<p>Labor Day Weekend is always a little bittersweet for me. As much as we have to move forward like the proverbial shark, it&#8217;s hard to say goodbye to summer&#8217;s lazy days and easy living. I&#8217;ll take the pleasant, private surprise of discovering a hummingbird or woodpecker in my backyard over a Pumpkin Spice what-have-you on a brisk, windy day every time — but no one gets a say in the march of time. </p>



<p>When it comes to a special missive, however, sometimes time <strong>can</strong> take a back seat. Each time that card is rediscovered in a drawer and read again (with eyes that are older and hopefully wiser), the words on the paper come back to life almost as they were written just last week. If the person who sent it is no longer alive, they almost seem present again for an all-too-brief moment. Such is the magic of stationery. </p>



<p>With that said, there&#8217;s no better way to capture a moment eternally than with a polished missive specially selected, written for, and sent off into the world to someone we adore. And this particular instant, as we straddle two seasons, is definitely worth clasping tightly. </p>



<p>To do so, may I suggest this warm-weather, best-selling selection of greeting cards and note sets from <a href="https://www.shadesofexpressiondesigns.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Shades of Expression Designs">Shades of Expression Designs</a>? In this endless summer, there&#8217;s always sun on your back and heat in the air.</p><div class="inline-post clearfix"><div class="see-also byline">See also</div><div id="block-wrap-90647" class="block-wrap-native block-wrap block-wrap-23 block-css-90647 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="90647" 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-10020533 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-favorites category-sister-acts tag-denise-laborde tag-design tag-faire tag-friendly-fire-paper tag-greeting-cards tag-letterpress tag-mariana-picans tag-sarah-schwartz tag-stationery tag-stationery-blog tag-stationery-design tag-stationery-designer tag-thank-you-stationery" style="--animation-order:0"><div class="preview-mini-wrap clearfix"><div class="mask"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/joy-via-the-usps/" class="mask-img"><img width="100" height="100" src="https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.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/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.jpg?w=1200&;ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.jpg?resize=850%2C850&;ssl=1 850w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.jpg?resize=1024%2C1024&;ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.jpg?resize=100%2C100&;ssl=1 100w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.jpg?resize=770%2C770&;ssl=1 770w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.jpg?resize=120%2C120&;ssl=1 120w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.jpg?resize=275%2C275&;ssl=1 275w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.jpg?resize=372%2C372&;ssl=1 372w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.jpg?resize=567%2C567&;ssl=1 567w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.jpg?resize=882%2C882&;ssl=1 882w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.jpg?resize=752%2C752&;ssl=1 752w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.jpg?resize=24%2C24&;ssl=1 24w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.jpg?resize=48%2C48&;ssl=1 48w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.jpg?resize=96%2C96&;ssl=1 96w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.jpg?resize=150%2C150&;ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.jpg?resize=300%2C300&;ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ED19-on-Pink-Background.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><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/category/sister-acts/" style="color:#b79b0d" class="cat">Sister Acts</a></div></div><div class="title-wrap"><h3 class="title"><a href="https://thepapernerd.com/joy-via-the-usps/">Joy, via the USPS</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="2026-01-29T17:08:16+00:00">January 29, 2026</time></span><span class="byline-part likes-count"><a href="#" class="tipi-like-count " data-pid="10020533"><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/2022/09/thinkingofyou-0240-821x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10011344"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/birthday-237.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10011330"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/birthday-0757-821x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10011333"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/blank-1115.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10011338"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/birthday-0902.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10011334"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/CardSet-Sunsets-731x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10011341" width="770" height="1079"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/birthday-0988.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10011335"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/newhome-0480_edited-1-821x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10011342"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/blank-0624.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10011337"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/CardSet-Birds-731x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10011339" width="772" height="1081"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/blank-0598.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10011336"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/notecard-337_edited-1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10011343"/></figure>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/CardSet-Floral-731x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10011340" width="770" height="1079"/></figure>



<p>This women-owned, family-run and prolific New Jersey house of paper is run by a three-generation team comprised of a mom, two daughters, and a granddaughter. Their exquisite designs run the gamut from trendy to traditional, and go far beyond stationery, with their artwork available on clipboards, coasters and mugs as well. When you visit their site, you never know what you will find. Get your shop started <a href="https://www.shadesofexpressiondesigns.com/shop-all-products" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="here">here</a>.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://thepapernerd.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/birthday-0391.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-10011332"/></figure>