
No, it's not tradition to send cards at Thanksgiving. But, take one look at the
Dingbat Press Maple Leaf/Thanksgiving Boxed Notes ($24), and you'll be convinced. This gorgeous boxed set of six notes features soft-red maple leaves in varying sizes falling from a vivid-orange maple tree.

The next time you're attending a
housewarming party, once you've built your
housewarming bucket, you'll need a cheerful card to wish your friends or neighbors well in their new digs. The
Hello! Lucky Welcome Home Greeting Card ($4.50) will fit the bill and then some.

Sometimes I think there's not enough "dropping a line" in the world. Good old-fashioned notes, updating your friends on what's new in your life, and asking about theirs. Yeah, there's prolific Facebook wall and Myspace commenting, but a part of me feels that that's all for show.

Since most of my correspondence occurs via email, I want my notecards to be timeless and versatile. It's always nice to bring a smile to a friend's face with humor, but when I buy a box of notecards I want them to be appropriate for more than one person, and not to lose timeliness like the set you picked up at the Musée D'Orsay on your most recent trip to Paris might.
B Designs Boxed Historic Patterns Notecards ($12 for six cards) fit the bill with their decorative floral and classic patterns with a contemporary color palette.

If you're not going to send a
card you can plant, the next best thing is to pick up a set of
Spring Trees Cards ($20) by Norwegian illustrator Bjorn Rune Lie. The eight unique stylized trees letterpress printed on recycled cardstock can be sent to an octet of your favorite pals, or framed and hung in your home. There's a Charlie Brown quality to some of these trees that gives off a childish charm.

Kate's Paperie's
Lace Thank-You Notes ($25 for 6) may be letterpressed with antique lace patterns, but they're certainly not your granny's doilies. On the contrary, they have a modern sophistication that reflects the
lace trend that's happening now. I'm loving the sage, navy, and aqua color palette; I'd actually love to snip off the text and frame them together somehow.