Or maybe you didn’t just yet? There’s still a tiny bit of time. Sales for the spring release will end sometime this week. I’m not sure which day (depends!), but very soon, the “Spring (Purrfect Pals)” option won’t be here for you to choose (nor will the full year at the discounted price). So if you kept putting it off, now is really the time!

I’m going to do a little blog hibernating until spring is here – lots going on – wedding projects, envelopes to elevate, and this whole cat-themed SURPRISE thing to pull off. But I’ve already started getting mail from the latest exchange, so I’ll be back in a couple of weeks with lots more mail art and letterpress stuff to share.

In the meantime, you can catch me on Instagram and Pinterest and Facebook if you like. THANKS AGAIN for all the orders, shares, comments, etc. during CAT WEEK. I hope I didn’t lose to many dog people

–Tara

Today I want to briefly go over the other charities Ephemera is helping out in 2013 with our Surprise Stationery Subscription, plus where we’re at with each one. Yes, it did, in fact, occur to me that not everyone is a cat person, so I thought I better let some other furry friends represent. Here’s a rundown on how your order of a summer, fall or winter subscription will go towards helping other animals in need:

SUMMER: Pigs Peace

Founder Judy Woods and Curly

I really thought this one would be a tough sell, but it’s going great! We’re over 30% of the way to reaching our goal, and we have until the beginning of June to make it all the way. Turns out people love pigs! And they should. Pigs are pretty amazing creatures: intelligent, gentle, kind, and cute in my opinion. Judy Woods founded Pigs Peace Sanctuary in 1994 after learning that most shelters don’t help the many pigs in need (due to the fad of pet pigs, and farm animal abuses). The sanctuary boasts 39 acres in Stanwood, Washington, where the rescued pigs can root, explore, choose where to sleep, and enjoy the life they were meant to have.

And they welcome visitors! They’re closed for a couple more months, but as soon as it warms up, I’m headed up to Stanwood with a few friends and a lot of peanuts to meet the pigs (pigs love peanuts!). In the meantime, I’m going to have to check out Vegan Haven, their affiliated vegan grocery store in the University district. If you’re in the Seattle area, you should pay both a visit as well.

To send some much needed cash to Judy and the pigs (while getting some cute piggy letterpress stationery in return), just check the Summer – Pigs Peace box when you order!

FALL: Pasado’s

Pasado prancing in happier days.

I had the pleasure of attending a workshop at Pasado’s Safe Haven a few months ago, and I’m dying to go back and explore more if I can. It was founded over 20 years ago when little Pasado the donkey was cruelly beaten and killed by 3 teenage boys at his home, Kelsey Creek Farms in Bellevue, WA.

I’ll give you a second.

I have always, always, always loved donkeys. I don’t know why. They just seem like they want hugs from me 100% of the time – like maybe that should be my job. So this story really pissed me off. Since that awful night, the people at Pasado’s Safe Haven have worked tirelessly to advocate for animals and toughen animal abuse laws. Let’s send these awesome people some CA$H.

To help them out with cash later this fall (while getting some adorable donkey-themed letterpress stationery in return), just check the Fall – Pasado’s box when you order! We’re about 25% of the way there, and we have until September to get to 100%.

WINTER: Old Dog Haven

Good work!

Old Dog Haven is not a place you can visit… it’s everywhere! This network of foster homes is scattered throughout the greater Seattle area, and specializes in caring for abandoned senior dogs. It’s a sad fact that older animals have a much lower chance of being adopted. I get it. Puppies are cute. And it’s no crime to want a long life with your new pet – senior dogs may only have a few years before you have to say goodbye. Or perhaps the potential for expensive health issues scares us off. It’s no surprise that it’s hard to find them homes. Still, they do deserve it. Old Dog Haven says:

“Our goal is that their last years are happy and that they die safe and at peace, knowing they are loved. Wouldn’t we all wish this for our own pets, and for ourselves?”

Vet care gets expensive for these pups! To help Ephemera send them a big check this winter (while getting lots of doggy-themed letterpress stationery in return), just check the Winter – Old Dog Haven box when you order. We’re about 25% of the way there, and we have until December to get to 100%. I KNOW we can do this!

