CardsPlease

The card designs:

Hi, I’m Mim and I create the cards for Cardsplease.  Usually I use collage as I love the colour combinations it affords, as well as the texture, which takes on a whole new dimension once it has been printed onto cards.  I also use watercolour, particularly for floral images as I find it great for conveying the delicacy of flowers.

The inspiration for cards I make comes from colour.  The colour of an image is the starting point, followed by its form.  When I’m making an image, I’m motivated by not knowing exactly how it’s going to end up looking.  I also love how making tiny little tweaks towards the end of a design can completely change the finished product.

 

Cards and me:

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved receiving cards.  Every year I await my birthday and Christmas not for presents but for cards.  Everything about receiving a card is exciting: the “thunk” of the envelope on the doormat; the deciphering of the handwriting on said envelope; the choice of stamp the sender has used; the message the card contains.  But ultimately, what really makes a difference to me is the design of the card itself.  That’s what I’m going to look at when I display it in my flat for as long as I can get away with.  I have cards from five Christmases ago that I keep with the Christmas decorations and bring out every year as I love the design so much. Some cards have even followed me through various life choices long after I’ve lost touch with the sender.  For example, a beautiful design splashed all over with a riot of colourful flowers, which was given to me when I left my first “real” job as a secondary school teacher in Hassocks.  That card has followed me from my first studio flat in Hove to two years in an apartment in Istanbul, back to the UK and finally to the home I currently share with my husband and baby son in London.   One day, I’ll get back in touch with the girl who gave it to me and tell her I think of her every time I look at it.  This brings me back to why I love cards:  a thing of beauty which doubles as a vehicle for interaction with the people who are, or were, in our lives.  The aim of Cardsplease is to enable great interactions between people by creating beautiful images to choose from.  I hope you’ll enjoy looking at these images, and if one doesn’t take your fancy this time, please keep checking as more designs are added to the selection.