Catch the Summer Special While It’s Hot!

While we savor the last few days of summer, we encourage you to “refer a friend” to GCA membership during our “Summer Special” by September 30.

And the LOUIE Award Goes To…

Card Talk spoke with the 29th Annual LOUIE Awards Chair Molly DelMastro, VP, Creative, Viabella, about this month’s LOUIE Awards Call for Entries, a new theme for 2018, what winning a LOUIE means, and what inspires her. Click here for the full story.

Welcome New Members

We are pleased to welcome three new members: Inklings Paperie, J. Falkner and Heartstrings.

Heartstrings®

Kristin Sheldon, Boulder, Colorado

CT: Tell us about your company.

Drawing has been my passion since I can remember. In 1981, after graduating from CU with a BS in Journalism, I started my Heartstrings Card Company in Boulder, Colorado. My whimsical cartoon images and wordplay are inspired by the mountains and the outdoor lifestyle where I live. I draw cyclists and skiers and climbers, as well as animals and birds, with playful messages and sentiments from the heart. My card line includes almost 1,000 images including holiday cards, which I sell on my website, heartstringscards.com.  I also create pastel images called Heartoons®.

CT: Why did you join the GCA?

By joining GCA, I hope to reach new markets, and connect more people through my messages, as well as meet new people in the industry.

Inklings Paperie

Lindsay Henry, Canton, MI

CT: Tell us about Inklings Paperie. 

Inklings Paperie is a small design studio based in the greater Detroit area. At Inklings, we create whimsical paper goods and party decorations. A core product in our line since we launched in 2012 has been our scratch-off cards, but we’ve since expanded our range to include much more! All of our products are designed and printed in the USA using sustainably sourced materials.

Our tagline, “Love in the little things” influences every aspect of what we do. We’re relentless about pouring love into every detail of our products, from the quality of the materials we use to the details in our packaging. But it goes beyond ink on paper. We want to inspire kindness through not only the products we create, but how we operate as a company. We partner with an orphanage in Haiti to supply orphans with pencils, as well as sponsor orphans through Orphans to World Changers, an Educational Visa program.

CT: Why did you join the GCA?

We joined the GCA to become better connected with other businesses and individuals in the stationery industry, and to learn from others who have blazed the (paper) trail before us. As we continue to grow and evolve, we hope to pass along whatever knowledge we receive to other newcomers in the stationery business.

CT: What – or who – inspires you?

People inspire us. We love to create products that connect people to one another, or make life a little bit more joyful in some way.

J.Falkner Fine Cards

Jason Arbuckle, Palm Beach, FL

J.Falkner is an independent greeting card company, born in Palm Beach, FL in 2011. It was founded by Jason Arbuckle, a former magazine art director from New York (that’s me!) who had long nurtured a love of fine paper goods.

At J.Falkner, we strive for a modern look of clean design, fresh colors, and a wink of playful humor.

J.Falkner designs are now featured in over 600 stores in North America; a license with a leading letterpress card publisher in the UK has brought us to over 100 stores there.

CT: Why did you join the GCA?

One thing we’ve enjoyed about this industry is the creative and inspirational people who power it forward, and for us the GCA is a chance to join this community whole-heartedly.

CT: What inspires you?

  • Palm Beach, FL. In America’s original resort town, bold holiday colors reign all year round, which has inspired us to be similarly energetic with color in our designs.  Similarly, tropical and summery motifs have become a design signature.
  • Great graphic design.  Perhaps because of my background in publications, I’m addicted to magazines of any kind —  here I keep up with what is happening, or about to happen, in design.  It’s important that our cards can sit among contemporary designs, whether they are fashion or furniture.
  • People’s conversations.  I’m always listening out for a fun turn of phrase that might lead to a new design: the best cards are always the ones that sound the most natural.