Cards: Purpose & Worth etc ...

Purpose &Worth etc is a brand new, design-led greetings card and stationery brand. Today's post features a small selection of some of their brilliantly stylish and charming birthday cards.

Designer Daphne is originally from Canada but moved to London over ten years ago for music. With a band as her main 'thing' for years and a complimentary career as a graphic designer and illustrator, Daphne set up Purpose & Worth alongside her hubby and fellow musician/designer Derek, to allow them to pursue their own design and style projects. Last year a new shoot of the company was created in 'Purpose & Worth etc' allowing Daphne to develop her own line of greetings cards & stationery.

Each of the designs are funky black and white illustrations with hints of luscious, rich colour shining through. The collection shows off  Daphne's signature illustrative style, a touch of 'rock and roll' inspiration and a heap of funny & charming words. The range has already been picked up by retailers including Paperchase and The Design Museum, which hints at the big things ahead for the company.

All the designs are printed on soft-white card that is carbon neutral and processed with wind-power. Each one is co-ordinated with a recycled envelope and popped inside a biodegradable cello bag making them very environmentally friendly; a perfect greetings card range for the Eco-conscious.

Cards are £2.50 each and can be purchased online at the Purpose & Worth etc NOTHS store. Click here to see the whole collection. Daphne is planning to expand the range to include more paper products in the near future so I'll be keeping an eye out for exciting new products ... can't wait to see what comes next!

Total Gibberish ...

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Hello, please ignore the little code above. A nifty little robot is going to come along and do something a bit technical and a bit magical with that code that I don't quite understand. The hope is that once the robot has done its thing it will make the blog easier to find and more visible in the blogging world ... hooray for nifty robots.

Cards: More Mother's Day ...

Hi All, sorry I've been absent from the blog for a few days; I seem to have been surrounded by ill folks for so long that all the bugs flying round finally caught up with me. Anyway, I'm getting better and so it's back to blogging to cheer myself up! While there is still a week to go till the big day I thought I'd squeeze in a last post featuring some gorgeous girly Mother's Day Cards - hope you like them!

The designs above are from the fabulous Pennychoo; a pick and mix selection from the Floradeco and Fairground ranges. I just love these cards ... so elegant and modern, despite their retro influence! All cards are high quality, printed on a heavy 350gsm board and left blank for your own message. Available to purchase online at the Pennychoo online store designs are priced at £2.50 each.

These next set of beautiful printed cards are based on original artworks by Gillian Park. Shoes are a bit of a girly obsession so they make a fabulous greetings card for mums. Gillian is a graphic designer and artist based in Ayrshire and she's taken her love of shoes into her painting. You can really see the attention to detail and care that goes into every single design. Greetings cards are £1.75 each, click here to see the whole collection on Gillian's website.

The last few cards are from Lou Mills Cards. The fun, lively designs use bright colours and adorable illustrations, combining them together to create a delightful range that will show your mum how truly special she is. All the cards and 120mm x 170mm and presented with a crisp, white envelope. Currently Lou Mills Cards are available to purchase online from the Your Indies website; the cards retail at £1.99.

I hope you liked today's little dose on inspiration; don't forget Mother's Day here in the UK is on Sunday 3rd April ... you've got a week so go out there and find something pretty for your mum.


Gifts: Christine Domanic Jewellery ...

Today on the the blog some really beautiful jewellery that is amazingly eco-friendly; enabling you to treat a friend, loved one (or even yourself) to something gorgeous and help save the planet at the same time. Today's gifts are the designs of Christine Domanic.

Christine Domanic Jewellery is handmade from vintage components & organic or recycled component pieces. Each item is created in Christine's 100% wind-powered home studio in Brooklyn, New York. The 'Key to the Heart' Skeleton Key Necklace (pictured above) features a distressed, vintage skeleton key and green briolette. Each piece is a unique gift due to the 'one of a kind' Skeleton Keys that are the focal point of the design.

The 'It's A Rainy Day' Umbrella Necklace is a cute piece with individual rain-inspired charms; the perfect accessory to brighten and celebrate a rainy day. The design features an adorable 3D umbrella charm in brass and a pretty blue raindrop crystal on an antiqued brass chain.

Above is the 'Romance in the Garden' Necklace, which captures the beautiful details of crisp autumn leaves in shiny gold. The large vintage leaf hangs on an antiqued brass chain. Lastly the 'Take Flight Bird Wing' Necklace (below) is an elegant, modern design combining a brass wing charm with a green briolette.

All the necklaces featured on today's post are priced at either $26 or $28 (prices in American Dollars). Available to purchase online, all of the jewellery can be shipped worldwide. To ensure every item is as eco-friendly as possible all of Christine's jewellery is shipped in packages made from recycled paper & printed with eco-friendly, soy based inks. To see the full collection pop along to the Christine Domanic Jewellery online store. 

Cards: Rebecca Lancaster Designs ...

