The idea for Cards by Irene started one day in a Seattle apartment in 2004. Irene was on vacation and her boyfriend at the time (now husband & business partner) was at work. Eric came home to an apartment that smelled of rubber cement and pieces of paper scattered all over the living room. It took a little over a year after that for Irene to quit her “real” job and start her own company (and move on from rubber cement).

These cards are sold with a lot of love. Many cards don’t make it to the selling floor because they are not “perfect” or they are not the original “vision”. You may see some of these cards in the clearance section, but those with flaws are not sold. Irene is sometimes overly critical of her work, but she believes the money you pay should come with the highest quality of cards.

Irene sells greeting cards, gift tags and notecards because she believes in hand-crafted items. There is a certain level of respect that comes from high-quality handmade items and she hopes that all of her products achieve this belief.

Irene makes everything you see on this site and her loving husband Eric takes all the pictures in his (little) spare time, or whenever Irene begs him.

Please feel free to contact Irene with any comments or questions at irene@cardsbyirene.com