Eight cards with a zing for spring

May 27, 2024

For my last card subscription box I was convinced I’d jumped ahead a season, though looking out of the window it was obvious I hadn’t - however I now do have the spring season cards from The Card Boys, and they’re good.

A BOAT BOBBING ON A LAKE IN A RICHLY VERDANT HAVEN — ARTIST: JESSICA SMITH

This month my strong favourites are the two designs by Jessica Smith and I’m opening and closing this post with her cards - one of which I’ve already used, there’s no higher recommendation is there than to actually share these cards with others. Though I’ll admit I’ve not been so good at that lately and have been accumulating quite a stash, but a pretty stash so it’s not all bad!

The simplicity of the design above is striking and I know that I’ll be struggling to part with both this one and the one below with the cheeky chirrupy bird on the coffee pot!

TWO CHERRIES WITH FACES - LOOKING AT EACH OTHER AND THE WORDS MON CHERI BELOW — ARTIST: ROSIE FODEN

Each of these cards will I’m sure come in useful for many occasions and while I don’t know right now what they’ll be - I think I’ll know when I know if that makes sense. And that may also depend on the day, my mood and many other things, so I’m going to resist putting a label on them right now, but the one below just screams ‘when life gives you lemons’…

And so that’s it for another box of cards, and I’ll be doing my best over the next few months or so to make appropriate use of my pretty stash, but with plenty of birthdays and more coming up I don’t think that’ll be hard!

PS Also while I’ve been writing this post I’ve realised that our dresser top really needs a good sand - it’ll go on MOH’s list!

8 cards bringing warmth on dull winter days

February 13, 2024

When I received the cards in my most recent card subscription box from the CardBoys I thought they were from a spring box and I’d missed a box somewhere along the way, as I was pretty sure the last set had arrived in autumn. And they had, but actually it’s no bad thing that the February box has a spring-like feel as I think it’s something we all need after what seems a long, wet and windy winter, which I’m sure isn’t over just yet however nice it is to see the days starting to extend slowly but surely again.

As ever I have mixed feelings about these cards, as I can’t wait to use them but also don’t want to use them either as I want to keep them all too! Keeping them all isn’t an option though, and having a stash of cards in the house is really handy, especially now that we’re a lot more rural than we were in London.

The cards in this box evoke warmth with their colours and decor, and that’s much needed on those dull days. Even though the sun has been out, and it’s oh so good to feel its warmth, it’s still pretty chilly isn’t it? Earlier this week I finally took down my winter wreath and while I’d timed it well avoiding the rain, I still needed a sweatshirt on as I stood at the bins pulling as much of the greenery out as I could, recycling it in our brown/garden bin.

I don’t think there’s a card which didn’t make me smile in this box, though I think I’ll have to choose the recipient of the card above carefully - as a thank you card it works, perhaps not so much as a birthday card or note.

And don’t you just want to climb those stairs in the card below, hopefully a thirst quenching drink would be waiting for us at the top.

There’s a few artists in this collection that have a couple of cards, and it’s easy to spot these through their style and the colours they’ve used isn’t it?

It’s amazing how a piece of art - as let’s face it, these are mini works of art - can influence your feelings, from the calming coffee scene above to the tumbling rainbow person below.

My favourite card this month probably isn’t a surprise - but it’s the daisies below, it just something that speaks to me, so this is one that I’ll probably be hanging onto for a while, until the perfect opportunity to share arises.

This box really was a box of warmth, which arrived in the post box. I can’t wait for spring-proper to arrive!

Eight colourful cards for autumn

November 16, 2023

My card deliveries seem to come around more quickly, but that’s ok as I’m still enjoying receiving them - and using them. And even more so now that we don’t have a shop around the corner it’s handy to have a selection of cards to choose from. The Card Boys also do a Christmas selection, but once again I’ve decided against that hoping that I will make most of ours, and supplement those that I don’t with charity cards.

Once again though for my homemade cards I’ve gone for Christmas trees - it’s definitely a theme of mine, which also seems to have slipped into the charity cards I’ve bought unintentionally. It’s not something I’m sad about though!

As before the eight cards in the quarterly subscription box are all blank inside, and usually only a couple of the cards in each box have determined use, in this box two are for birthdays, but in previous boxes there has also been a thank you card.

This month I’ve photographed them on a colourful, tropical background which works well for many of the cards which also have vibrant colours, but also works with the more muted colours in the mountain and valley scene above.

The three cheeky monkey cards is one of my favourites in this box and may just have influenced the background - if you look in the top left corner you can just spot part of another monkey! I’m not sure if this was an intentional plan of mine or not.

A simple white figure wearing a pink swimming costume on a blue background with white squiggly waves — ARTIST: MARTHA DUNCAN

I like the simplicity of this swimmer shot, and the squiggly ripples that they’re making. It has a calm about it and I can see this card having many uses. The asterisks with faces card below is cheery and it’s clear what its intended purpose is from a single glance.

multi-coloured asterisks with faces around the colourful text 'happy birthday!' — ARTIST: ABBIE INGLEBY

The cards in these boxes often feature flora and fauna, and these two are no different but their approach in entirely different. Above you have the punchy oranges design, and below a more delicate line drawing of flowers.

Cheery blue, orange and pink flowers on stems with leaves, with the happy birthday banner across them — ARTIST: MELISSA DONNE

The final two cards are by the same artist, and you can see that they’re related both with (and I mean this is a good way) splodgy flowers, which have an almost folklore feel to them.

A pink and white dove with a floral pattern carrying an olive branch on a pale blue background — ARTIST: MELISSA DONNE

My other favourite in this box is the dove card above, it just has a special feel about it and I think could be used for many occasions and correspondence. It also symbolises peace, which I’m sure we all agree the world could do with a lot more of right now.