I think I may have said this a dozen times before (so sorry for any repetition) but I really love finding new designers and am equally delighted when new designers find the blog. Recently I had one of these really cool moments when designer-maker Rebecca Lancaster got in touch and sent me some of her beautiful cards; naturally I couldn't wait to show you them here.

Rebecca graduated from Staffordshire University in 2010 and since then has gone on to set up her own handmade greetings card business. The collection includes cards, stationery and a unique range of jewellery card gifts, which are all available to purchase at Rebecca's online store.

Taking inspiration from the beautiful Staffordshire countryside many of the designs have modern floral patterns. Rebecca's love of vintage fabrics comes through giving the images a classic, elegant feel. Rebecca sources quality card, lace ribbons and gems to ensure each design is finished to the highest standards.

The designs on today's post retail at £2.00 and can be purchased from Rebecca's online shop. There are even some lovely ideas for Mother's Day. For those of you who want to find out more about Rebecca check out her blog here.

Gifts: Matthew Tyas Ceramics ...

Hi All, today's post is one I have been meaning to put together for months so it's great to finally get it out and into the published blogger world! Today's gift inspiration comes from the ceramic designs of Matthew Tyas, Take a look ...

The Sea and Sky collection are handmade ceramics designed by Master's qualified ceramist Matthew Tyas. Currently based in picturesque Cornwall, Matthew has over a decade's experience designing and making ceramics.

The Sea and Sky collection is a beautiful collection of blue and white ceramics, which take inspiration from the natural world. Great as individual pieces or grouped together they make a stunning gift and would be perfect for Mother's Day.

The range has a wonderful selection of unique pieces that suit a wide variety of budgets, amongst the collection are: Swallows Tree Platter, £290; Swift Skies Platter; three size of Lazy Sea Cone, £65 - £115; Large Enclosing Sea Cone, £155 and two sizes of Sea Colony Vases £25 - £55.

To find out more about the Sea and Sky collection and to purcase directly from Matthew pop along to the dedicated Sea and Sky website. If you like what you see, and want to see a wider collection of Matthew's work take a look at his official website.

Gifts: James Ellis Stevens ...

Welcome back all! As a bit of a compulsive list-maker I love stationery and so I was keen to show you all these lovely notebooks from James Ellis Stevens. I think stationery makes a nice 'stocking-filler' gift or mini gift. It gives you a reason to ditch the boring jotters and have something pretty for all your odd ramblings.

This collection of Notebooks has 12 deigns for every part of your life that may need documenting ... notes, baby notes, wedding notes, gardening notes ... there's lots of options no matter who the gift is for. And every one has a delightful design typical of the James Ellis Stevens range.

Like all James Ellis Stevens products each Notebook is made to the highest quality. Containing 96 lined white pages each notebook also has a handy storage pocket at the back, elastic closure band, pen holder and a ribbon marker.

Like the cards shown this morning you can purchase these Notebooks direct from the James Ellis Stevens website. The Notebooks are £6.98 each. Click here to go and take a peek at the whole collection.

Cards: James Ellis Stevens ...

Hello, I thought it would be nice to have a 'Double Post Day' today to brighten up our mid-week ... is it just me that doesn't like Wednesday's? Anyway today is all about cute and colourful illustrations - designs that are cheerful, happy & sure to brighten your day. From the best-selling collection of James Ellis Stevens these are 'Standups' ...

A range of big, bright cards 'Standups' is an extensive set of cards for boys and girls. he collection includes 14 children's Birthday designs; 12 Age cards (years 1-6) and 12 stationery designs, which includes thank you note cards and party invites. Each of the full colour designs is decorated with sparkly glitter to add that extra special touch that kids will adore.

An environmentally-friendly publisher, James Ellis Stevens uses FSC approved paper and board, vegetable based inks and starch based biodegradable packaging in their designs. The Standups are available to purchase online from the James Ellis Stevens website. Individual Birthday and Age cards are £1.80 each; the stationery packs are £2.99 for a pack of five. Click here to go straight to the shop.

Don't forget 'Double Post Day' ... Come back this afternoon to see a few gift goodies from James Ellis Stevens.

Mother's Day - Greetings Cards ...

With Mother's Day fast approaching I thought it was about time we started to have a look at a few gorgeous greetings cards designed to celebrate the occasion. Today we have a selection from three brilliant companies; one an old Card & Gift Blog favourite and two companies showing for the first time.

The first two images are from Real & Exciting Designs new range, 'Papier D'or'. Designed by Sarah Curedale the collection is all about style and luxury. There are eight Mother's Day cards in the range (as well as a heap of occasion and birthday cards). Highlighting the beautiful designs each card is decorated with foil and embossing for a stunning texture and finished with glittering diamante for added luxury. The cards can be purchased online and are priced £3.75 each.

Spotty N Stripy is a new company to the blog; combining their love of Spots and Stripes with an obsession for greetings cards designer Zoe has created a range of clean, modern designs. These Mother's Day cards like the whole Spotty N Stripy collection is printed, folded and assembled by hand - a truly special card for any mum! Cards are available to purchase at the Spotty N Stripy online store, prices starting at £2.00 each.

