Lovely Illustrated Greeting Cards & Gifts from Lovely Pigeon ...

Established in 2009, in a small fishing village on the East coast of Scotland, Lovely Pigeon is the alter-ego of Designer-Maker, Kirsty Thomas; An Illustrator, Print maker and Upcycler. Kirsty has developed a gorgeous collection of greeting cards and gifts, including: illustrated jewellery, stationery and prints. Each product is created with the highest quality of workmanship and uses Eco-friendly materials. Care and attention is put into every product - illustrations are lovingly doodled and prints are hand-pulled using traditional methods. If you've visited Card & Gift Blog before you will be aware that I'm a big fan of Illustrated products. Here, illustration allows the personality of the Lovely Pigeon designs to really shine; showing the sweet, whimsical touches throughout the collection.

Featured greeting cards and gifts: Mr Pigeon 'Feeling Blue' and 'In the Pink' cards, £1.50; Mr and Mrs Pigeon Card, £3.50; Mr and Mrs Pigeon Pin Badges, £3.00; Hello Pigeon Badge Card, £3.00; Cut-Play-Make Circus, £6.00; Circus Cards, £2.00; Doodle Notebooks, £3.00 and Thank You Cards (pack of six), £6.00. To see all of these designs and a lot more goodies from Lovely Pigeon please take a look at Kirsty's website.

The Great Gift Comeback! Keepsake Tins by Sardine ...

Today's post is a look at the brand new designs of keepsake tins by Sardine, sister company of Peel Cards. I should point out right here, at the start, that I am a tiny bit biased when it comes to Peel Cards. Not only did I used to work at Peel, but as you may have spotted on the sidebar they are also a sponsor of Card & Gift Blog. This does however give me knowledge to share, and I know that Sardine's keepsake tins have always been hugely popular with retailers and consumers. Since the original designs were launched the keepsake tins have sold like proverbial hot cakes ... I still remember the waiting lists each time the designs sold out! With this in mind I'm very pleased to see this gift has made its long-awaited comeback with six gorgeous new designs. Each keepsake tin is 31 x 22 x 12.5cm, which makes them a great size to store treasured mementos, photographs; even bits and bobs. The tins have been beautifully illustrated by Sardine's chief Designer, Julia Chester and are themed for boys, girls, memories and weddings.

We've also got a sneak peek at two new greeting card ranges from Peel Cards: 'The Sweetest Thing' - packed full of cute characters, and 'Pin It On' - cool type, pretty patterns and finished with a badge.

Sardine's keepsake tins retail at £16.99, and are available from UK stockists nationwide. The Sweetest Thing cards will be priced at £1.99, and Pin it On badge cards at £2.99. To find out more about any of the greeting cards and gifts shown today please visit the Peel Cards and Sardine website.

Blog Recommendation: Cheeky Pickle Blog ...

Today's blog recommendation is for the Cheeky Pickle blog, created by Ali Benyon. Cheeky Pickle is the home of a delightful collection of handmade, stitched paper designs; a beautiful array of greeting cards and gifts that I am hoping to show you on the blog in the coming weeks. Ali graduated with a degree in Mixed Media Textile Design and had an established background in the textile industry before setting up Cheeky Pickle. Before I feature the Cheeky Pickle collection however I want to point you towards Ali's blog.

I first discovered the Cheeky Pickle blog via last week's Sunday Blog Spot star - Jane at Snapdragon - who had written a guest post. I found the blog to be fascinating, informative and hugely accessible. Ali has a wonderful, warm tone in her writing and I love the enthusiasm that she puts into every post. The Cheeky Pickle blog gathers together advice and inspiration from across the handmade world; everything from branding and time management to developing a hobby into a business. A one-stop blog to seek advice and share expertise, I think the Cheeky Pickle blog is a fabulous resource and  a must for designer-makers (established and up-and-coming). Click here to visit the blog and see what you think.

Super Cute Greeting Cards from My Giddy Aunt ...

Illustrator and Designer Sophy Henn started her greeting card company, My Giddy Aunt, seven years ago and has built up a magical collection of Illustrated designs. Today's images are from my two favourite ranges: Googley Eyes and Zoo Stars. With a selection of eleven designs, Googley Eyes portrays cute animals, robots and monsters; using vibrant colours, retro-style prints, and not forgetting googley eyes! Zoo stars is a super cute set of eight greeting cards with bright colours and strong graphics that puts the animals centre stage. My Giddy Aunt cards are printed using FSC certified boards and vegetable inks, making them Eco-friendly as well as incredibly endearing.

My Giddy Aunt greeting cards retail at £2.50 each and are available to purchase from stockists nationwide here in the UK. To find out more, and see more greeting cards from the collection please visit the My Giddy Aunt website.

New Illustrated Greeting Cards from Peter Joseph Art ...

