Choo Choo

A while ago while browsing in an op shop, I stumbled across a selection of adorable cat postcards in a box of random stationery. They look like risograph prints by the texture, or Victorian chromolithographs, both of which I love. 

I had never heard of Jetoy before, a brand that featured pastel coloured illustrations of cats in all sorts of situations; they were too funny and sweet not to purchase the whole collection. There’s just something heartwarming about a cat’s big eyes – they look so innocent and trusting. 

It transpires Jetoy is a Korean stationery and lifestyle brand that was launched in 2001 in Japan. The creators were inspired when they saw a languid cat in the yard of a beautiful villa, taking nap in the sun. “It looked haughty, cocky, but lovely, warm, happy. The cat seems to be a dreamer like us....” they say on their whimsical website. Furthermore, Jetoy is a planet existing “on the opposite space far from earth”; the cats that live there are called Choo choo. They came here for a visit a long time ago, and decided to stay!

You can visit their website and browse their products. Meanwhile look out for more when I share some additional cards here.

Chasing Down the Perfect Card

The affenpinscher card from the Rifle Paper CoIt was my sister’s birthday recently. I have this unfortunate reputation with my family of always giving gorgeous greeting cards, which creates a bit of pressure if I’m in a hurry.

For Star’s birthday card I went to a usually reliable giftware and stationer’s, but was daunted when I just could not hit upon anything I really loved. Aggravatingly, they had plenty of gorgeous Christmas cards. And then I spotted it (no pun intended) in the bottom row. An array of illustrated dogs from the Rifle Paper Co, and one that looked very like my sister’s moodle dogs.

Rifle Paper Co is based in FloridaThe Rifle Paper Co was founded by Anna and Nathan Bond, with Anna as illustrator and designer, and her husband acting as business manager. Anna’s whimsical and nostalgic style incorporates hand-painted illustrations and lettering. They pride themselves on high quality stock and printing methods, and believe that ‘life’s personal stories and moments are best told through the gift of a hand-written note or card’.

“It’s Pepito!” Star exclaimed in delight when she opened her envelope. “No it’s not,” her husband pointed out. “He would never wear pink polka dots, let alone a bow*. It’s Madeleine.”

Success! My reputation has not been sullied.

*Except when he was tortured in his youth by one of their daughters.
Images from the Rifle Paper Co

Paper Rabbit

How quaint is this rabbit mask birthday card? I pounced on it (or should I say hopped?) a few weeks ago browsing in Bendigo’s Bob Boutique, a very pretty shop full of goods that made my friends and I exclaim in delight. I had to choose between bunny, fox and deer masks, but I discovered there are many more options online. They are available from TMOD, purveyors of quaint stationery goods, including cute scratchie cards like the one I received a little while ago. Hop to it!

A Sweet Thank You

Thank You :: Ben Watts // Blanko Noir // No flashIt was Cupcake’s last day on Monday. How sweet is this little thank you scratchie postcard she gave me? As a child I adored scratching the silver stuff off anything I could get my hands on. (That ‘silver stuff’, by the way, is usually made from latex.)

These cards by TMOD are cute and interactive – what’s not to love? As they say on their website, the scratchie cards ‘blend vintage motifs with the charm of secret messages and magic tricks.’ Each card also comes with a scalloped heart charm, which undoubtedly will go straight to every little girl’s heart and into her trinket box. Check ’em out.

A Tribute to Malory Towers

I love how awkward Darrell looks here, walking smash into Mam’zelleIn winter 2002, the Australian label Gorman printed a series of promotional cards that were inspired by Enid Blyton’s book series set in the English boarding school Malory Towers.

I came across them in the store Fat, and grabbed them up in gleeful joy, laughing so much over Darrell’s awkwardness as she smashes into Mam’zelle, and Mary-Lou’s deliciously hideous black eyes.

Mary-Lou looks fabulously sulky and surly with her hood drawn upIf you are familiar with Blyton’s series, you will know that most of these girls were good little girls who suffered through the usual trials and tribulations of teenage angst. They either learned their lessons well, and went on to become sensible, dependable young women that England could rely on, or they came to a bad end. This disagreeable and uncertain future was usually reserved for those whiny fat girls who didn’t like sports, or the ones obsessed with becoming an actress and wore far too much makeup.

What I love about the Gorman cards is that they totally subvert Blyton’s bright-eyed and bushy-tailed storytelling (don’t get me wrong, I adored the books when I was 13), and these girls look altogether cooler and smarter than the original models. 

Innocent mischief – if memory serves me, these pellets made one of their teaches sneeze endlesslyWhat is that nogoodnik Mary-Lou up to here?Gorman’s Winter 2002 campaign