Thank you!

Thanks again for reading and for your support of this wild little project. We’re about 60% of the way to our Spring goal for Purrfect Pals. Will you help us get all the way there? Spring subscriptions are set to be mailed out March 14, so that only leaves 10 more days to get in on the action!

-Tara

Well I totally spaced yesterday and linked over to Ripley’s Kittens, even though this morning they were all adopted at a Purrfect Pals event.  Oops!  Not to worry – soon a new crew of little floofs will invade The Critter Room and you can get hooked on the Kitten Cam properly.

For now, though, here’s a cute video of Henry B., who likes to say good morning by tumbling up and down the hallway.

Don’t forget the reason for all these crazy cat posts:  Ephemera is raising $4000 for 4 animal charities this year, and you can help while getting awesome animal-y letterpress in return.  

Enjoy your Caturday!
–Tara

As a sincere THANK YOU, allow me to introduce you the addictive awesomeness of Ripley’s Kittens.

WARNING:

If you click that link you will be instantly transported to The Critter Room, a 24/7 live stream of adorable Purrfect Pals foster kittens in the care of my friend and fellow volunteer, John Bartlett. While the mystical power of the kitten cam has been known to get people through hard times, it has also been known to make entire workdays disappear (all X-Files-alien-abduction-missing-time-like).

Know your limits.

And don’t forget to sign up for Ephemera’s unique Purrfect Pals fundraiser… we are raising $4000 for 4 animal charities this year, and you can help while getting awesome animal-y letterpress in return.  If cats are not your thing, we got it all – dogs, donkeys, pigs… Pick your poison!

Thanks again for all the support this week. Have you seen the kitten cam before? Be honest… how much time did you spend watching it just now?

–Tara

Today, I thought I’d tell you a bit about Purrfect Pals, the beneficiary of our spring subscription.

Purrfect Pals is awesome.

Or should I say pawsome???

Meet little Butternut Squash, a kitten found on the side of the road and brought
to Purrfect Pals (where he recovered to an adorable 100%, and was adopted!).

Founded in 1988 by Kathy Centala, Purrfect Pals is a no-kill cat shelter and sanctuary located just north of Seattle, in Arlington, Washington. I discovered them one day while browsing sad cat stories on Craigslist. (I know, I know – I don’t do that anymore!) Here are just a few of the cool things Purrfect Pals does every day for cats in need:

• On Thursdays, they host a Free Public Spay & Neuter Clinic (Need it? More here.)
• Satellite Adoption Centers - To get the cats out in the public eye, Purrfect Pals has installed 14 adoption rooms in stores like Petco, Petsmart, etc. throughout the Seattle area. In fact, you can find me at Denny’s Pet World in Kirkland once a week taking care of and showing off our homeless kitties who live there until they are adopted.
• The Average Joe Cat Show is coming up in May. It’s like the Westminster Dog Show, but not at all.It’s much more fun and relaxed and … well … for the average Joe the Cat. I’ve already entered Clementine in “Most Fabulous Tail” this year. (Her tail is an entity.)
• The Black Cat Ball is a fundraiser and costume party held every October. You can buy a seat or a whole table, eat a delish dinner, drink wine, bid on auction items, and see hilarious costumes!  I’ve helped out with art / design work for this event for a couple of years now, and I vow to finally go this year. Who wants to sit at my table?!
• FIV-Land is a very special space at the main shelter where FIV-positive cats can hang out together safely until some wonderful person takes them home. (FIV to cats is like what HIV is to people. It’s a chronic illness that must be addressed, but these special cats can still live 9 long and happy lives!)
• Leuki-Land is another area just for cats suffering from Feline Leukemia, which is an incurable illness. Every time a cat in Leukemia land survives a year after coming to the shelter, the staff has a birthday party in their honor with a cake made from delicious canned cat food. (That makes me want to cry a bit…)
• Kitten Connections Prison Foster Program – so cool! Check out what King 5 news had to say about it.
• Lots more – go read!

