Wedding Stationery by Sofia Invitations & Prints ...

Based in South Carolina, USA, Sofia Invitations & Prints make unique wedding stationery for modern, stylish events. The collection contains every item you could wish for from 'save the date' cards through to invitations and RSVP cards. The designs are contemporary; offering cute love hearts, pretty paper cuts and quirky vintage touches. The mix of old and new is very on trend at the moment and it's nice to see an affordable, bespoke option for modern wedding stationery. 

Pictured today: Vintage Fonts, Laser Cut Save the Date Cards, Vintage Bicycle, Vintage with Modern Fonts, Gingham Invitations and Laser Cut Hearts. Prices vary depending on quantity and requirements. To find out more about Sofia Invitations & Prints take a look at the online shop.

**Card & Gift Blog is open to submissions from card & gift designers and makers worldwide. If you have something you'd like to see featured please email me or use the blog's nifty contact form. Thank you, Char.**

Find the right words with Trooths ...

Trooths clever word play is the answer for the tongue-tied; modern cards with meaningful sentiments for friends and family. The collection currently has over 200 individual designs in four ranges. No matter what the occasion or relationship you'll find a design that has a perfectly pitched sentiment to match. Charming, clever and heartfelt, the words are teamed with clean designs and a modern, high-gloss print.

Today's post features two designs from each of the following ranges: Original Trooths, Simple Trooths, Just Like Us and Just Like You. All greetings cards are £1.99 each. The full range can be seen on the Trooths website and ordered by sending an email to: info@trooths.com

I'd love to hear your opinions on Cards & Gifts so please leave me a comment.

Riot Raffle - Help Needed!!

Riot Raffle was set up by designer Zoe Grant in response to the destruction caused by the recent riots in London, which saw many homes, shops and business destroyed. Wanting to help, but not living close enough to just 'pop by' Zoe came up with the idea of Riot Raffle. With a large network of designers and creative folks within her reach Zoe was sure she would be able to find help with raffle prizes. The design and retail communities have responded magnificently with a whole heap of amazing prizes donated to the cause (click here to see the list).

To be in with a chance of winning any of the fab prizes all you need to do is donate! For every £1 given a raffle ticket will be issued. You have till midnight on the 30th September to make a donation and the raffle winners will be announced on the 2nd October. All of the money raised from Riot Raffle will be donated to Retail Trust, looking after people in retail; the trust has promised that 100% of Riot Raffle's donation will go towards helping independent shopkeepers whose businesses were vandalised during the riots. If you think you can help by donating a prize, spreading the word or buying a raffle ticket please do. Pop over to the Riot Raffle website right now to find out more including full instructions on buying your raffle ticket.

Charlotte x

P.S. A big thank you to Karenza Paperie for letting me know about the raffle.

Serenity by Karen Dell'Armi ...

Karen Dell'Armi is an award winning designer / maker, creating stunning, contemporary jewellery. Today's post is just a small look at her work; showcasing the elegant 'Serenity' range. The collection was developed after Karen successfully made it through a health scare in 2008 - during a worrying time Karen wanted to be calm and focused around friends, family and her children. The answer lay in the peace, tranquility and calm of Buddhist meditation, and it was Buddhist singing bowls that provided the starting point for the jewellery designs. Bold, sculptural designs were formed - creating classic, yet innovative designs for earrings, pendants and bracelets.

Featuted images are: Serenity Pendant - circle of oxidised silver bowls on a thick snake chain, £189; Serenity Bracelet - Silver ball chain with oxidised bowls, £89; Serenity Studs, available in sizes XS to XL, £15-49 and Serenity Necklace - Silver ball chain with oxidised bowls, £169.

To see more from Karen Dell'Armi ... whether it's this classic 'Serenity' collection or a host of other beautiful designs visit the official website.

Brilliant Cards for Brilliant People - Big Jon ...

As the company heads towards its two year Anniversary it seems perfect timing to have a post dedicated to the greetings cards of Big Jon. Specialising in "brilliant cards for brilliant people", Big Jon cards are modern, clever and very funny. Behind the designs is Jon Harvey, an Art Director with a background in Advertising and an appreciation for stationery and greetings cards. Utilising his design experience and taking inspiration from typography, architecture and interior magazines, Jon has created a fabulous array of cards ideal for both female and male card markets. 

