Art of the written word
New Dallas greeting card collection invites recipients to read between the lines
After starting lifestyle blog Super Much Love in 2010, SMU alumna, literacy tutor and self-described paper freak Melinda Jones decided to expand with the launch of a modern greeting card collection called Read Between the Lines. Jones believed that traditional greeting cards, with their bold statements inside, often stole the thunder of the sender.
So she and Tammy Shugart — partners in this and in Super Much Love — take a different, more subtle approach. The sentiment of the card, printed in gray and repeated in rows, leaves room for the sender to write between the lines. So the messaging on the card, while clever and witty, plays softly in the background so as not to outshine the sender's words.
If you don't know quite what to say — to a sick friend, a new boyfriend on Valentine's Day, a co-worker on his birthday or the dreaded ex — Jones and Shugart have provided the inspiration without doing all of the work. These are a few of our favorite lines:
- Let me woo you.
- Engaged? That rocks.
- I love your hair. Will you marry me?
- You are on my bucket list.
- You're the best and mostest.
- Give me my stuff back.
- Moron is my name. I am so sorry.
- Mistletoe. Like. Now.
- Happy holidays, fruitcake.
Jones had attended to every detail in her paper collection. Each individually wrapped card is made with 100 percent recycled cotton, which is substantial and luxurious. Lettering is gold foil, and envelopes are embossed withe the Read Between the Lines signature. And, because Jones never stopped loving stickers, each card includes a sticker that reads "That Is All" to seal the envelope.
Also noteworthy: The greeting cards are made in the good old United States of America, and a portion of the proceeds from each card help fund nonprofits MANA Nutrition and Rolling Dog Farm.
Now that's the kind of entrepreneur we want to succeed.
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Read Between the Lines greeting cards are available online for $6.95 and can also be purchased at Neighborhood in Oak Cliff.