Bella Ink Blog

Bella Ink's Folded Note Card Friday

  
(Pictured Left to Right: Bella Ink BIFN 100 and BIFN 103 Folded Notes) 

This Friday we're featuring two new Bella Ink folded note cards that have been designed exclusively for the online retailer Paper Mavens.

Paper Mavens' founders are two former art majors with a discerning eye for design, and very little spare time.  This time crunch left them to do most of their shopping on the Internet. When it came to shopping for stationery, the Mavens were often left wanting more.  It was this constant search for the right card that eventually led them to start their own business, offering products that fit their exacting standards in design and quality.

Paper Mavens has commissioned Bella Ink, and other artists, to create exclusive new stationery designs that may only be found on their site.  Bella Ink has contributed original designs, as well as revamped, beloved styles, including the two folded note cards pictured above.

The site, which is a gallery for established and indie designers, offers a well-chosen selection of stationery and gift products. Bella Ink can be found in the Baby, Holiday, Invitations, Wedding, and Notes section of the website.

You may find Paper Mavens, and Bella Ink's original deisgns, at: http://www.papermavens.com!

BELLA INK'S FOLDED NOTE CARD FRIDAY

 
 
We've been very busy trying to get our Spring 2010 line ready to ship to our sales reps and, unfortunately, our blogging has been cast aside.  We apologize to our readers for this lapse. We've been informed that there are 15 days left until Christmas, so we're happy to be back today, Folded Note Card Friday, with this set of vintage holiday cards!     

We love the lavender and sage color combo on both of these cards.  If you're familiar with Bella Ink, you know that we tend to pass over traditional color schemes for unexpected ones. Baby cards are generally not blue and pink in our world. You're more likely to find yellow, purple or green on our baby shower invitations.  We feel those colors are fresh and gender neutral, and therefore perfect for any couple.

Our holiday cards are decked out in frosty blues, elegant black & white, and animal prints, with only a little of the traditional red and green thrown in.  Truly something for everybody!

  
(Bella Ink Invitations, Left to Right: BH-5, CH-7, CH-9) 

BELLA INK'S FOLDED NOTE CARD FRIDAY

 

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is next week!?  In honor of the upcoming holiday we're sharing a postcard and folded note card from Vintage Holiday Crafts, a website that offers select images of vintage clip art and stationery, for free.

On the left is a postcard that reminds us of a Thomas Kinkade painting.  The copy reads:  "For love present, ills past and good to come, may our hearts rejoice this Thanksgiving Day.  May your joy be as countless as the golden grains."  

In stark contrast to that kind sentiment is the note card on the right, which has an offbeat sense of humor with it's poem: "You feed me well but I can tell that you're no friend of mine because, my dear, I greatly fear, it's near Thanksgiving time."

Happy Thanksgiving!

BELLA INK'S FOLDED NOTE CARD FRIDAY

Pictured above, EF-78, "Anna," is today's featured folded note card.  This card, printed on a cream stock, was Bella Ink Designs' top selling card for the week of November 2, 2009. This card is available blank for personalization, or pre-printed with "Thank You."

Keep in mind, as the holiday's are approaching, that a box of folded note cards make for a great hostess gift and/or stocking stuffer.  By purchasing notes pre-printed with "Thank You" and giving them to your children, not only will you round out your shopping list for less, you will be able to teach them the art of appreciation.  Start them off by thanking Grandma and Grandpa for the fabulous presents they gave this year.

To find a Bella Ink retailer near you visit http://www.bellaink.com/stores.html! 

BELLA INK'S FOLDED NOTE CARD FRIDAY

(Photo: Inside Vintage: Get Well Card) 

This Friday we had to put up a get well card because it seems that EVERYBODY is coming down with the flu or a case of the sniffles.  

Remember to wash your hands, eat well and get lots of rest! That goes for everybody, not just those of us who are feeling a little under the weather.

We also love the 1956 date written in the upper right corner of the card, as well as the loving message to Grandma at the bottom.  Hopefully she got better quickly, and all of you will too!

FOLDED NOTE CARD FRIDAY

  

With Halloween fast approaching we thought it would be appropriate to show you some vintage Halloween postcards by the Stecher Litho Co. circa the 1900s.  We found these, amongst many others, at the Emotions Greetings' card museum.  Vivian Krug Hotchkiss, the photographer behind Emotions Greetings, has created an extensive online greeting card museum.  Her collection covers just about every holiday imaginable, from Christmas to the Fourth of July.   

While researching various vintage Halloween notes and postcards on collectors websites and Ebay, we ran across some prominent themes.  Many of the cards suggest that Halloween is the time of year to find out the name, or to look upon the face, of your true love by performing simple spells.  Some cards focused on wishing the recipient luck, while others warned of the dangers lurking in the dark.  Almost all of the designs incorporated black cats, owls, pumpkins and witches, much like the cards we find in stores today.  

FOLDED NOTE CARD FRIDAY

This Folded Note Card Friday we're going to keep up with the "Think Pink" theme since it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Pictured above is EF-59, a folded note card that comes with or without a rhinestone embellishment over the i in "Pink."  This card was the first in Bella Ink's series of Cards that Care.

Cards that Care was created to give back to the communities close to our hearts.  Being a female owned and operated business, and knowing more women in our lives than we'd like to who have battled different women's cancers, a card that would raise money for an established research and education organization was tops on our list.  

In 2008 we donated 10% of the wholesale proceeds from this card to Bright Pink, a Chicago-based organization whose goal is to educate at-risk women about their breast and ovarian health .  You can read our interview with Lindsay Avner of Bright Pink in our December 2009 archives.

At the end of 2009 Bella Ink will be donating 10% of the wholesale proceeds from this, and any of the "Hope" stationery products, to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.  

FOLDED NOTE CARD FRIDAY

Today we're reaching into the way back when bin with this new feature, Folded Note Card Friday.  On December 26, 2004, Bella Ink Designs shipped their first cards to Handle with Care in Chicago, Illinois.  

Yes, that means Bella Ink will be 5 years old on December 26, 2009!

One of the note cards that Handle with Care purchased was EF-5, "Hot Mama," pictured above.  This hot mama-to-be, with her bejeweled belly, was the #1 selling card for Bella Ink in 2005.  This version of EF-5 has since been retired, but similar versions are available in limited quantities.  Visit Bella Ink's "Find a Store" page to find a retailer near you!