… or does it really matter that much? Either way, Fomato is where you’ll find some pretty darned hilarious greeting cards!

Take a look at these (which literally did make me laugh out loud):

(Sadly, I wasn’t able to give these cards out for people’s birthdays, but I am keeping them in my stash for next year.)

While the front covers are pretty funny, what I love best about these cards is that they carry an entire story throughout. Shame I didn’t photograph the inside of the Low Expectations and Facebook cards because the rest of the story is great.

And how can you not love someone who can make a card about tyrants?

If you’re in the Los Angeles area, keep your eyes peeled for the Fomato cards. Or buy one online. Or browse to get a good laugh. You won’t regret it.

Sometimes you dream up these great ideas or have all these thoughts swimming around in your head, but lo and behold, you have nowhere to write them down! Where is that cocktail napkin when you need it?

Don’t despair. You can do what some of the cool kids do: Carry a journal around. Lots of people I know do it. (I actually carry two different-sized Moleskine journals around myself.)

But if you want your journal to stand out from the rest, maybe you should check these out:

(I especially like the bingo journal. I have fond memories of playing bingo with similar-looking cards as a kid. Plus, the journal is great for those bingo! moments. [And now I'll stop with the awful puns.])

If you’re loving these journals, you can pick them up at Create a Thought. There are journals of all shapes, sizes and kinds there! The Robot Love journal (the bottom one) is just about as big as a business card, so it’s perfect for your pocket or purse. And each journal is made in small batches, so you can be assured that a million people won’t be walking around with the same kind of journal (and if you lose it, well, you’ll recognize it more easily).

But Create a Thought is more than just journals! It’s a store built around the concept of creating thoughts and manifesting those thoughts into cool stuff. For instance, you can get this art journal kit to feed your artistic side. Or you can get a finger art ring like this one:

There’s plenty of stuff to look at, so do check it out.

There’s something wonderful about nature being interpreted in artistic form. Almost anything — flowers, plants, trees — can serve as inspiration, and some people execute it very well:

All of the above can be found at UnaOdd. Really, the shop is just one big explosion of color — like a huge bouquet of flowers, enticing you to look ever closer.

There’s so much good stuff in the shop that’s it’s really hard to decide where to start. Maybe the polymer clay pendants, all made from original patterns, hand-detailed with acrylic paint? Or the acrylic wristbands, all hand-painted with different motifs? Or the acrylic paintings of flowers? Or these really amazing bookmarks that were made from the pages of an old accounting textbook and then embellished and laminated?

Everything is pretty affordable as well — yet another bonus!

There’s something about letterpress that’s so wonderful. Maybe it’s the texture. Maybe it’s because there’s such an old-school quality to it. Maybe it’s care and handmade touch that goes into it. Whatever it is, it’s appealing. Throw in some lovely illustrations and bright colors and you’ve got this:

Very cool, eh?

You’ll find these goodies at Old School Stationers, a charming operation based out of Portland, Oregon. Brian and Amy turn out these letterpress creations that you can then find on cards or ready-to-hang wall art. Each image is hand-drawn and created with an old-school letterpress from 1917.

There are also journals with letterpressed covers available.

The art is awesome, and you’ll find something nice for sure!

If you love to doodle, you’ll sometimes find that you’ll come up with some awesome patterns by accident. I’m a big fan of hand-drawn patterns, and these are no exception:

These super sweet journals are from Lucie Summers of Summersville. Who wouldn’t love doodling or writing in one of these?

All of these journals or sketchbooks feature patterns hand-drawn by Lucie and screenprinted onto fabric. They’re wonderful, whimsical and just gosh darn cute.

Lucie not only has the books on sale in her shop, but she also sells the fabric. There are also screenprinted buttons and even this awesome quilt!

… whatever you want! If you’re needing to drop someone a note (it is almost Valentine’s Day, after all) or just feel like stocking up on some cards for those days when you never know you’ll need one, perhaps you’d like to check these out:

You’ll find these handprinted and handmade cards at She’s Batty Designs. And if you head over there now, there’s a dollar sale where you can pick up most items for a buck! Better hurry, though, because the sale could end at any time!

There is a wide array of notecards and greeting cards in the shop, many of which could be used for any occasion. (Hence the stocking up of cards for those just-in-case moments.) Shop owner Jamie also does some custom work, including save the date cards, wedding invitations, Christmas cards and photo invites.

If you’re into making your own cards, you’ll also find some materials in the shop, including embossed papers and pre-cut die cuts of everything from people to animals to flowers — pretty much any theme you might need.

Lovin’ these journals from The Writer’s Book:

These journals are made with different kinds of papers for their covers, such as Japanese or Indian papers. All hand-stitched and one of a kind. And they all lay flat when opened so you can sketch or write your heart out with ease!

Hard rubber and sharp tools can make really cute things:

(My personal favorite is the coffee stamp … ’cause I’m a big fan of coffee.)

You can find these lovely hand-carved stamps at Winemaker’s Sister on Etsy. Use ‘em on cards, letters, maybe make some nice wrapping paper.

