Etsy Find of the Day: New Pie Bird Press

Fun new card designs from my blog buddy Hannah Berman of Pie Bird Press and Printer & Piemaker. Clockwise from top left: Thermos, $4.50; Camera, $4.50; Typewriter, $4.50; Stay Cool, $4.50; Candy Apple, $4.50; Seymour, $4.50; Milk, $3.50; and Globe, $4.50

See all of Pie Bird Press's Etsy offerings right here -- and check out more of Hannah's colorful, retro-style cards here.

Etsy Find of the Day: Julia Pott Illustrations

One look and I fell hard for these endearing prints from London, England-based illustrator and animator Julia Pott -- deadpan animals will get me every time. Above: This is My Boyfriend, $20

All the Boys, $20

Cat and Dog, $20

I Can't Be Dealing With This, $20 (my latest obsession: foxes!)

It's No Big Deal, $20

Brussels, $20

Crush, $20

And speaking of crushes, Pott also has a selection of Valentine's Day cards that are sweet but most definitely not sappy (just be sure to order yours pronto to allow time for international shipping):

He Has a Goldfish With His Girlfriend Card, $3

But I Love You Card, $3

See all of Pott's Etsy offerings right here, watch a short film about her here, and check out more of her work here.

Etsy Finds of the Day: Send It

Do you send out holiday cards? I must confess that we've fallen out of the habit. If we really have our act together, we may throw together a silly e-card to send out on December 24. (Above and below are a couple of my favorites from years past.)

Hopefully, you're much more organized than I am. In that case, Etsy has a bevvy of beautiful, handmade holiday cards to choose from:

Clockwise: Ornamental Holiday Cards, $12 for four from Earmark; Peace and Joy Letter Press Postcards, $12 for five from Parrott Design Studio; Christmas Blossoms Greeting Cards, $11 for four from Tsk Tsk; Letterpress Holiday Snowflakes Card, $4 from amyb13

Clockwise: Two Turtle Doves Folded Card, $5 from Foxy & Winston; Jolly Snowman Card, $6 (or $18 for four) from Paired Hearts; Peace on Earth Deer Card, $11 for eight from Ink Drop Design; Peace Dove Card Set, $13 for eight from Sparrow + Belle

Clockwise: Golden Pine Tree Screenprinted Holiday Cards, $16 for six from Modern Printed Matter; Pine Needles Letterpress Card, $3.50 from Pie Bird Press; Holiday Birds Letterpress Card, $4 from Lucky Bee Press; Partridge in a Pear Tree Wooden Postcard, $5 from Paper Schmaper

Clockwise: Feliz Navidad Letterpress Greeting Card, $4.25 from Oddball Press; Christmas Joy Folding Cards, $13 for eight from Scotia Made; Happy Holidays Gocco Art Card, $22 for ten from Two Guitars; Tag You're It Card, $3.60 from Heidi Burton

Clockwise: Peace on Earth Letterpress Cards, $14.50 for six from Anemone Letterpress; Silver Snowflakes Notecard Set, $10 for ten from Katie Blair Designs; Happy Holiday Letterpress Stationery Set, $16 for six from Shimmer Studio; Zombie Loves Santa Christmas Card, $14 for ten from Tina Seamonster

Clockwise: Hand Sewn Hanukkah Card, $10 from King Popcorn; Hand Painted Hanukkah Notecards, $25 for six from Graceful Studio; Chappy Chanukah Blind Impression Letterpress Cards $12 for six from Old Tom Foolery; Mini Happy Hanukkah Card, $14 for twenty from Yee Haw

Etsy Find of the Day: Sarah Jane Studios Halloween Cards

I'm utterly charmed by these sweet, vintage-inspired Halloween cards from Etsy seller Sarah Jane Studios. Above: You Spook Me, $3 each or ten for $16

Happy Halloween, $3 each or ten for $16

Check out the rest of Sarah Jane Studios' Etsy offerings right here. (In addition to stationery, she has some prints that would be perfect for a nursery.)

