For all but the most organized consumers, greeting cards are something that tend to get purchased in a hurry when a special occasion looms. Jack Cards—which we covered a couple of years ago—uses a prescheduled service to remove some of that haste and help customers get their cards out on time, and now TOTA Press takes a slightly different approach by offering unique, handmade cards by monthly subscription.

New York-based TOTA's subscription service is essentially a card-of-the-month program whereby subscribers get two copies of a one-time, handmade card sent to their door each month. Photos of each new letterpressed design are posted on TOTA's website on the first of the month along with a description of what inspired it; August's, for example, is based on an Asanoha pattern. The handmade cards are all standard sizes that can be used for any occasion with no extra postage required. Prices range from USD 13 for a trial subscription of one month to USD 140 for a 12-month subscription, amounting to 24 cards in all. Domestic shipping is included in the price of the subscription, but international orders cost an extra USD 2 per month.

In an era when greeting cards are increasingly combined with digital elements—such as in CD-equipped Burney Cards, which we just covered last week—it's interesting to see an offering that takes what's almost the opposite approach, revelling instead in the physical richness and artistry of a handmade card. Reminds us, in fact, of the hand-drawn A la Carte Maps that we also just recently covered. The world may be digital, everyone may be online, but there's still plenty of room for the handmade, the unique, the personal, the still-made-here offline design. Combine that with the convenience of home delivery, and you may just cause some pangs of anxiety in the Hallmark boardroom! ;-)

Website: www.totapress.com
Contact: beintouch@totapress.com

Jewelry is all about self-expression, and that can include highlighting what makes us unique—such as the little scars we've come to bear—as well as our lifestyle and affiliations. A new bracelet from Design Hype now targets über-urbanites by featuring a map of the New York subway.

Design Hype's NYC Metro Cuff is a matte metal bracelet embossed with the subway lines, numbers and streets of Manhattan. Priced at USD 25 including shipping, the cuffs are available online for both domestic and international retail and wholesale orders. Pennsylvania-based Design Hype says that similar cuffs for other cities are also on the way.

Whether it's true New York urbanites who end up being the primary market for the Metro Cuff, or consumers who wish they were, there's no doubt that the charm of such items derives not just from their mapmania-minded functionality but also from a strong element of highly localized, (still) made here appeal. One to partner with and localize for urban commuters and tourists in your part of the world?

Website: www.designhypeinc.com
Contact: tiffany@designhypeinc.com

Spotted by: Karile Grineviciute via coroflot

Long gone are the days of boring mugs and faded postcards, as museums and other cultural institutions have become increasingly savvy retailers. Aiming to build on that strength, CultureLabel showcases products from over 60 galleries, museums and other cultural entities, 'exploring the space where culture and consumer culture meets'.

Customers can shop by brand or a variety of categories. When they're ready to buy, CultureLabel sends them through to the brands’ own websites, which handle sales and shipping. CultureLabel doesn't charge organisations for listing their products; it takes a commission on each sale. Potential partners—international, national and niche culture brands—are invited to apply for a spot on CultureLabel. If accepted, they can add up to 24 products to the platform. Participating organisations include big names like the Tate, the V&A and the Saatchi Gallery, as well as smaller ones like East London jeweller Tatty Devine and city guide publishers Le Cool.

By cataloguing niche brands, CultureLabel helps them pack a more powerful punch and exposes them to new audiences. The venture minimizes its own investment by not getting involved with sales and logistics, and minimizes that of its partners by not charging set-up fees or monthly contributions. Since visitors often spend as much time in museum shops as they do looking at the actual art, it's not a bad proposition ;-)

Website: www.culturelabel.com
Contact: www.culturelabel.com/feedback.mvc

Digital greetings are all very well, but it seems there's something about the tangible paper card that just can't be replaced. We've written about talking gift tags and greeting cards with online attachments, and now there's Burney Cards, combining an artist-designed, fold-out paper card with a burnable CD tucked inside.

Created by Dutch firm Schmeitz+Freitag, the Burney CD Card provides content-sharing consumers with a giftable alternative to download links and plastic jewel cases. The current line includes 24 styles of cards designed by up-and-coming artists. With designs for a variety of occasions, the cards let users record music, pictures or video onto the matching CD and send it along in the included slot, with a personalized message written on the card itself. The 15-by-15-cm cards are priced at EUR 5.95 each, with an introductory offer that provides one free card for every 10 purchased. Burney Cards were named finalists in this year's Creative Amsterdam Award.

Burney Cards can be purchased online, and international shipping is available. In addition, however, Amsterdam-based Schmeitz+Freitag is actively seeking distributors.

Website: www.burneycards.com
Contact: mail@schmeitzfreitag.com

We've written about holiday rental houses that let consumers try out stargazing and farming; at the opposite end of the spectrum, perhaps, is a new UK-based project that aims to let them experience world-class architecture instead.

Reportedly the brainchild of writer and architectural critic Alain de Botton—and with the Swiss ambassador to the UK on its board of advisors—Living Architecture hopes to offer holiday renters the experience of living, eating and sleeping in a space designed using outstanding architectural practices. Toward that end, it has commissioned established and emerging world-class architects to build houses around the UK. Peter Zumthor, for example, is currently working on a hilltop retreat designed for periods of sustained work and reflection. That house will be on the edge of Dartmoor, according to Building Design, while the "Balancing Barn" in Suffolk—now in the works from Dutch architectural firm MVRDV—will reportedly be the first to be built. Filling out the roster of five are The Long House, Shingle House and In-Between House—designed by Hopkins Architects, NORD Architecture and Jarmund/Vigsnæs Architects, respectively. All will be available for holiday rentals beginning in the spring of 2010.

Offering a sort of high-end tryvertising along with an educational experience that's sure to create status stories aplenty, the Living Architecture project is in some ways reminiscent of the pop-up Greenhouse by Joost cafe that was erected in Melbourne last year to demonstrate sustainable practices. It's better to show than to tell, as the saying goes—how can *your* brand demonstrate its possibilities in a way that will impress, educate and get consumers talking...? (Related: Test-sleeping for homebuyers.)

Website: www.living-architecture.co.uk
Contact: info@living-architecture.co.uk

Spotted by: Rinske Eekhof