Card trends ebb and flow, and honestly, I thought photography on cards was a quirky niche, that is until I got acquainted with The Pen + Piper. Now I am questioning everything I thought I knew about the stationery market, which is frankly what I love about it: Just when you think you have it all figured out, something comes along to make you rethink it all.
The Pen + The Piper is created by Washington,D.C.-based stylist/product photographer Noelle Glaze, and it’s also the name of her photography studio — where she regularly assembles and captures “thoughtful imagery” for brands like HarperCollins and Brown Cow Yogurt.
Right now Noelle offers greeting cards, boxed sets, art prints, notepads, and gift enclosures. I think you’ll agree that each one is a little gem, with attention slathered over every last detail, plus little fun surprises thrown in here and there. What better missive to send to someone you adore?
This year, Noelle launched The Pen+Piper Post. She describes it as a subscription invitation to write one card a week for the entire year — and by doing so, carving out a distinctive sense of beauty and connection once each seven days.
Each month, subscribers receive four cards: three from the current line and one completely new one, as well as stamps, a brass stand to display cards before sending, as well as a small theme card for the subscriber to keep as a record of the sentiments shared that year.
Noelle feels there is a huge value in this exercise that transcends its humble parts, explaining, “Through the weekly rhythm of pause, reflection, and sharing handwritten words with another, we acknowledge beauty in word and imagery, offer encouragement, and create a place of rest for ourselves as well as the receiver.”
A year-long subscription is $21 a month, six months are $23 each, and individual months are $22. Start your shopping here, and follow The Pen + Piper on Instagram to see her dazzling work and help her promote #inkendures, where “we pick up pens to create and share lasting beauty and connection.”