 

Peter Joseph is an Illustrator and Designer that has been working in the creative industries for the last seven years; working primarily (but not exclusively) on designs for greeting cards. More recently Peter has signed up as a Freelance Illustrator with the Advocate Art agency, and has produced designs for retailers such as Clintons, Paperchase, UK Greetings and Great Ormond Street Hospital. Peter Joseph Art is going from strength to strength and the images on today's post are a new selection of illustrated greetings cards that have been picked up by a major UK retailer. I'm a big fan of Illustration and I love Peter's style, which incorporates appealing characters, bright colours and a huge sense of fun.

The greeting cards featured today will be hitting shops in the UK soon, and are expected to retail for about £1.00. Keep an eye out for them! You can see more designs from Peter Joseph Art on the Hey Jumbo website; purchase online for £2.79 (small), £2.99 (medium cards) or £3.49 (large cards). If you want to find out more, please visit the Peter Joseph Art Facebook page, and why not become a fan while you're there!

Handmade & Eco-Aware Gifts by Lettie Belle ...

Lettie Belle is the creation of recycled textile Designer Laura Anne Marsden, a graduate of the Chelsea College of Art & Design. Following the birth of her daughter in 2009, Laura found herself creating most of the decor for the nursery. The designs were a huge hit with family and friends and Lettie Belle was born. With a collection of prints, bags, cushions and gift products, Lettie Belle's focus is on handmade, eco-aware products for kids, which can be appreciated by adults too. Today's post features a selection of hand-stitched cushions, perfect for decorating a nursery or children's bedroom. Made from organic cotton and Eco-Fi felt (made from recycled plastic bottles). I've also included two bonus images from the larger gift collection - felt play sets and brooches that make cute mini presents. Take a look ...

Featured gifts: Animal Fair (Panda) Cushion, £45; Large Dilly Cushion, £50; Fox Cushion, £25; Small Jack Cushion, £28; Owlets Neutral Cushion, £25; Whale - Blue Cushion, £25; Garden Play Felt Set, £15 and Individual Brooches, £4.50. All of the gift ideas shown today are available to purchase online from the Lettie Belle website.

Greeting Cards for Kids by Rosanna Rossi ...

To start the week we're taking a look at the adorable 'Bambini' greeting card collection from publisher Rosanna Rossi. Due to popular demand the range has recently been updated and extended. Greeting card designs now include ... new age cards for 1-5 years, as well as two general designs for boys and girls; featuring Patch the Dog and Rose the Flower Fairy respectively. On top of the cute characters and bright colours the greeting card designs now feature a special birthday message and illustration on the reverse of the card. With heaps of glitter and cute characters, Bambini is a great collection for kids.

The Bambini greeting cards retail at £2.50 each. Designs are made using FSC certified board, and inks that use vegetable oils, making them kinder on the environment. To find out more visit the Rosanna Rossi website.

Blog Recommendation: The Snapdragon's Garden blog ...

This week's blog recommendation is for the Snapdragon Garden blog. When I checked back at when Snapdragon Garden's collection of gifts was featured on Card & Gift blog, I was amazed to find it was way back in December 2010! So much time has passed that I think this return is long overdue. I've been keeping my eye on Snapdragon's Garden blog and Twitter feed for so long that it seems increasingly odd that I've not included them in my blog recommendations before. Snapdragon's Garden is a quirky, craft company making delightful homewares and accessories - that make adorable, unique gifts. The blog is similarly as delightful as the gift range. Posts are a nice mix of personal and work based, which gives you a great opportunity to see behind the scenes of the company, and at the same time get to know a little about Snapdragon's Garden chief - Jane. The blog has a wonderful, welcoming tone and it's a pleasure to read. I love to see the new products being stitched together, and as someone with no skills at a sewing machine, I find it remarkable what the ladies at Snapdragon's Garden create on a daily basis. Click here to take a wander over to the Snapdragon's Garden blog and check it out for yourself.

Doodles Greeting Cards by Roisin Cafferty ...

Roisin Cafferty is a Designer and Illustrator creating fun, contemporary greeting cards. Designs incorporate strong graphics, in bright colours; celebrating everything from the British life to typography and rainbows. Today's post features greeting cards from my favourite range in Roisin's collection. Named 'Doodles' the designs have a classic Kraft background with modern, jet black doodles. The range currently comprises six greeting cards, each is decorated with witty, charming doodles themed for birthdays and occasions.

Roisin Cafferty greeting cards are available to purchase from stockists nationwide and online from Roisin's Your Indies shop. The six Doodles designs shown here retail at £2.40. Alternatively, you can personalise your own Doodles greeting card at online retailer Scribbler; in three sizes (small, standard and large) prices vary from £1.99 to £5.99. To find out more about Roisin Cafferty please visit her website.