Halley and Daniel Offer Their Congraulations on Your Graduation...by Talking About Cards.

Halley: The first thing I would like to say is that this is a mix of cards specifically for graduation, as well as the more generic congratulations cards, which could be for any number of things.

Daniel: Some card lines group wedding cards under congratulations, only the ones for weddings usually have a big cake on them. Graduation cards seem obliged to feature a cap, gown, diploma, or, or...

Halley: That's it!

Daniel: No, an owl!

Halley:I only picked one card with an owl on it, this newsprint graphic from The Found. I like this line. They're unique, and have those nice brown envelopes.

Daniel: And since they put them in plastic sleeves, they aren't stolen as much. We're having a problem with our Artists to Watch cards. Can you believe that people steal envelopes? Anne told me this has always been a problem. We thought at first that it was someone taking the better envelope for a card that doesn't belong with it, but no, we're coming out short.  I am off topic. It is proper etiquette to take the envelope that comes with your card.

Halley: WTF?

Daniel: I have heard you like this smart cookie card from Sanctuary Spring

Halley: That's my favorite. I gave him to my sister last year. You want to eat him up; he's that cute.

Daniel: What's another of your favorites?

Halley: I love the pig card. I am hoping that folks know that this is the appropriate card to give me when I graduate.

Daniel: It's from Hello Lucky. They are moving distribution to Egg Press,  a line that I've never bought before, but they are pretty excited about the whole thing. So many of our card lines seem to come out of very small operations, and lots are not consolidated, but you are seing more folks going to places like Artists to Watch and Madison Park. I guess once you start dealing with bigger vendors, who demand credit and then don't pay you on time (we do most of our smaller lines on credit card), you have to consolidate, just like the publishers do.

Halley:  I thought you would like the Fresh Frances card as it's done with a grid paper effect. It should appeal to your mathy background.

Daniel: I suspect that a math person nowadays probably doesn't even touch paper. Oh for the days of lots and lots of notebooks. They are wearing those graduation caps. Do they have a special name?

Halley: Graduation caps. They told me to pick up my cap and gown. And last semester I did my calculus problems on paper, not on a computer. I might just be an old fart about it, though.

Daniel: Here's an image you don't expect to see on a congratulations card.

Halley: It's called Little Otsu. I'm not sure. Congratulations, you like cats! It's just so weird. I see it as a subtle rebellion against congratulations of all forms.

Daniel: Congratulations, but really, I don't believe in congratulations?

Halley: That sounds about right.

Daniel: Little Otsu is from Portland.

Halley: That makes sense.

Daniel: Oh, look! A Maginating cad.

Halley: I picked it out for you. You like them.

Daniel: I do. They have nice colors and everything is smiles. The cloud is happy. The flag is happy. The mountain isn't happy, but we may be looking at the back of its anthromorphized head.

Halley: I would give you this card.

Daniel: I worry that some folks don't like letterpress cards because they have no inside message. The heart is on the sleeve, so to speak.

Halley: But it's so pretty! You just have to be more creative. Write your own message, ok?

Daniel: Ok.

Halley: I am predicting my mother will give this to me.

Daniel: How exciting for you! But you know the punch line.

Halley: Yeah, but it's still good, and it screams her. She doesn't like sentimental.

Daniel: Something for everyone.

Halley: We've saved the best for last. It's from Bald Guy. They are sassy cards. We like sassy cards.