Greetings Etc Eco-Edition Showcases “Green Cards”
AUSTIN, TX – March 13, 2008 – Verysupercool today announced that their line of green greeting cards are featured in the latest edition of the most prominent stationery trade magazine in the country, Greeting etc. In their most comprehensive Eco-Friendly issue to date, Verysupercool was one of only two greeting card companies featured that uses exclusively 100% post consumer waste paper.
Tags: green cards, Greetings Etc Magazine
Posted in: Press Releases
Each card features an Austin dog’s rescue story
AUSTIN, TX – December 21, 2007 – Verysupercool today announced the company’s first line of holiday greeting cards – Hazel’s Holiday Hounds. Each card features a local Austin dog that has been rescued along with a playful holiday greeting. After the success of the Bonkers and Buddies collection, Verysupercool decided to keep the tradition of telling each dog’s story on the back of the card, which helps to educate and create awareness for various rescue groups.
This limited holiday edition is named in honor of a senior named Hazel, a 14 year-old Dachshund with a sweet snowy muzzle. Along with her pet passions and pet peeves, the back of Hazel’s card tells her personal rescue story, which is also available to read online at http://www.verysupercool.com/.
The outside of Hazel’s card says “Hazel’s Holiday Wish,” inside: “May your holidays be filled with sweet dogs and fuzzy kisses! Happy Holidays to you and yours!”
“Hazel’s Holiday Hounds is much more than just a line of Christmas cards, it’s a fun way to create awareness about all these wonderful nonprofit rescue organizations. These groups rely on donations in order to pay for medical expenses and sustain these dogs until they each find their forever family.” says Sue Rostvold of Verysupercool. “All of the dogs we photograph have a happy ending story, so it makes perfect sense to include that on the back of each card.”
Some of the other dogs in the collection include: Clifford, a 3 year old black Labrador Retriever (adopted through Town Lake Animal Center, now a Texas Hearing and Service dog), Cassidy; a 2 year old, three-legged Rottweiller (adopted through the joint efforts of Rottilove Rescue and Lap Dog Rescue, now a Therapy Dog); Alvin, a 1 year old Dachshund (adopted through Central Texas Dachshund Rescue); Mozart, a 5 month old Standard Poodle (adopted through P.A.W.S. of Austin); Shelby, a 9 year-old Australian Shepherd (adopted through Australian Shepherd Rescue, now a Therapy Dog); Rebound, a 16 week-old Boston Terrier (adopted through Kinky’s Utopia Rescue Ranch); Joey, a 3 year-old Italian Greyhound (adopted through Italian Greyhound Club of America Rescue); and Bouncer, a 5 month-old Basset Hound (originally from Town Lake Animal Center, then adopted through Helping Hands Basset Rescue).
Verysupercool greeting cards are available in over 100 stores nationwide. – Hazel’s Holiday Hounds collection is only available for a limited time at the following Austin locations. (NOTE: All cards are also available at the Verysupercool online store.)
Casa De Luz
Just for Pets
Keep Austin Bizarre
Lofty Dog
Urban Living
Whole Foods Market – central
Whole Foods Market – north
www.Verysupercool.com
“green greeting cards with soul, because every dog has a story”
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Tags: holiday greeting cards
Posted in: Press Releases
New Collection Features Stories about Each Dog
NEW YORK, NY – May 22, 2006 – Verysupercool today announced the company’s newest collection of greeting cards for Spring 2006 – Bonkers and Buddies. Unveiled at the 60th Annual National Stationery Show in New York City, the Bonkers and Buddies collection brings the dog models to life, not just in the artful photo, but also in the new feature on the back of the card – a short story delving into each dog’s personality, quirks and origin.
“Allan and I really get to know our dog models during our photo shoots and we learn a lot of really fun information about them,” said Verysupercool owner, Sue Rostvold. “People would naturally ask us all about the dogs featured when they saw are cards and really loved it when Allan and I would share our anecdotes. In this fourth collection, we decided to share these fun facts with our customers by writing up the stories on the back of each card.”
