How it all started!
One extraordinarily beautiful fall day in 1999,
my dog Mina and I were taking our usual walk in the neighbourhood.
She was exploring scents and sounds, I was admiring the seasonal
changeover while vaguely lounging in stray thoughts. We stopped
for a little mutual appreciation break and I suddenly noticed a
single leaf highlighted by a ray of sun on a shrub that I had been
walking past for years. It had amazing colourful detail, rather
feather-like, and as the sunbeam expanded to include a few others,
the cluster reflected my thoughts on family. There we all were,
mirrored in the beauty and individuality of every leaf.
Hence was born my first card, entitled "Family".
As time progressed, leaves were suggesting more
and more expressions to me, often reflecting my own thoughts.
A delicate dandelion/daisy weed suggested that I
...
"simplify"
An emaciated maple clued into my ...
"Rough Day?"
While a bug-chewed foliage victim made
me ask ...
"So, what's eating you?"
It all became fun and I became dedicated.
I gave away many of these cards but
there was a flaw. After time, their colour deteriorated and the
leaves tended to crack. I wanted very much to preserve their beauty,
so I started experimenting with different ways of reproducing them.
After much trial and error, I discovered that the colour and texture
were retained best through a digital process and I am now able to
achieve an enduring first generation image from the original leaf.
Today, I make cards with messages and
others that are blank, as well as "Thank you" notes, gift
packs and enclosure cards. I am still "branching out"
into other products while also customizing:
- Corporate greeting cards
- Cards for organizations that I support, a portion
of which will go to the cause
- Wedding invitation and thank you cards.
I hope you will find a moment to ...
"Relax" ....
Enjoy looking at these cards ...
and then Branch out! and order some!
Testimonials
"I gave my mother a box of blank
Branch out! cards for Mothers' Day and she loves to have them on
hand throughout the year. They've certainly lasted longer than flowers."
Ida - North Bay ON
"I stock up on a variety of Branch out! products
and most of my day-to-day 'thank-you's' are taken care of. There
are bookmarks and magnets for teachers, cards for every occasion
and prints for overseas gifts."
Jane - Cobourg ON
"I don't have the time to go to the store every
time I want to send a thank you card; its really handy to have a
box of Branch out! cards that I can use."
Ray - Winnipeg MAN
"Buying from Branch out! makes my sentiments
seem even deeper as I am also supporting a Canadian artist with
every Birthday card I send."
Lynn - Halifax NS
"Nature is the perfect backdrop for all the
cards we want to write. We especially love to send the maple leaf
cards to our friends and family out of country."
John and Gloria - Toronto ON
Branch out! cards are by far superior
Hallmark cards!
A really loyal customer
My order of 65,000,000 cards was ready
before breakfast!
a really happy customer
Philosophy
Do something you enjoy doing; surround
yourself with people you love and respect; find the humour in things:
be goofy; laugh a lot; love a lot; keep your mind open; be adaptable;
learn, give with your heart; travel – inwards; forgive, and
be forgiven; we’re only human and mistakes are stepping stones
to self-knowledge.
I could carry on about the things that
I believe in, but they come out in my cards anyway. Maybe that’s
why I enjoy doing them so much!
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