Soul Water is another new company to feature on the blog. These last two pictures are from their Tea Rose Collection for The Eve Appeal; 10% of all sales will be donated to the charity which helps fund ground-breaking research into gynaecological cancers. Available in Lilac, Violet and Lavender hues these are stylish designs for elegant mums. Cards are available to buy online for £3.00 each.

To find out more about Real & Exciting Designs simply click here.
Or if you want to read more about Spotty N Stripy you can click here.
You can also find out more details about Soul Water if you click here.

Gifts: MaaPstudio ...

MaaPstudio is a small workshop specializing in the design and production of contemporary jewellery. Today's post features some of their unique creations; jewellery that shows the love and appreciation of the porcelain material from which it is made.

The Khao-Lak Sterling Silver Necklet is decorated with Porcelain Flowers fired to a high temperature to create a robust design. MaaPstudio uses a subtle colour palette inspired by nature. This necklet is available in sky blue, turquoise, white, gray, purple, and coral brown. The flowers are left unglazed with a satine matt surface. The design in available for $68.

The Cottesloe Porcelain Bracelet Bangle is a beautiful design with the immaculate white providing a dramatic contrast against the turquoise stained porcelain. Each bracelet is carefully crafted by hand creating a gift where no two will ever be exactly the same. The bangle is priced $98.

MaaPstudio's Martinique Porcelain One Of a Kind Ring is draped with a group of delicate flowers. The band and floral insides are chocolate brown set against a clean white ring of petals. Like the whole collection shown here today the ring is handmade and left unglazed to show the porcelain material at its best. The Martinique ring is available to purchase online for $42.

Our last image is the Pasodoble Sterling Silver Chain Necklace with Porcelain Bud Beads. A stunning piece of jewellery, each bead takes several days to create before being mounted on a high quality 16" sterling silver chain. Necklace retails at $68.

To see all of these gorgeous handmade pieces and the rest of the collection pop along to the MaaPstudio online store. (Prices on today's post are in American Dollars).

NEW! Lou Mills Cards ...

Today's greeting cards are a brand new range from Lou Mills Cards. The collection is called 'Bells and Cakes' and focuses on the celebrations of Weddings and Anniversaries; so grab a cuppa, put your feet up and have a look ...

Designer Lou creates her cards from the idyllic setting of a 300 year old Quaker Meeting House in Cambridgeshire, which overlooks a garden stuffed-full of chickens. This inspirational countryside setting is no doubt responsible for giving the cards their unique charm; the chickens even get to play their own role by starring in a selection of the designs.

Like all of Lou's cards the designs of the 'Bells and Cakes' range are created using a mix of techniques including painting, collage and machine embroidery. The collection has a total of 12 designs, you can see the full 'Bells and Cakes' range on Lou's website.

As well as the designs shown today Lou has created a whole heap of gorgeous cards for all occasions. You can see all the ranges on Lou's official website and you can purchase Lou Mills Cards online at the Your Indies website. Individual cards retail at £1.99, click here to go straight there.

Gifts: Rogue Theory ...

Rogue Theory is creative duo Kim & Christina, who make their handmade wares from the heart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their backgrounds in Architecture and huge passion for design means they're constantly working on or planning creative ventures. Their current love is the idea of combining Beauty & Function, replacing the useless knick-knacks of the world with beautiful handmade goods that you can actually use. Today's post features a small selection of the range that would make wonderful gift items.

The Pocket Wristlet and Wristlet Clutch bags, in Orchid Cream (above) and Orchid Mulberry (below) are cute bags that are small enough to take anywhere, yet give you plenty of room to stash all your essentials. Each design has a fully detachable wrist strap and zip closure. The high-quality bags are lined with 100% cotton canvas, which helps give the bag its structure.  Bags are priced $26 and $32 respectively (prices in American Dollars).

The Crazy Amazing Key Fob provides a pretty and practical solution; easy to grab when you're in a hurry and to find in the bottom of an over-stuffed bag. Made of durable cotton webbing and patterned cotton fabrics the Key Fobs come in a huge selection of designs that can be mixed and matched with other items in the Rogue Theory range. Key Fobs are priced at $10 each. 

It's one thing buying an iPad, iPod on Nano as a gift but you really do need to get all the goodies to go with it. Rogue Theory has the perfect solution to keep your gadgets looking good and staying safe even when they're hibernating. Mimicking the design of the gadgets themselves the Techee snugly fits its gadget, each sleeve has a unique patterned outer layer and a stiffened interfacing layer for added protection. Prices for the Techee range from $11 for Nano size and $22 for iPad size.

All of the Rogue Theory goodies can be purchased from their online shop and are available to be shipped worldwide. Click here to take a peek at the site.

If you have a Card or Gift Idea that you want to share please do get in touch ... you can email me directly on mail@cardandgiftblog.com or you can pop by and say hello in the social media worlds of Facebook or Twitter.