Bonkers, a nine-month old bull dog, is joined by nine of his buddies, 7 of them are pure breds and 2 others that mixes., Bonkers’ buddies span all stages of a dog’s life – from puppyhood (or from just months old) to active adults to our beloved seniors. In addition, many of the dogs are from rescue organizations that are mentioned on the back of the card.
Bonkers buddies include Alobar, a 3 year old Blue Great Dane; Art, a 9 year old Pomerarian; Big, a 10 year old Blue Great Dane; Buster, a 14 year old Golden Retriever Dash, a 5 year old Belgian Tervuren;; Hershey, a 7 year old Chocolate Lab; Maddox, a 6 month old Yellow Labrador Retriever; Rugs a 1 year old Old English Sheep Dog and Wheaten Terrier mix and, Sprout a 14 year old Chihuahua and Jack Russell Terrier mix. This new line joins three others previously released collections: Luna and Her Family, Wenge and Pals and Speckles and Friends.
The new collection will soon be available at all locations that sell Verysupercool cards.
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Tags: bonkers and buddies collection, national stationery show
Posted in: Press Releases
Speckles and Friends Evoke Joy of Friendship
AUSTIN, TX – January 23, 2006 – Verysupercool today announced the company’s new collection of greeting cards for 2006 – Speckles and Friends. This is the third collection of greeting cards produced by Verysupercool and features Speckles, an eight year-old Beagle/Australian Shepherd Mix. The theme of the collection is friendship with each card featuring a thought provoking quote.
“Speckles and Friends really convey the importance of friendship in our lives – be that bond with dogs or humans,” explains Sue Rostvold of Verysupercool. “Listening is essential in any friendship and dogs tend to be natural listeners. This is due mostly to the fact that they can’t talk! But the great thing about dogs is, they don’t have to, they can just look at you and convey their love and friendship.”
Speckles card contains the quote, “Good listeners, like precious gems, are to be treasured.” by Walter Anderson.
Speckles friends make up the remaining cards in the collection. They are: Quincy, a 14 year-old German Shepherd, Wolfhound, and maybe something else, mix. Dexter, and 11 week-old Chihuahua; Bella, a 10 week-old French Bull dog; Aggie, a 3 year-old Chocolate Newfoundland; Lindsey, and 7 year-old Daschund; Jubal, a 5 year-old Golden Retriever; Mi Queeney, a 7 year-old Chihuahua mix; and Heidi, an 8 year-old German Shepherd.
This new line has been produced fast on the heels of the initial inaugural lines of Verysupercool greeting cards. The first, entitled Luna and Her Family featured white Great Pyrenees puppies and their mother and contained inspirational and philosophical quotes within each card. The second collection named Wenge and Pals, helped launch the company in November of 2005 and featured Wenge, Sue and Allan’s elderly black lab. All the cards featured in this second collection contained dog-centric quotes that any animal lover would enjoy.
The new collection will soon be available at all locations that sell Verysupercool cards.
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Posted in: Press Releases
Greetings Etc Picks Verysupercool Cards for Trends 2006 Issue
AUSTIN, TX – January 16, 2006 – Verysupercool today announced that the company’s greeting card line has been named Best of the New products in the important Trends 2006 Issue of Greetings etc. Greetings etc. is the official magazine of the greeting card industry.
“We are delighted that Greetings etc. has recognized our cards in their all important Trends 2006 issue – it’s a fantastic endorsement of the beauty and quality of our cards,” says Sue Rostvold of Verysupercool. “When we create our cards, we are very passionate about capturing the very essence of the dog and matching that image with a thought provoking quote.”
The selection of Verysupercool cards as Best of the New comes just a few months after the company’s initial launch of the card line. This acknowledgement by the industry standard in the greeting card world is a huge coup for Verysupercool in a market that is flooded with thousands of new products every month.
“There just aren’t any cards on the market today that look like our cards,” adds Sue. “I’m certain that is why people have been so enthusiastic about them.” Verysupercool is committed to the environment and creates the greeting cards and envelopes on 100 percent post consumer waste paper. The company partners with New Leaf Paper, a trend setter in the recycling industry, in the effort to raise the recycling standard in the greeting card industry.
