Sample Sale Cards: Holiday Letterpress

The next set of Egg Press’ sample sale cards are fun holiday cards. I love the metallic ink that helps to make everything feel so festive.

Cute Animal Wares

Every so often I’m a sucker for cute animal things. (I mean who doesn’t love an adorable little dog or cat?) While sometimes I would receive cute animal items as gifts, I admit that more often than not, it was me doing the purchasing; I would buy containers, toys and stationary merely because they were cute (and thus irresistible). Yet as the years pass, I’m less inclined to buy these cute animal items (as I do not have the room or need for them), but here are some cute animal wares I've accumulated over time:

Animals Gone 7 Deadly Sins Calendar

Spring 2010. Although it was early, I thought that I should get started on my “Make Something Present”. I like making calendars, so I wanted to make another and came up with the format first. I wanted to create something with layers, so I decided on using different sized sheets that would go from the smallest size in the front to the largest size in the back.

Once I figured out how the calendar would be put together, I thought about what the calendar should be about. Suddenly it came to me: 7 Deadly Sins. With seven sins, I could divide the months up to two a sheet plus a cover sheet. But I didn’t want it to be a straight up “sins” calendar; I wanted to do something that would amuse me.

Chinese Zodiac Calendar

Back in the fall of 2008, “Make Something Present” came into being. Two designer friends and I bought 100 jewel cases to be split between us. That year we were all going to make calendars as Christmas presents (and of course give them to each other as well).

So I had to figure out what the topic for my calendar would be, and only one idea popped into my head: Chinese Zodiac. I not only thought it could be a fun theme to work with, but with twelve animals, each month could easily correspond to an animal.

It’s a Pun—Japanese Style

I love wordplay. It amuses me to see words used in an interesting manner. While my understanding of Japanese in limited, when I “get” a pun it makes me smile. Here are a few cute (animal-related) products using Japanese puns:

Just Give Me Money

I’m not particularly excited about giving money and gift cards as presents. It may be what the person in question actually wants, but it’s so impersonal. [Sigh.]

Cock and Bull Story Pad

I enjoy wordplay. Words carry so much within them: the meaning of the words themselves, the sounds they create when spoken and the surprise of unexpected words strung together in an interesting fashion.

Death Picnic 2008

Death Picnic card (front)

Some relatives I don’t see very often because they live far away. Funerals and weddings bring us together. This was the case in summer of 2008. Not one particular death, but a memorial service for a number of people who had died over the years.