In addition to the stamps, you’ll find some other great paper-related things such as these hand-sewn quilted notecards, stamped cards and even handmade journals.

According to the site’s announcement, Universal Letter Writing Week is coming up (Jan. 8-14 this year), so maybe this is a good time to pick up some cute writing materials.

There’s also some other non-paper-related cute stuff in the store, such as tea wallets and stitch markers.

indie*galore has been on hiatus for a while now, but it’s back for the New Year!

It’s been a reflective period, and a good time to maybe write some thoughts down. What better place to write a few thoughts down than these wonderfully made journals from amanobooks?

All these journals are made from mixed media: photographs, ephemera, paint, wax, stamps and all kinds of found materials. The result is not just a journal, but a work of art.

There is also some mixed media art available at amanobooks, like this lovely piece:

I was flipping through the latest edition of How Magazine when I came upon this rather hysterical card:

I was sitting on a train with headphones on and almost laughed out loud (except I didn’t want people thinking I was nuts or something.

At any rate, it’s pretty freakin’ funny and fits the mantra of Amy Smyth Made It, which is “Send a freakin’ card.”

There are some other goodies on the site, like these two cards:

There are about 175 cards available for everything from engagements to birthdays to just about every holiday under the sun. There are also notecards and invitations for when you want something better than the store-bought, cookie-cutter invites for your next cocktail party. You can also get cards customized for just $5 a box.

Do check it out.

If you’re looking for the perfect card for dad or just to celebrate summer, you might want to check these out:

These adorable handmade cards are from Puppy Love Creations. Many of the cards in the shop feature the cute little dog that’s also prominently featured in the shop’s banner.

But it’s not just all for the dogs. There are cards for every occassion, from plain ol’ notecards to sympathy cards to birthday cards to graduation cards. Singles are mostly available, but there are some sets to be found. And you can have your card’s greeting personalized too!

In addition to the hand-embellished cards, you’ll also find some elegant-looking embossed cards as well:

I’ll admit, I’m jealous of people who can draw. And can draw effortlessly. And in different styles.

So that’s why I’m digging the work of Seattle’s Liz Wong and Eric Adler of Artghost:

The top two pieces are cards featuring Eric’s drawings, and the last piece is a painting from Liz. Their art features 50s-style images, animals, records, and some of the coolest schoolgirls you’ll see (and that you probably wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley).

At Artghost, you’ll not only find their art on traditional mediums (such as paper), but some of the illustrations wind up on some awesome limited-edition handbags. These handbags are Liz’s illustrations, which are then silkscreened onto the handmade bags.

It’s a wonderful collection of art, definitely worth taking a peek! It’s also a great place to check out if you love retro stuff.

Did you ever go to the library a lot as a kid and thumb all those awesome old books?

I don’t remember this from my childhood, but I think I would have checked it out if I’d seen it:

Hysterical title. Thank goodness the folks over at Attic Journals found this book and turned it into a journal.

At Attic Journals, old books find new life as journals. The covers are taken, then bound together with wire loop and filled with 75 sheets of fresh paper. There’s quite an eclectic collection, from a cover of a book called “Flying Animals” to a Hardy Boys book to this pretty awesome Spanish textbook cover:

You’ll feel like you’re in grade school or middle school all over again!

I used to be a big Iron Chef watcher (and I’m talking the original Japanese version, not the sort of lame Iron Chef America that’s on now). I’ve always thought it would be cool if there was a crafty version. Like, “you’ve got a bunch of random materials and you’ve got to craft something now!”

OK, so maybe we don’t need the pressure of crafting in an hour. But people who take random things and make them into useful, fun and awesome things still amaze the heck out of me. Like erinzam over at Etsy, who made this wicked awesome book:

Dude! It’s a cassette! It’s Foreigner, for crying out loud! It’s, um, rather rad.

Found objects are the name of the game at erinzam. In her profile, she says she loves making journals from found objects. No cassette tapes around? No problem. Try on this journal for size, made from a drapery sample:

You will also find original prints and paintings in the shop, like this:

There’s a great selection of stuff … do check it out!

Did you ever have anything embroidered when you were younger? Maybe your initials on your lunch sack or gym bag? (Hello, L.L. Bean?) Or maybe you had an embroidered shirt, or hankerchief or something fancy when you were older.

I promise, this embroidered stuff is way more hip and whimsical and fun than say, your fancy embroidered oxford shirt:

I especially love the card; the embroidery is a nice little touch.

These goodies can be found at Pillowhead. All manner of things that have been embroidered can be found in the store, from cards (there are thank-yous and holiday cards for next holiday season …) to magnets to, as the name of the store suggests, pillows.

Every piece is hand-embroidered. And we’re not talking just simple three-letter monograms either! (After all, “thanks” is six letters.) You can even put in custom orders (for if you do want your monogram after all).

And true to the shop name, there pillow-related things on sale, even of the non-embroidered variety. Here’s a pretty pillow case: