Greeting Cards Archives - Lou Longworth Greeting Cards

Posted on 14 April 202314 April 2023 by Lou Longworth

Updated Greeting Card Illustrations

I’m excited to tell you that I’ve now added updated greeting card illustrations to several of my best selling designs. As I mentioned in my last blog post my style has evolved and changed quite a bit since I first started. So I’ve spent a lot of time redoing some of my earlier designs and I’m much happier that it’s all a bit more cohesive now.

It’s taken a while to get the photography sorted out and add all the new designs to my shop, but it’s finally done. Here are some examples, but you can see the full range here.

Little Creatures Designs

I’ve been redrawing ants, moles, octopuses (octopi?) and bees for this collection. Each illustration appears on several different designs for various occasions. So if you like the Ant but are after an anniversary card rather than a birthday card, just check out the full Little Creatures Collection to see what’s available.

Fantastic Ant Birthday Card - wishing you a fantastic birthday

Thirsty Business Illustrations

If alcohol is more your thing then I think you’ll like the updates in my Thirsty Business Collection. Covering a range of tastes including wine, beer, bubbly, beer, gin and whisky, you’ll also find designs for a variety of occasions and recipients too.

Beer Father's Day Card - Happy Father's Day to a Top Dad

Wine Birthday Card - Happy Birthday to my Partner in Wine

Sportsy Greeting Card Illustrations

This was one of my earliest collections and has remained popular. It’s always fun to reference someone’s sport and hobby obsessions in a card, with obligatory pun of course. I’ve updated illustrations for cyclists, runners, tennis fans, golfers, yoga bunnies and even my little trampoliner. Once again, there’s a wide range of different occasions with the updated illustrations so take a look at the full Sportsy Collection here.

Updated greeting card illustration for Trampoline Father's Day card

Tennis anniversary card - We're a perfect match

Cyclist birthday card - Happy Birthday! Hope it's wheelie great

Golfer Retirement Card - Hope it's TEE-rrific

Yoga birthday card - Happy Birthday! Hatha tremendous day

I’ll continue to update more of my earlier greeting card illustrations over time, so if there’s a particular design you’d like me to work on next just let me know. You can get in touch via the contact form or message me on Instagram.

Posted on 7 July 20227 July 2022 by Lou Longworth

Reasons to send a card

There are so many reasons to send a card to someone. Greeting cards are kind of magical. They’re just a page of card stock folded in half with some ink on… But they can do amazing things and actually change the way people feel!

I love creating greeting cards knowing that they’ll be used to deepen friendships and make people smile. Sending a card lets your favourite people know that you care enough about them enough to make a bit of effort. And it’s a physical reminder that you’re thinking about them. Here’s a list of 5 reasons to send a greeting card…

Celebrate a special occasion

Okay, so this is the most obvious one, and the reason most of us send cards in the first place. Sending a birthday or anniversary card lets the recipient know that you remembered that this day is a big deal for them and you’re celebrating them and their special day.

Send a card to wish someone luck

Getting a good luck card definitely gives us a little boost of confidence before we tackle something that’s a bit daunting. Whether they’re going for a job interview, taking a test or exam, or attempting a physical challenge, sending someone a good luck card will be a little reminder that you believe in them.

And to say well done

A card is also a great way to say well done when someone has already achieved something. Whether that’s graduating, having a baby, passing a driving test, finishing a marathon, getting a new job, or any other accomplishment, you’re letting that person know that you think they’re brilliant!

Send a card to stay in touch

Sometimes a card can be the best way to just say hi when you haven’t seen someone for a while. While technology makes it easy to text, email or call someone pretty much anywhere in the world, sending a card is a more permanent reminder that you’re thinking about someone. You’ve shown you care enough to choose a card, buy it, write in it and post it off to them!

Cheer someone up with a card

It’s very easy to send off a text message… But just think how you feel when physical post arrives through your letterbox. We’re accustomed to the noise of digital communication so getting something nice in the mail still gives us a little bit of a thrill. Sending a greeting card is a fantastic way to cheer someone up when they’re having a tough time. They have the excitement of receiving mail. And they also have something real they can put on their desk or shelf to remind them that you’re there for them.

These are just a few of the zillions of reasons to send someone a greeting card… They’re a relatively inexpensive way to make someone feel good, to connect with them and to cement your friendship or love, for whatever reason. Send one of your favourite people a card today and make them smile 🥰

Shop for a card now

Posted on 31 March 20221 April 2022 by Lou Longworth

18th Birthday Card Cartoon Portrait

18th birthday card with cartoon portrait

Case Study

If you follow me on Instagram you’ll have seen that I posted a while back about a happy customer I’d designed an 18th birthday card with a cartoon portrait for. I thought I’d share a bit more detail about it on here.

The customer had previously found me on Etsy and ordered a custom 21st birthday card for one of her sons. Apparently he loved it so much he decided to frame it. So when her other son was going to turn 18 she came back to me to design an 18th birthday card for him too 😊

She was a lovely customer to work for, as she sent plenty of photos and knew what outfit she’d like. A lot of people don’t give instructions until after I’ve already drawn the portrait then decide they want something different, so it was a joy to work with someone who knew exactly what she wanted.

