Trendspotting : Painterly Abstracts

July 07, 2014 // kristen // 0 replies

There is so much color in the world of stationery these days, and I, for one, am lovin’ it! One of my favorite ways that designers have been incorporating color into their creations is in the form of painterly abstract patterns and backgrounds, which have been showing up on everything from greeting cards to art prints to phone cases.

I really like the abstract trend because it brings in color in a way that’s much more organic than a more straightforward stripe of polka dot pattern (though I’m a big fan of those, too), and it creates a messy, modern look that pairs very well with some of the other big stationery trends, like foil stamping / embossing and hand lettering.

Here are some of my favorite recent examples of this bold trend:

1. Thimblepress 2. Moglea 3. Think & Ink Studio 4. Hammerpress 5. An Open Sketchbook 6. Julia Kostreva (via) 7. Rifle Paper Co.

images from their respective sources

Fruity Cards by Hooray Today

July 01, 2014 // kristen // 0 replies

I’m all about cute fruit, and I’ve noticed fruity goodies – namely, pineapples, lemons, and bananas – popping up all over the stationery scene recently. Maybe it’s because fruits are such refreshing treats during the hot, summer months, or could this be a hot, new trend? Either way, I’m totally digging these fruity cards from Hooray Today, the new stationery shop from illustrators Allison Black and Alyssa Nassner.

Hooray Today’s goal is to brighten the “everyday” by adding color, wit, and a little bit of humor into their product and illustration, and I’d say that they’re well on their way to brightening the world of many a paper and card lover with their sweet and clever, illustrated paper goods. Check out all of their goodies, including cards featuring a truly hot dog, an ice cream cone cat, and a taco turtle, over in the Hooray Today shop.

They’re also on Etsy and have recently become Etsy Wholesale vendors, too. Hooray, indeed!

images from Hooray Today

9 Stylish, Modern Thank You Cards

June 24, 2014 // kristen // 0 replies

This collection of stylish, modern thank you cards features oodles of painterly patterns, cute critters, and lovely lettering. Here, check ’em out!

1. Hammerpress 2., 7. Think & Ink Studio 3. Anni Betts 4. Rifle Paper Co. 5. Honizukle 6. Idlewild Co. 8. Whimsy Whimsical 9. Paper Cub Co.

images from their respective sources

Postco by Kelly Hyatt for Lagom

June 23, 2014 // kristen // 0 replies

I am completely taken with the eye-catching cards in the Postco collection by Kelly Hyatt for Lagom. The über awesome collection features on-trend designs with a minimalist modern aesthetic, and I am digging the mix of color, which ranges from vivid black, neon green, hot pink, electric teal, and sunshine yellow to soft, mint green and blush pink, with plenty of debossed and embossed gold accents. I lurve the dimension that the embossing gives to the cards, and I like that it’s used in some fun and unexpected ways – for a bear’s body, a baby carriage, a birthday train.

Here are some of my favorites from the collection, and be sure to head on over to Lagom for much, much more.

images from Lagom

Kelly Thorn for Enormouschampion

June 11, 2014 // kristen // 0 replies

These gorgeous, hand lettered and illustrated cards by Kelly Thorn for enormouschampion have been making the rounds on sites that specialize in gathering the loveliest lettering around, and I would be remiss in my duty as paper cravings creator if I didn’t give these lovelies a mention here. The slightly desaturated color palette and stylized floral illustrations give these cards such a wonderful, vintage look.