Something special, when gas costs $3.30 a gallon

As part of their efforts to stimulate the economy, greeting card makers are encouraging folks to BUY CARDS. Officials say that the industry hasn't been affected by recession issues in the past, in fact, as folks cut back, they may be more likely to send a card than a gift. And considering how expensive some cards are these days, that isn't always a cheap prospect.

Birthdays with The King

When BK, maker of my dirty-secret breakfast sandwich that I only get when things are really REALLY bad, launched its King ad campaign a few years ago, The King was everywhere. His plaster smiling head, perfect hair and shining crown. It was glorious and always made me want cheesy tots (strangely, even before there WERE cheesy tots). And now "special occasions will be even more memorable thanks to the King."

Jail Mail

I often have card ideas when I am looking to mark a somewhat unusual occasion, like "it's your birthday, and even though Im mad at you, I want to be the bigger person and let you know I remembered. Dammit."

A California lawyer's experience has led her to write a line for folks "who can't come home from prison" and established Three Squares Greetings. You know, for the meals you get every day. In jail.

Also, an audio interview with NPR.

Happy Green Beer Day!

A new sketch from PEP -- drink up!

Starting early

The Carty sisters, of Piscataway, N.J., may only be teens, but they already have several years of philanthropic business under their belts. Their greeting-card company, Tea Party and Things, supports a local nonprofit organization that supplies clothing to women and children in shelters.

In Chicago

The Chicago Trib recently profiled several local card artists and letterpress folks -- including Julie Morelli, 27 and the graphic design company she and her bf started, Letterform. Cards for foodies. Still a small, untapped market with a lot of potential.

Also mentioned, Ezra Daniels, a rare male entrant to the biz, and his Loaded Blanks concept -- where "They provide the pictures (and the blank spaces) but you provide the words."

More from Sandra Boynton

The New York Times takes a look at her "unconventional approach to business" -- from her early interest in finance, entrepreneurial activity and the arts -- to the work that allowed her to combine all three. At 21, she made a shrewed decision to demand royalties from her first professional card design gig. That job -- for Recycled Paper -- grew into her designing 4,000 different cards for the company, which saw its own revenues from $1 million to $100 million "largely because of the popularity of Boynton cards."

But what Sandra really did was become a pioneer for quirky design -- something many contemporary card designers now try to push the limits of to find their own niche within a niche. “It’s a lot easier to start in this business today than it was when Sandra Boynton got started,” Patti Stracher, manager of the National Stationery Show. “She fueled a trend in what were then called alternative greeting cards. Alternative cards helped people communicate about topics that were really hard to address or that you could poke fun at.”

And after 30 years of work in the card world -- and beyond it into music, books and other design forays -- Ms. Boynton has done what many of us are looking for -- continued to find joy in her work.

“I love what I do, I love the people I work with, I care very much about the value of the work I create, and I don’t need more money than I have. This is not revolutionary philosophy. It’s just common sense,” Boynton told the NYT.

That's more enviable than being the one of the best-selling card creators of all time by any measure.

A spin around

New finds for PEP -- design studio Girl Metro in Chicago ... she specializes in weddings and is an etiquette expert ... on the flip side of high-brow, 16 sparrows ... a shop that specializes in sarcasm and offers free downloads. Everybody loves that.