<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Life is too short for dull words or dull paper. Those 10 words have such a powerful ring of truth — which is why they are the official tagline of <a href="https://friendlyfirepaper.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Friendly Fire Paper</a>. As such, every last order is wrapped in tissue and sealed with a sticker saying just that.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">This Connecticut house of letterpress is one of many incredible sister acts in the stationery community; it was founded in 2016 by sisters Denise Laborde and Mariana Picans — which means they are celebrating a big milestone birthday this year! With this maturity comes an certain ease of design, color and verbiage that makes every last release really resonate (though I have been a big fan since my first viewing many years back!). It&#8217;s all that much more impactful when the card is pulled from the envelope, accompanied by a most meaningful message, of course.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Stationery has been getting a lot of consumer attention these days, so I asked Denise for her thoughts on why a product that some consider obsolete is on the forefront during these conflicted times. &#8220;We need bright moments in our day — even on our heaviest days — and hopefully our greeting cards can provide that,&#8221; she wrote me. &#8220;And not just the beautiful colorful letterpress designs, but the act of writing a card and sharing it with someone. Doing something thoughtful for others is a great source of joy.&#8221; </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">As you can see below, bright moments are the rule not the exception in Friendly Fire&#8217;s most recent bevy of releases. Though they may just be paper and ink, their transformative potential is literally at our fingertips. </p><div class="inline-post clearfix"><div class="see-also byline">See also</div><div id="block-wrap-85406" class="block-wrap-native block-wrap block-wrap-23 block-css-85406 block-wrap-classic columns__m--1 elements-design-3 block-ani block-skin-0 tipi-box block-wrap-thumbnail ppl-m-1 clearfix" data-id="85406" data-base="0"><div class="tipi-row-inner-style clearfix"><div class="tipi-row-inner-box contents sticky--wrap"><div class="block block-23 clearfix"><article class="tipi-xs-12 clearfix with-fi ani-base tipi-xs-typo split-1 split-design-1 loop-0 preview-thumbnail preview-23 elements-design-3 post-10015996 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-favorites tag-adam-klassen tag-brittany-trafford tag-design tag-faire tag-furoshiki tag-greeting-cards tag-lzysunday tag-nina-clausonet tag-sarah-schwartz tag-sophia-choi tag-stationery tag-stationery-blog tag-stationery-design tag-stationery-designer" style="--animation-order:0"><div class="preview-mini-wrap clearfix"><div class="mask"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/a-japanese-tradition-for-our-times/" class="mask-img"><img width="100" height="100" src="https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?resize=100%2C100&;ssl=1" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?w=1200&;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?resize=850%2C850&;ssl=1 850w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?resize=100%2C100&;ssl=1 100w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?resize=770%2C770&;ssl=1 770w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?resize=120%2C120&;ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?resize=275%2C275&;ssl=1 275w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?resize=372%2C372&;ssl=1 372w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?resize=567%2C567&;ssl=1 567w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?resize=882%2C882&;ssl=1 882w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?resize=752%2C752&;ssl=1 752w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?resize=24%2C24&;ssl=1 24w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?resize=48%2C48&;ssl=1 48w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?resize=96%2C96&;ssl=1 96w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?resize=150%2C150&;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?resize=300%2C300&;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/3.jpg?resize=50%2C50&;ssl=1 50w" sizes="(max-width: 100px) 100vw, 100px" /></a></div><div class="meta"><div class="byline byline-2 byline-cats-design-4"><div class="byline-part cats"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/category/favorites/" style="color:#b79b0d" class="cat">Favorites</a></div></div><div class="title-wrap"><h3 class="title"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/a-japanese-tradition-for-our-times/">A Japanese Tradition for our Times</a></h3></div><div class="byline byline-3"><span class="byline-part date"><i class="tipi-i-calendar" aria-hidden="true"></i> <time class="entry-date published dateCreated flipboard-date" datetime="2024-06-20T18:30:40+00:00">June 20, 2024</time></span><span class="byline-part likes-count"><a href="#" class="tipi-like-count " data-pid="10015996"><span class="likes-heart"><i class="tipi-i-heart-o" aria-hidden="true"></i><i class="tipi-i-heart" aria-hidden="true"></i></span><span class="tipi-value">0</span></a></span></div></div></div></article></div></div></div></div></div></tipimidc>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LVFR20-Updated-on-Light-Pink-Background-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10020540"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/FD09-on-Green-Background-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10020538"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Faire Winter Market Bestseller!</figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BB04-Updated-on-Purple-Background-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10020534"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/MD20-on-a-Yellow-Background-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10020545"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Faire Winter Market Bestseller!</figcaption></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/BD35-on-Green-Background-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10020535"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LVFR39-on-Red-Background-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10020542"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/MD19-on-Pink-Background-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10020544"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Faire Winter Market Bestseller!</figcaption></figure>



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<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/LVFR17-Updated-on-Light-Pink-Background-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10020539"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/MD05-Updated-on-Purple-Background-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10020543"/></figure>



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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Thank you so much Denise for letting me share these beauties here — and for sending me them in snail mail form! Check out my Instagram stories or &#8216;happy mail&#8217; tab in my profile to see what I mean. </p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Nerds in the wild, start your Friendly Fire Paper shop <a href="https://friendlyfirepaper.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. Hit $25, and the shipping is on them. Nerds in the trade, shop this fiery brand 24/7 on Faire. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10020537"/></figure>