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Tags: Greetings Etc Magazine
Posted in: Press Releases
Austin’s Two Whole Food Stores
Now Carrying Verysupercool Cards
AUSTIN, TX – December 12, 2005 – Just weeks after officially launching the Verysupercool greeting card line, the company today announced that Whole Foods Market® is carrying the Verysupercool cards in the Central and North locations in Austin. Whole Foods Market is now the world’s leading retailer of natural and organic foods.
“We are thrilled that Whole Foods Market is carrying Verysupercool cards in both Austin locations so soon after launching,” said Sue Rostvold of Verysupercool. “Whole Foods is part of what makes Austin so unique and we know that customers who shop there will enjoy and appreciate our cards. This is an incredible opportunity for Verysupercool.”
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Tags: , whole foods market
Posted in: Press Releases
Austin Company Launches Greeting Card Line
AUSTIN, TX – November 8, 2005 – Have you ever gazed deep into the eyes of your beloved canine and thought, “If only I could do this all day long…” It’s easy to see how many pet owners become emotionally attached to their loving companions. Millions of Americans, a staggering 68 million, consider their dogs to be a very important part of their family, so it’s no wonder that products for and about dogs is a steadily growing industry. However, few products on the market can really depict the soul of a canine with dignity and grace. That is, until now. Austin-based company, Verysupercool, has artfully captured the essence and soul of many dogs through photography. Today, Verysupercool announces the availability of their new line of greeting cards bearing these incredibly lovable images.
From Grief, the Genesis of a Great Idea
The greeting card line is the dream project of the husband and wife team Allan Little and Sue Rostvold, who, when their beloved dog Scooby passed away, found themselves searching for the proper way to memorialize him. Losing Scooby was hard for them, and through sharing with friends, they realized that others also found it difficult to offer comfort over the loss of a pet. When several friends also lost pets, Sue began to make her own greeting cards using photos of the beloved pets. Rather than saying “deepest sympathy,” Sue included meaningful quotes that she thought, had a more universal appeal. The cards brought smiles to many, and soon, Sue began creating a variety of fun cards with quotes for all occasions.
“Realizing the mortality of our own dogs made us really want to capture their soulful gazes for ourselves,” says Allan Little of Verysupercool. “Sue has always enjoyed making cards for friends and family, and we decided to turn that passion into a business.”
The cards brought together Sue’s many loves and talents, from her printing and photography experience to her love for dogs and poignant quotes. “I never imagined I could combine all the things I love into a new career,” offers Sue Rostvold.
Real Dogs that Belong to Real People
There are plenty of cards on the market that feature pets in funny costumes and silly situations. Verysupercool wanted their cards to be more natural, and to focus more on the uniqueness of each dog. Sue and Allan knew it was possible to capture the soulful expression of their own dogs, and by using patience and treats, they found they could capture the spirit of other dogs as well. They began approaching different dog owners around Austin, photographing their dogs and developing the product line.
“Every dog is unique and each one belongs to a family. I didn’t want the images to have a generic feel to them. And, while purebred dogs are gorgeous, I didn’t want to exclude dogs that are mixed breeds, or mutts,” adds Sue. “Each dog’s face is so different and so full of expression. Capturing that expression is the goal, not just featuring a specific breed.”
Keeping It Green
Sue and Allan wanted to offer a product that was both beautiful and earth-friendly. After finding out the industry standard for paper to be considered recycled is that it contain only 30 percent post consumer waste, they knew they could and should do better. Verysupercool uses New Leaf Everest, a superior, fine art quality and 100 percent consumer waste paper. New Leaf Paper was the first to manufacture an acid-free, white paper, processed chlorine free and made entirely from paper that has already been used and returned through a recycling program, thereby diverting it from a landfill or incinerator.
Available in Austin and other parts of the US
Verysupercool cards have been on the market since September. Currently, the cards are being sold at the following locations in Austin: Breed & Co., Wheatsville Co-Op, Moxie and the Compound, Eco-Wise, Casa de Luz and Sparks. In San Antonio: Barking Friends, and at stores in Santa Barbara, CA, Denver and Chicago.
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Tags: Company Launch
Posted in: Company Launch, Press Releases
