for $24.

The talented lady behind Cha Cha is Lori, a self taught designer with a background in graphic design who turned her hobby of Handbag design into a full time career after leaving college. To see more or purchase any of Lori's unique designs visit the Cha Cha online shop. You can also get a sneak peek behind the designs on Lori's blog.

Gifts: WRecordsByMonkey ...

As regulars to the blog will know I love to showcase new jewellery & accessories designs ... it's a classic gift idea, giving you the opportunity to treat a friend or loved one to something fun and frivilous that will be a gift to treasure. Despite being a classic in the world of gift-giving there's always room to find something new and innovative. Today's post is just the thing ... modern accessories from WrecordsByMonkey that will be adored and worn over and over again.

WrecordsByMonkey is Brooklyn-based design company that links the worlds of fashion, music and art, creating eco-friendly, handmade accessories. Founders Patrick Chirico and Brian Farrell launched the company in 2004, uniting their respective backgrounds in Fashion Design and Textile Design to create their own brand of inspiring accessories.

I love cuffs as an alternative to bracelets and so the products showcased here today really jumped out at me the moment I came across them. Each piece is a recycled record, decorated with a variety of patterns or scenes.

WrecordsByMonkey has built up a fabulous collection of designs including: classic patterns, Native American designs, cityscapes and street views. There's so much choice that you'll easily find a design that you love; your only problem may be settling on which is your favourite.

The whole collection of cuffs can be seen and purchased online with prices starting from $15. To visit the WrecordsByMonkey website (with built in shop) click here.

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Gifts: Finny & Zook ...

Happy Valentine's Day everyone. As it's a little late to be searching online for Valentine gifts I thought I'd use today's post as an opportunity to add a little injection of colour to our Monday morning. These adorable prints are fresh from American company Finny & Zook, who have expertly created a host of whimsical nursery decor.

The first time I saw these prints I instantly loved the way they had  put a new twist on an old favourite, spelling out the alphabet with a selection of unique and quirky images. 

Although perfect for the nursery, some of the designs like this 'M is for Mixtape' would be a great one for music fans; an ideal gift for brightening up small spaces around the home.

As well as the alphabet inspired prints there are a number of quote designs. With prints suitable for boys and girls these would make a lovely celebratory gift for a new birth or christening.

Finny & Zook alphabet prints are 8" x 10" and quote posters 11" x 14" and are priced $12 and $18 respectively. All prints can be customised  by size or colour on request. 

To find out more about these prints or designers Finny & Zook take a moment to visit their online shops at either Etsy or Supermarket.

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Greeting Cards for Every Day: fold ...

Slightly later than planned but as promised this post is a few images from the range of everyday greetings card collection of fold (Valentine's cards shown earlier). I thought they were really lovely designs, so couldn't resist showing you them ... let me know what you think.

The design above is from fold's sewn range. A selection of cards suitable for a host of occasions and left blank inside for your own message. Mounted on 100% recycled board they are made from cut paper and sewn thread, fabricated into a line of handmade petals. Available in purple, yellow and silver.

The wire range are unique, quirky designs that twist wire into a series of adorable characters. fold has a variety of designs in the collection ... my personal favourites the count and hippo are shown here. Blank inside these cards would be great for celebrating birthdays, saying thank you or even just saying hello.

All of the designs are available to purchase online for $11 Dollars each (price in American Dollars). To find out more about these cards and the rest of the range pop along to the fold website.

Valentine's Cards: fold ...

I thought I'd break today into two posts ... this morning a few Valentine's cards and then for those that feel the need to rebel against February 14th later will be dedicated to every day cards. Both of today's contributions come from the fabulous world of fold.

fold is a small, independent greetings card publisher based in Phoenix, Arizona. All of the cards in the collection are designed and fabricated by Miro Chun. The cards use high quality, 100 % recycled board finished with decorations of wire, threads and found papers.

The designs shown above are from the range of sewn cards, which has a variety of mobile and 3D cards each festooned with delicate Valentine hearts. As an alternative fold also have a range of funky wire cards that say it with words. As you will see below the designs cleverly twist simple wire into bold words.  

These cards and many more in the fold range can be purchased online. Cards are $11 (American Dollars) each. To see the complete collection click here.

Come back later today to see some beautiful sewn cards and funky wire cards for every day.

Gifts: Cynthia Vardhan Ceramics ...

I thought I'd take a little break from the Valentine's theme today when I came across these cute bud vases by Cynthia Vardhan Ceramics. I loved the combination of quirky shapes (which remind me of acorns) and charming patterns. All of the vases are handmade by Cynthia on a potters wheel in her cozy studio in Columbus, Ohio and can be shipped worldwide. Take a look ...

Each vase is crafted from a translucent porcelain that is delicate enough to see through when held up to a bright light. Using this unique porcelain (which Cynthia mixes herself) allows greater visibility of the rich colors used in the patterns.

The bud vases are painstakingly hand decorated with pigmented clay; incorporating decals, metallic lusters and patterns applied with relief printing. The intricate work that goes into each piece results in distinctive raised patterns, which create a wonderful visual that would add decoration to any home.

Single bud vases are $40 (prices in American Dollars) or a the highly decorative Tricolour Pastel Vase (below) is available to purchase for $75. To see all of these items check out Cynthia's online store.

Before I go I just want to say a quick hello to all the new followers on the main blog, Twitter and Facebook ... it's lovely to have you a long for the blogging and I hope you find some inspiring cards and gifts here. If you ever want to see anything in particular here on the blog please email me at: mail@cardandgiftblog.com

Valentine's Hearts - Nina Carolyn ...

Nina Carolyn started her jewellery and silversmithing career in Seattle before returning to Derbyshire in 2008. Since returning to England she has continued to develop a stunning range of sterling silver and resin jewellery. Today we're focusing on Nina's 'Hearts' range ... a perfect Valentine's Day gift.

Nina Carolyn's jewellery mixes strong classic lines, with bright or soft colour resins to create simple, decorative pieces that can be worn every day.

Each piece is unique due to its handmade origins; the colourful resin is hand-poured and left with a Matt finish to complement its silver casing. The silver is then finished to a satin brushed effect. The delicate techniques used in the creation of each piece show in the high-quality finish.

The 'Hearts' range is a pretty collection that includes pendants, stud earrings and drop earrings. Earrings are priced at £22 and £35; pendants at £40. All can be purchased online at Nina Carolyn's online store.

To see more visit Nina's official website and to go straight to the shop click here.