Today's gallery of images features four ranges from the Big Jon collection: Dusty Carr, Daily News, Mirror Mirror and Sign of the Times. Cards retail at £2.75 and are available in stockists across the UK and Australia. To find out more about the cards and the company behind them visit the Big Jon website. 

NEW!! Birthday Stars from Dilys Treacle Treasures ...

Today's post is a gallery of brand new greetings cards from Dilys Treacle Treasures. 'Birthday Stars' is a colourful collection that celebrates a heap of birthday treats: flowers, ice cream cones, bunting and cakes; all woven together with a smattering of shiny silver stars. Designer Janine George creates each Dilys Treacle Treasures card from her own handmade illustrations, and it's Janine's unique style that really sets these designs apart from the crowd. The bold & bright colour combinations and the complex stitch work balance together perfectly.

The 'Birthday Stars' designs can be purchased individually for £1.80 each or as a pack of eight (one each of eight designs) for £8.00. The cards are digitally printed on a high quality 350gsm recycled board and are paired with a hand-stamped Kraft envelope. Snap up these designs hot off the press from the Dilys Treacle Treasures website.

Handmade Homewares by Laura Felicity ...

Laura Felicity is a London based Designer-Maker, creating beautiful homeware gifts from her hand-drawn patterns and silkscreen prints. Combining her love of surface design and interiors, Laura creates delicate layers of patterns, building them up to a unique finished item. Shabby chic inspired, and utilising a soft colour palette designs include: art prints, developed from Laura's own wallpaper designs, hand embroidered cushions, greetings cards and handmade lace embedded plaster coasters. All items are handmade in the UK from materials sourced in Britain; Eco-friendly options are used wherever possible.

Featured today are: Embroidered Blossom Art Print, £155; Geometric Flutter Art Print, £135; Pretty Flower Cushion (front and reverse options), £75; Lace Embedded Plaster Coasters, £36 for a set of four; Pretty Flower Card, £3.50.

All of the items shown here today are available to purchase online from Laura's website. To see the full collection click here. Like what you see? Leave me a comment below.

New Card Collections from Soul UK ...

Our friends at Soul UK have been extra busy in the last few months carefully creating four brand new ranges of greetings cards. Officially launched last month at Harrogate Home & Gift Fair; they're now hitting shops across the UK and distributors across the globe. Today's post is a gallery of all four new collections (with two images from each). The ranges are cool, charming, cute & colourful  ... so many lovely designs, there's something for everyone. Take a look ... 

'Soul Inklings' is an everyday range combining sentimental words with antique photographs and illuminations. 'Soul Orchard' are hand painted designs from Helen Lang, given a splash of colour, silver foil text and embossing that really makes the designs pop. Regulars to Card & Gift Blog will know Helen's work from her company Wetpaint, to see an earlier post on her designs click here. 'Soul Sunshine' is a range of fresh everyday designs by Emma Davis. Vibrant colours, vintage textures, handpainted designs and stamped lettering are brought together to create wonderfully eclectic designs. Last but not least, 'Soul Quill' are delicate occasion cards with hand drawn text and shimmery coloured, embossed foil.

To see all of the designs in these new ranges take a wander over to the Soul UK website.

Perfectly Charming Jewellery by Chambers & Beau ...

From her studio in Devon, England, Chambers & Beau founder Amy Elson creates her own brand of handmade and personalised jewellery. Having worked with commercial jewellery brands for ten years, Amy launched Chambers & Beau in December 2008 with the aim to create heirloom quality personalised jewellery. Her vision was a huge success and Chambers & Beau has gone from strength to strength. The modern pieces follow the recipe of traditional engraved jewellery, using old fashioned individual letter punches to hand-stamp words, names and dates. The collection includes designs that can be personalised and modified with a range of charms to create original, bespoke pieces to treasure.

Featured in today's post are: Luxe Leather Charm Friendship Bracelets, £40; Amour Cluster Personalised Charm Bracelet, £150; Love Me Do Personalised Charm Bracelet, £170; Always Cascade Necklace, £150; Dreamer Maxi Personalised Necklace, £160 and Family Tree Personalised Necklace, £160. All items are presented in a Chambers & Beau signature velvet pouch and gift boxed To see the whole collection visit the Chambers & Beau website.