Several weeks back, I shared a post seeking donations of Mother’s Day cards and stamps for Nicole Juranek, a community college professor, mom, wife — and enormous advocate for those behind bars.
Nicole is known as the “book lady” by inmates since she has spent years volunteering in the library of the Pottawattamie County Jail — but one day she decided to reach out to card companies for donations too. Out of 10 emails sent in 2024, only one maker responded: Lindsay Henry of Inklings Paperie. Lindsay told me all about it when I saw her in January 2025 at Atlanta Market, which led to my earlier post.
I am happy to report that after I posted, I was cc’d on a flurry of emails from makers wanting to donate, but I didn’t really know how everything played out … that is, until I heard from Nicole late last week, as Mother’s Day approached.
“I wanted to let you know another successful Mother’s Day card project is complete,” she wrote me. “I dropped off over 200 cards to the post office!”
Meanwhile, Nicole received a very well-deserved thank you — from a large group of female inmates.
“[They] MADE me a card, signed all their names, and thanked me for the cards. My heart melted!” she recalled. “I loved the drawings and feel so grateful that so many women will receive a card.”
Speaking of generosity, I can’t go any further without listing all the makers who so kindly donated. There were so many donations to track, the below list may not be complete. So, if your name is not here and it should be, or if I got anything wrong, please email me stat. “The cards just came rolling in — what a blessing! — and my kids opened boxes before I even got home some days!” Nicole laughed.
Kathryn of She Said It.
LeeAnn Brissett of Add Pink and Stir
Colleen Attara of Colleen Attara Studio
Jason Arbuckle of J. Falkner Cards
Vanness Harnik of Notes & Queries
Lana Effron of Lana’s Shop
Anna Sullivan with Pidge Post Studio
Jean Sanchez of Little Feet’s Opus
Andrea Smith of 7th and Palm
Jackie Monk of JUNEBUG INK
Jocelyn Lucas of Ümlaut Brooklyn
Rhonda Warren and Allie Reddout of Color Box Design & Letterpress
Pierre Carlier
“Looking at the above list just makes me beam!” Nicole wrote. “And thanks to Lindsay Henry and you for making this possible! My work with the jail library has me storing books in my garage. I have a 4-by-4-foot spot, and often they are stacked to the ceiling when a big donation arrives. I now have a card storage area in my basement, again stacked so very high.”
Nicole told me she has Father’s Day and winter holiday cards all ready to go. Plus, she received some wonderful everyday cards, which she plans to donate to community corrections (work release/parole).
Personally speaking, when I want to donate any stationery so kindly sent to me — unfortunately my workspace can only hold so much as well! — I always say I just want it to be used and loved. Clearly every donation here meets that standard, so thank you again to everyone who made this very special Mother’s Day mailing happen. While we all agree that paper people are the best people, these paper people are quite the elite group to my mind. If you are in the market for cards, please consider starting your shop with them!