It’s a ton of work. Purrfect Pals spends an average of $375 for every cat that is adopted out to a new family. This goes to veterinary care, viral testing, microchipping, altering, food, treats, litter, and yes – a few toys. And they do it all this with no government funding at all – they’re a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit supported solely by donations.

This is my girl, Clementine! She was actually a Purrfect Pals foster kitten who
needed extra time to recover from a bad kitten cold. In many shelters,
cats and kittens with minor illnesses are euthanized due to a lack of funds.

That’s where we come in, my friend…

If you like cats like I like cats, consider supporting Purrfect Pals by volunteering, fostering, adopting, donating cash, or sending a present from their Amazon Wish List.

Of course – there’s another option! You can buy our Spring SURPRISE Stationery Subscription for $25, and we’ll donate 50% of the profit to Purrfect Pals. Remember from yesterday that this means?

1. You get $25 worth of awesome letterpress stationery with the added element of surprise.
2. Purrfect Pals gets CA$H! (My goal is to send them $1,000 in March.)
3. And I get to make whatever on earth I want for you, and have a blast packaging it all in some crazy arty envelope (selfish!)

THANK YOU!

If you already bought a subscription, TREMENDOUS THANKS! If you got one for a friend – AWESOME! They’ll love it! If you shared the link on Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / wherever – SWEET!

If you are still thinking about it, HURRY! We got a nice little bump in sales yesterday after day 1 of Cat Week, and we’re now 40% sold out for spring! I am thrilled!

If you’re more of a dog person (or donkeys? pigs?), you can always purchase one of the other seasons instead to help those guys out later in the year.

Let’s gitRdone!

–Tara

Clementine is now best buds with Henry B.

What on earth is CAT WEEK?

Cat Week is 8 crazy days of Ephemera and The Elevated Envelope celebrating and advocating for cats.

Okaaaaaaaaaay…

Haha, I know. Random, right? It only seems random right now. Stay with me! Especially if you’re a dog person – there’s some stuff in here for you too – I promise! Or maybe you don’t even like animals at all. Well, I bet you know and love a few who do… And if they’re anything like you (you who are reading this blog about mail art and letterpress and fun stuff like that), THEY may be way into what’s coming.

Why are we doing this?

Because I care very much about cats and animals in general.

I volunteer my time with Purrfect Pals, a local no-kill cat shelter and sanctuary, but I want to do more for them. I want to give them CA$H MONEY. I came up with what I think is a brilliant way of fund raising for them, and you can help (while getting fab stuff in return).

It’s ever so slightly complicated, so here come bullet points:

• You pre-order a $25 Seasonal Stationery Subscription from Ephemera. You can choose spring, summer, fall, winter, or all 4.
• When spring, summer, fall, or winter arrive, so does $25 worth of quirky, original, animal-themed letterpress stationery (right to your mailbox). 
• But you know me… I’m really into mail art and the elevating of envelopes! So the envelope your items arrive in will be just as artful and surprising as its contents…
• The best part is that I will then turn around and donate 50% of the profit from each season to a different animal welfare-related charity each season!
• My goal is to raise and donate $4000 throughout 2013 ($1000 for each of the following Western Washington organizations):

SPRING: Purrfect Pals Cat Shelter
SUMMER: Pigs Peace Sanctuary
FALL: Pasado’s Safe Haven
WINTER: Old Dog Haven

• The charity involved will give you a hint as to each season’s envelope design and contents, but that will be the only hint…
• Seriously… No peeking! Nunya beeswax! But I know you want to know what you’ll get for $25. How about this? Letterpress cards usually retail for about $4 each, so you can assume no fewer than 6 hand-printed, unique, limited edition cards will be sent each season.

win-win-WIN!

As you can see, this is a win-win-WIN situation:

1. You get awesome stationery with the added element of surprise.
2. The four charities get CA$H.
3. And I get to make whatever on earth I want for you (selfish!).

Quick!

The Spring edition (benefiting Purrfect Pals) is shipping out right around March 14. Due to the handmade nature and labor-intensity of the project, subscriptions are very limited. And you should know I am already about 25% of my way to my goal (awesome!). I am hoping that the fun of CAT WEEK will put us over the edge.

