Hello!!!

I'm Joy, the artist behind Sugar Beet Press! I live at the Jersey shore with my family and I make handmade greeting cards.

When I was a child, I made original art birthday cards as gifts for friends and family. As an adult working in animation and illustration I continued this fun gift-giving practice. After a while, my body of greeting card artwork was growing and people started suggesting I start a greeting card company. So in 2004, with the help of my husband, Jonathan, that's what I did. 

All my cards are made with specific people in mind, and as it turns out, my specific people are actually lots of people's specific people. It makes me so happy to hear that a valentine I made for my gator loving son is perfect for a woman who's husband's nickname is "Gator'. Or that a jaguar cub pouncing on a cupcake made for my cat loving daughter would be so popular with other lovers of cat antics. 

This business is a pleasure to me for the connections I make with my customers and the connections I'm hearing they make sending my cards. Snail mail forever!!!

You can find my cards here:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/SugarBeetPress

Thanks for reading! 

Tiny Mail Adventures #1, Bored Bunny

Bored Bunny starts an epic journey of reconnection! Handmade letters are surprising and thoughtful in a world of quick and vanishing digital messages. Join the Snail Mail Revolution!

 

What To Write in a Greeting Card?

Anything you want!

Words, quotes, songs, doodles, jokes, stickers...the choice is yours! Whatever makes you think of that person, or you think they might like is perfect. 

If you feel uncertain or even a little worried about what to write try to remember that receiving an actual paper letter in the mail is always interesting in and of itself! You can write as little or as much as you want inside and the recipient will still know they matter to you because they have something you actually wrote on with your own hand. It's very special. If you aren't confident expressing yourself in words try to keep it simple. Even a brief "This card made me think of you" is perfect and enough.

Happy correspondences!

Joy

Dove Day, 2014

My Dove Day card

A few years ago my I read my son a book that involved a planet of doves, an asteroid actually, and as he often does he became obsessed with doves for a time. He decided we needed a new holiday, Dove Day, that would have parades, presents and lots of doves. I talked about it with him a lot and we decided we'd try it but didn't pick a day...I figured he'd forget eventually. But this Dove Day plan kept resurfacing every few months and now that he is 7 he pinned me down on a day and remembered it. So on the first Monday in January we celebrated the first annual Dove Day. We kept the festivities kind of simple (no parades) by making cookies:

A Dove Day cookie

And of course, cards!

I made my card for my son on a piece of corrugated cardboard.

I used sharpies and highlighter pens. He liked it :)

My son's card for me. Doves in the sun and in the rain. 

So, a Happy Belated Dove Day to you! I hope you will consider adopting this holiday yourselves as it was quite nice; a day to think of peace and especially... doves.

Here's the book that started this all:  Commander Toad and the Dis-asteroid, by Jane Yolen

                                          

Custom Artwork

Last summer I had the opportunity to create a few commissioned pieces that I wanted to share.


For a friend in California I painted these two dancing animal pictures.

Charleston Koalas

Jitterbug Dachshunds

I also made a snail photographer for a photographer who love love loves snails.

Traveling Snail

And the last one was this image of a flying squirrel for an auntie who's nephew is really into squirrels and planes.

Flying Squirrel

Timeline Card

 I recently had an opportunity to create a unique custom card. This card was given as a retirement gift to a man who had lived a long and varied life. I made a timeline that highlighted some of the pivotal roles and events in his life and folded it accordion style.

The timeline starts in 1948 with his babydom; 1966, high school graduation; 1970's, Navy; 1977, marriage; 1980's, working man; 1990's, growing family; and 2013, retirement surrounded by his wife, kids, and grandkids.

This was a really fun project and it got me thinking about different formats for cards. Folded, this card is 4.25" x 5.5" and extended it is 35" x 5.5".

New Valentines!

Valentines are one of my favorite cards to make. They are fun and sweet and have a rich history of traditional styles to play with when making new designs. I usually like to imagine different kinds of creatures in love. Making these amorous characters come to life is a great pleasure to me. As is giving them to the special people in my life!

Here are a few of my recent Valentine's that I made for my husband, son, and parents. Hope you enjoy them!

Mouse in Love

Alien in Love

Mermaid Valentine