Etsy Finds of the Day: Father's Day Edition

Looking for a little something for Dear Old Dad -- or your babydaddy -- this Father's Day (Sunday, June 15)? As always, there are lots of sweet and clever handmade cards on offer at Etsy. Above: Hand-Embroidered Guitar Card, $4.75 from pillowhead

Proudly Refusing to Ask Directions Card, $3.50 from Unit i Press

King of the Couch Card, $7 from Paired Hearts

Set of Two Father's Day Cards, $7 from She's So Creative

Dad's Words of Wisdom #77 Card, $3.50 from jeanfrancisbean

Dad Rocks Card, $2.75 from Doullina

This Much Card, $3 from Clementine Press

Father's Day Cards, $2 for any two from Vera June

Was Pops merely a sperm donor? Don't hold back: This Searing Father's Day Card will let him know exactly how you feel. $2 from ScotiaMade.

Star Wars Love Card, $3.50 from jeanfrancisbean

Sugar Daddy Card, $3.50 from Bit & Bee

Dad Knows Where to Go Card and Golly Gee Card (I had to include this one just for the Ron Burgundy dollhouse portrait in the background. Genius!), $3.25 each from Earmark Invitations

And if you must get Dad another tie this year, make it one of these wicked-cool ones from Detroit's Cyberoptix TieLab. Clockwise from top left: Smart Squid, $30; Skeletie, $75; Victorian Gears, $30; Exhaust Pipes, $30; Engine Rosette, $30; and Coney Island Parachute Jump, $30

(P.S. Is anyone viewing this via Firefox and seeing phantom gray boxes all over this post? Any Blogger wizards out there know how to get rid of them? Aarrrgh!!!)

Etsy Find of the Day: Yo Mama

You may have noticed that I haven't done a whole lot on Mother's Day here. It's not because I think it's just some Hallmark holiday -- speaking as mother myself, I think it's a pretty important day to honor the women who birthed or adopted, raised, and just plain put up with us for all those years (and, as a matter of fact, who still do).

It's just that I don't presume to know you or your mother, or to have some sort of inside scoop on the perfect gift for the unique woman you call "Mom." Plus, I think that a lot of the things I feature here on the blog would make really lovely Mother's Day gifts -- depending, of course, on your own mom's personal style and taste. (As would taking your mom out for something really extravagant that she'd never do for herself, like a spa afternoon that includes a two-hour massage.) So you'll get no handy "Mother's Day Gift Guides" from me. Sorry.

But I can suggest a few sweet-but-not-treacly and wickedly witty Mother's Day cards to go along with that heartfelt gift you're going to pick out all by yourself -- each of them created, of course, by some of the ingenious mothers, sons, and daughters on Etsy. Top: Polar Bear Mama Love, $7 from pairedhearts

Mommie Dearest, $3.50 from jeanfrancisbean

Teacher Friend Hero Mom, $3.50 from annacote

Don't Roll Your Eyes at Me, $3.50 from She's So Creative

Mom Wow, $3 from clementine press

Oh, Mother Hand Embroidered Card, $8 from kingpopcorn

Mother's Day Gocco Card, $3 from Christina Williams Designs

Best Mother Letterpress Card, $4.50 from Oddball Press

By the way, any guys or female partners out there reading? A couple of cute options for your baby mama or the mother of your furkid:

Little People Gocco Card, $3 from lovemonkey

I'm a Dog ... , $3.50 from She's So Creative

No dawdling now -- order one of these today if you want to have it by Sunday.

Etsy Find of the Day: My Bloody Valentine

As you may have gathered from my utter lack of posts on the subject, I'm not a huge fan of Valentine's Day.

I just think that when you love someone you need to show them that, in ways big and small, every day -- not just on some manufactured Hallmark holiday.

So, sorry -- no hearts and butterflies from me. But I do adore these caustic yet caring cards, $3 each or $15 for a set of ten from Etsy seller Tina Seamonster.

For when you care enough to, you know, spare your one and only from the coming undead apocalypse.

Cool Stuff: FabulousStationary Holiday Cards

I honestly hate to do this to you guys -- I mean, it's not even Halloween yet, dammit! But if sending out dozens of holiday cards is, well, in the cards for you (us, on a good year we might get our act together in time to send out a silly e-card on December 23), then you need to know about these great cards from FabulousStationary.

The designs (like "Bounty," above) are modern, graphic, colorful, and fun -- and can be personalized with a choice of colors and wording. Each set comes with 25 cards and envelopes and costs $45.

Some of my favorites:

Mod Homestead

Nifty Sixties

Holiday Swirl

Snowy Tree

Bling Bling

Big Year '08

Powder

Fab Pomegranate

Fab Kumquats

Glam Greetings

Hey -- with options like these, we might even be inspired to skip the e-card and go old-school this year.

Check out all of the offerings at FabulousStationary right here.