So what do you think?

Will you buy a subscription for yourself? For a friend? Did you do so already? What are you hoping will come? Will you share this link where you can? Will you help me do this?!!

I hope so… thank mew!

–Tara and her feline friends

First we have another take on the bakery box concept. Check out this adorable blueberry pie envelope from Kelly Synnott in Washington, DC. This has been one of my favorites since last summer when she sent it to me…

I love the red and white gingham background,
and the lovely hand lettering of the address.

Next up is a really brilliant one from Amy Nicole Powell in New York City. This one is just so original, yet so simple. Behold:

First of all, the front must have taken some planning – she’s made a paper basketweave pastry topping, with paper whipped cream to hold the address. Then – oh check out the back! (The stamp must have fallen off…)

It’s an actual paper plate that she’s painted gray to look like a pie plate. So this thing arrives in your mailbox looking like an actual pie! Like, it’s three-dimensional! I think this is absolutely genius, Amy. It would be so fun and inexpensive to recreate for a birthday party (or even some guerrilla pie-shop marketing – hmmm…).

Finally, we have super duper overachiever extraordinaire, Stevie Hopwood,from London. You may remember she also overdid things with these fabulous Olympic Bunny, Grizzly and Kitty envelopes. I’m not complaining…

Here’s how it arrived in the mailbox:

When you open it, the full pie is revealed! And some tiny treasures pop out too…

And of course the back, designed like a record. All watercolored by hand. Amazing.

I’m really so, so flattered by all the creativity and love you put into these projects. THANK YOU!

Hope you have a great weekend. Rest up because next week? Is CAT WEEK. I’m not 100% sure what that means either, but we’ll figure it out and it will be fun Until then, don’t forget to check out and maybe enter my give-away over on Catsparella! Tuesday is the last day to do so

–Tara

Alison Thurstans’ envelope idea was to recreate her daughter’s favorite “fairy biscuits.” These are apparently an Australian thing, so she sent us a photo of the actual cookies she makes all the way down in Tasmania:

Looks divine!
photo courtesy of Ally Thurstans, Everyday Miracles

And the resulting envelope:

That koala stamp is just so beyond perfect, isn’t it?

I would really love to make these, Ally… do you have a recipe you can share in the comments?!

In case Ally’s envelope is too soft and ethereal for you today, here’s a wacky one which also incorporates sprinkles:

And by “incorporates sprinkles,” I mean no fewer than 1,000 sprinkles have been somehow and hilariously shellacked to the front and back of this thing…

This masterpiece was created by Courtney Kaminski, and it arrived all in one piece all the way from Ontario, Canada. The back flap still even opens and everything. And I have lost surprisingly few sprinkles, even though it came almost a year ago. That’s good quality workmanship. Courtney – how did you do it??

So which is more your style?  s p r i n k l e s   or   SPRINKLES ?

Tara

PS. Don’t forget to check out and maybe enter my give-away over on Catsparella!

This is a tiny little plastic envelope with a cupcake hovering inside,
behind a frosting cloud of an address label.

The back.

The insides, outside.

And – it’s a freaking BOOKLET! With a recipe and a note.

So, Thalia, you have given me envelope anxiety as well as envelope envy. I am thinking of how to respond in kind, but for now, THANK YOU!

–Tara

PS. Don’t forget to check out and maybe enter my give-away over on Catsparella!

First up is this truly awesome collaged cupcake envelope by Cassandra Barrowclough up in Canada. I wish you could see this in person. She’s painted the envelope with a good coating of vibrant purple, and the cupcake is actually collaged from bits of paper scrap, and pasted over with some kind of glittery coating.

Next is a black & white zentangle cupcake from Nan Ran-Santos in California:

And look what she put inside for me!

(I’m sorry the picture is extra mucky…)

And last (but not least) for today is one more take on the cupcake by Chrissy McGale (also from Canada).  This one is so clever… Check out the front:

And then the back!  It’s a little bakery box with the see-through plastic top and everything.

Which one would you try to eat?
–Tara

PS. Don’t forget to check out and maybe enter my give-away over on Catsparella!