Don’t forget to celebrate all of the special moms in your life this Mother’s Day!

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I just came in from retrieving my mail, and as usual there were only a handful of generic flyers and an invoice or two in my mailbox. What ever happened to the art of writing letters? It is rare for me to pop open my mailbox to find a handwritten card or note, but when I do, I truly savor every word. Getting snail mail from loved ones absolutely brightens my entire day, and it makes me wonder why we don’t share these sweet correspondences more often than we do.

I became engaged last summer and I am now in full wedding planning mode. My current mission is to find a gown by the end of the month. I haven’t had any luck yet, but it has been fun to browse and try on these stunning dresses. The reason that I bring up my dress hunt is because yesterday I opened my mailbox, and lo and behold! There was a handwritten note addressed to me. When I opened it I found a beautiful thank you card from the owner of one of the bridal shops that I recently visited. She kindly thanked me for browsing her shop and extended the invitation for me to contact her if I wanted to see any additional gowns. I was struck by the fact that she took the time to write this lovely note, and even though the gowns in her shop weren’t for me, it made me happy to have had a pleasant experience with such a kind, conscientious business owner.

I believe that one of the things that drew me toward designing dog greeting cards and other stationery was that I truly enjoy sending cards and notes, which is sadly something that is becoming a bit of a lost art. Why do so many of us now send invitations over Facebook instead of charming, decorated invitations in the mail? Why do birthday text messages pour in on this special occasion when a sweet card is so much more memorable? Perhaps I’m an old soul, but there’s something about seeing a loved one’s handwriting that just makes the message feel so much more personal and meaningful than when that message comes to me digitally over a screen.

Last week I had a very large greeting card order from a client, and all I could do was smile as I printed and prepped her order for shipment. I imagined her penning a special note inside of each card, and then I thought of her loved ones’ faces lighting up as they opened their cards and saw the cute dog illustrations alongside her well wishes. Perhaps it is time that we all revive the art of letter writing, even if it is only to make someone’s day just a little more beautiful.

If you like the cards that you see in this post, visit our Etsy shop for all of these designs and dozens more!

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Here at All You Need is Pug, we are known for all of our pugly accessories. From pug totes to our line of pug greeting cards, there is a whole lot of pug to be found in our Etsy shop! While my focus as an artist and crafter has been largely influenced by this one dog breed, I love dogs of all shapes and sizes, and in 2016 it is my goal to begin reflecting that in All You Need is Pug’s product lines.

When I began brainstorming ideas for new illustrations to print, I knew that the French Bulldog was the first new breed that I wanted to add to the collection. As many of our customers and followers know, we welcomed a French Bulldog mix named Murph into our family last summer. I have long loved those wonderful bat ears that Frenchies are known for, and Murph’s ears are particularly large and glorious! While some of Murph’s features differ from a traditional Frenchie, as he is a wonderful muttly little mix, he inspired me to bring Frenchies on board.

One of my personal favorite pieces is our Floral Pug design, which we currently offer on cards, totes, mugs, and t-shirts, so when I started the Frenchie illustration I knew that I wanted to bring the floral aspect into this piece as well. I sat down to draw, and after a few hours of toying with watercolor pencils, blendable pencils, and markers, I arrived at a bright little design that I adore (and I hope that you will love it, too)!

The Floral Frenchie design is now available on customizable greeting cards. Each card features one of our sample quotes, or can be printed with custom text of your choice. I hope to feature this Frenchie print on tote bags and mugs in the near future as well, so if you are a Frenchie fan, keep your eyes peeled for the arrival of those items in the coming weeks.

Now that I’ve completed this French Bulldog piece, I am already brainstorming the next illustrations that I would like to work on. I have a few more Frenchie pieces in mind, but I am also hoping to bring Boston Terriers, Pit Bulls, English Bulldogs, Chihuahuas, and Jack Russell Terriers to the shop’s greeting card line within the next few months. I hope that you are all as excited as I am to see All You Need is Pug expanding to offer sweet products of other dog breeds!

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Jeremy and I spent hours taking photos for the feature, and I spent days trying to perfect every last word in the short article before sending it off to Etsy’s staff (who are all quite wonderful, supportive, and kind, by the way).  And now here it is, the editorial that I have waited years to be featured in is finally in print for the world to see. To get a behind-the-scenes peek into my work space, my process, and the wild and whimsical world of All You Need is Pug, visit our Featured Shop editorial on the official Etsy Blog.

Yes, this is indeed a lovely way to end 2015. This has been a successful year for All You Need is Pug, and I feel that it all began when I quit my day job back in May. I was so nervous to take the leap, and I would never have done it if my fiancé hadn’t encouraged and supported me. It also helped that I have exceptional customers and followers who make my job worthwhile and so much fun to do. I look forward to waking up each day to see what adventures wait for me as I work on custom orders and brainstorm new ideas. I am overwhelmed by the kind words and wishes that I have received from customers and fellow artists just in the past 24 hours since the editorial has gone live. People can be so extraordinary and surprising, and I can’t thank you enough for making me smile and pushing me to be a better person, artist, and small businesswoman. 2015 is ending on a high note, and I hope that 2016 will prove to be even better. Here’s to you, here’s to 2016, and here’s to the future of All You Need is Pug!

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Along with our Santa Pug cards, we are also introducing a 2016 New Year’s card to our pug greeting card collection. This vibrant card features a photo of James Dean in a 2016 party hat and, like our Christmas cards, has options available for the text featured inside of each card. This is one of my personal favorite photos of JD, which is why it also graces the cover of this year’s A Very Pugly 2016 calendar.

If you simply can’t decide which card to buy, we have also created a sampler set of our holiday cards so that you may share a variety of sweet greetings with your pug-loving pals. This set includes 3 of our Christmas pug cards and a Happy New Year Card. I can guarantee that no matter which card your loved ones receive, they will not be able to stop smiling! I still have some ideas brewing for other new paper goods that will soon be in the works, and I can’t wait to share them with all of you once my ideas come to life!

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We are currently working around the clock to finish Halloween orders for custom knits! We are accepting orders for the holiday season, and recommend placing your dog hat orders early, as our cut-off date for Christmas orders will likely be in mid-November this year. We will soon be introducing two new greeting cards to our collection, including a new Santa Pugs card and our first ever Happy New Year card, so stay tuned for those. In the meantime, grab your fall paper goods from our Etsy shop and start saving our items to your “favorites” list to prepare for holiday shopping!

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As a greeting card designer, I not only love creating cards, I love receiving them, too! Over years of celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, seasonal holidays, and special events, it is amazing how many cards a single person can collect! I store a great deal of the cards that I receive in photo boxes, because I am a hopeless nostalgic who loves to go back and peek at the cards that my loved ones have shared with me. When I receive a particularly breathtaking card, it feels like a shame to shove it in a box and hide it away, which is why I’ve opted to display cards as artwork in my home.  Whether you want to invest in some simple frames and mattes at your local craft store or tack up a bit of twine and make use of those old clothespins, displaying cards in your home is simple and can create an atmosphere that feels pretty and personal. Take a peek at these photos from displays in our office to get a bit of inspiration for creating your own greeting card gallery wall!

Love the cards that you see? Browse our greeting card collection in our Etsy shop!

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The Floral Pug design is now featured on our newest Thank You cards and tote bags, and we can’t wait to ship them around the world to our wonderful customers!

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