She asked for him to be wearing a specific top from one of the photos and grey jogging bottoms, and to keep his ‘Movember’ moustache 😁

Here’s the cartoon portrait I came up with…

And if you’d like to see the replay of how I drew it then here you go…

And here’s the final card design. (Although he and his Mum said it was fine to share, I’ve blanked his name out just to be on the safe side…)

His Mum was really pleased with it and said when she gave him his card he loved it as well. She even sent me a photo of him opening his card and both of them were happy for me to share that too, so here it is!

And here’s the lovely review she wrote for me on Etsy…

It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside 🥰

I do custom cartoon portrait cards for other birthday milestones as well. Here’s how it works:

When you place your order you can upload a photo and send some instructions at the same time. It helps if you can be specific about what type of clothing you’d like them to wear, whether or not to include their glasses or facial hair or anything else that is relevant. If you’d like to send extra photos then just let me know in the instructions too and I’ll get in touch to help you do that.

I’ll then draw the cartoon portrait, add it to the card design and send you a proof to check. If you have any changes I’ll make those and, once finalised, will print out and post the card to you. It’s an A5 size card and comes with a kraft envelope too.

Here’s where to order your custom cartoon portrait milestone birthday card.

Posted on 13 January 202213 January 2022 by Lou Longworth

Children’s Birthday Cards

Happy New Year! I’m very excited to let you know that I’ve now added children’s birthday cards to my shop. It’s been a big gap in my selection and I’m happy that this is no longer the case 😃

I had sold a few kids’ cards previously but I always felt like the designs didn’t really fit in with the style of the rest of my greeting cards. I’ve now reused some of those illustrations as well as drawn some new ones and come up with brand new designs that I think are more in keeping with my brand.

This is still a work in progress and I’ll be adding more designs along the way. At the moment just the ballet or football cards are activity related, and I’d definitely like to include more sports and hobbies for kids. So if there are any subjects that you’d like me to include in the collection, please get in touch and let me know. I’m always open to your ideas.

Age Birthday Cards

The majority of the children’s birthday cards are available for all ages from 1 to 12. I’ll have to work on some teenage friendly designs in the future 😁 and fill that gap too!

Here are a few examples of the age cards for kids…

Personalised Cards for Kids

I’ve also added a couple of personalisable options… The Triceratops card is age-less 😁 and the Tractor one is age specific. Kids love to see their own name on a card, so I’ll probably add this option to some other cards too in the future. Here are two examples…

personalised triceratops children's birthday card

You can look at the full range in my shop here: Children’s Birthday Card Collection

And don’t forget to send me a DM on Instagram if you want me to add other sports or subjects to the range!

Posted on 14 October 202114 October 2021 by Lou Longworth

Holiday Cards

Gin Themed Holiday Card - Let the festivities be Gin

I did wonder whether it is too early to start talking about holiday cards, but then I’ve already sold two in my Etsy shop, so it seems that some people are preparing early this year. Hopefully this year the postal system will be better prepared too!

And the holidays are not just about Christmas. Diwali is coming up at the beginning of next month. So there are just a few weeks left before the Festival of Lights kicks off! I’ve become more conscious that we all celebrate the holidays in different ways and want to make sure I start catering for a wider range. If you have any specific requests then please let me know on Instagram or Facebook.

This is the first Diwali card I’ve designed but I hope to add more over time.

Hannukah is also celebrated before Christmas is, and I’ve added a Happy Hannukah card to my holiday range too.

Even those of us who celebrate Christmas don’t all celebrate it in the same way. Some are more focused on the religious side of it, to others the most important thing is meeting up with family. And then there are those of us who get really excited about the food 🤣. Here’s my (somewhat tongue in cheek) nod to my favourite festive nibble…

Mince Pies Christmas card - Christmas is all about the MINCE PIES!

I do of course also look forward to spending time with family and friends! 😁

As well as the new additions I’ve mentioned already, I’ve also created a few new holiday designs to add to last year’s favourites. Here’s a small sampling, but you can view the full collection of holiday cards in my shop.

Holiday cards for a special someone

A good proportion of my holiday cards are aimed at a special person in your life. I realise (and am happy that) a lot of people buy a selection of charity Christmas cards to send out. But it’s sometimes nice to acknowledge your favourite person (or people) with a card that is chosen especially for them. Here are a few for significant others and best friends.

romantic holiday card - you light up my life

Cheeky Christmas Card - You can jingle my bells ANYTIME!

Merry Christmas to my partner in wine Christmas card

Custom cartoon portraits

I am also still doing custom cartoon portraits, either as Christmas cards or prints to frame and give as gifts. These are great for your other half, or for grown up children, parents or grandparents. It’s worth ordering these early if you want them. They take more time and if I get too busy closer to Christmas I’ll stop offering them.

Christmas Cartoon Family Portrait Holiday Cards

Other holiday cards

And finally here’s a selection of other holiday cards in the collection. I’m offering bulk discounts so that the more you buy the more you save. You can mix and match 3 or 5 different cards, or otherwise order any one design in larger numbers for a bigger discount.

Christmas jumpers holiday card from all of us

Tag: Greeting Cards