About Us

Snail mail is happy mail.

A lot of love goes into creating each card, and we hope they help you connect to your special people, one little piece of snail mail at a time.

Est. 2015

My business journey began with a visit to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage in Nairobi whilst I was still at uni studying Illustration, back in 2012. I’d always been an animal lover and a crazy cat lady, but that trip was my inspiration to start painting animals for the very first time.

After finishing uni I moved back in with my parents and working from their spare room, I continued to grow my portfolio of animal illustrations which I sold at local markets. It took me a year or so after uni to start to develop my own style, and at Spring Fair in 2016 I showed my first collection of cards, Furry Friends, which is still going strong today.

Since then, our team has grown to my lucky number (seven), we supply hundreds of small and larger shops around the UK and beyond, and with your help, we have donated more than £100,000 to wildlife charities that protect and revive the natural world from which I draw so much inspiration.

Our Process

All our cards start out as one of many pencil scribbles on loose sheets of paper. I then use a variety of media including pen and ink and gouache, combining colourful inky washes, intricate line-work and a lot of white space to create characterful illustrations that capture the essence of their furry real-life counterparts. I love the physicality of creating and I try to preserve this handmade, hand painted feel right through to the final printed card.

A Family Effort

The story of my business isn’t complete without mentioning my Mum and Dad. Dad gave up his accountancy job to join me just months after my second trade show in 2016 and devoted the next five years, working by my side, to building our operational and financial foundations. I have learned much from him about leadership, organisation and thoughtful decision-making. Although he is now happily retired, his prudence and diligence live on in all our processes today and in the spirit of our small team.

Mum has been my biggest cheerleader from day one, coming with me to my very first trade show, and every trade show we’ve done since. Having run her own creative business for 15 years, she’s always instilled in me that it is possible to turn my passion for painting into my job. Mum’s opinions on my illustrations will always be the ones that matter to me most. She always seems to be right in the end (which can get very annoying!)

Our next chapter

We are partnering with The Art File, a fellow family business specialising in beautiful art cards, who will be the exclusive publisher of our greetings cards in the UK. Our collaboration will feature more than 300 of our bestselling designs, plus an exciting new launch of mini and square cards too. You'll be able to shop our ranges directly from their retail website.

The Art File will also continue to supply our designs to many of our independent shop customers across the UK and our nationwide and chain stockists too, including Waterstones, Waitrose, John Lewis, The National Trust, Postmark and Vinegar Hill.

For our US-based wholesale and retail customers, you can shop our cards from our lovely US publisher Biely & Shoaf Co.

Thank you so much for your support over the years. It's been a wild wild ride and a wonderful humbling journey. I'm hopeful this next chapter will be a peaceful and creative one. Louise x

Giving Back

As a paper-based business creating artwork inspired by our planet's beautiful and diverse wildlife, we want to be apart of protecting and reviving it! We donate 2% of our annual revenue to wildlife charities close to our hearts.

You can read about each charity below.

We’re Rewilding with Rewilding Britain!

We're Rewilding with Rewilding Britain! As a paper-based business creating artwork inspired by our planet's beautiful and diverse wildlife, we want to be apart of protecting and reviving it! Giving back to causes that mean a lot to us is truly one of the greatest joys of having a business. Over the last four years, we are unbelievably proud to have funded the planting of 500,000 trees together with you, through our pledge of planting 1 tree per order with Eden People+ Planet (formerly Eden Reforestation Projects). But we are learning that there is a more holistic approach to helping our planet. Enter: Rewilding Britain! About Rewildling Rewilding is the large-scale restoration of nature until it can take care of itself – and us – again. It’s about restoring nature’s remarkable web of life, including habitats, natural processes and, where appropriate, missing species. Rewilding Britain wants to see rewilding flourishing across Britain, reconnecting us with nature, sustaining communities, and tackling the climate emergency and extinction crisis. Rewilding Britain is inspiring a movement of rewilders across Britain’s land and seas. So that together we can ensure a wilder, nature-rich future that benefits us all. Our Donation We donate 1% of our turnover to Rewilding Britain to create a wilder Britain that improves lives for people, nature and the climate. So when you buy our cards, you can feel wildly proud knowing you are apart of the good fight to tackle the climate crisis and bring nature back to life.

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust: returning to where it all began!

Sheldrick Wildlife Trust As a paper-based business creating artwork inspired by our planet's beautiful and diverse wildlife, we want to be apart of protecting and reviving it! Giving back to causes that mean a lot to us is truly one of the greatest joys of having a business. The SWT is a charity very close to my (Louise's) heart. I visited their elephant orphanage in Nairobi National Park during my second year of university and it was the first I'd learned of the incredible and far-reaching work they do to protect and preserve wildlife in Kenya. It marked a poignant time in my development and direction as an illustrator, and was really the inspiration for me to start painting animals for the very first time. Many years later, elephants feature often in my card designs and are still my favourite to paint. About Their Life-Saving Work The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust operates a multi-faceted approach to conservation. Best known for their 'Orphans' Project', the first and most successful elephant rescue and rehabilitation program in the world, their legacy also encompasses anti-poaching operations, safeguarding precious wildlife habitats, mitigating human-wildlife conflict and providing veterinary assistance to wild animals in need, all of this work being underpinned by engagement with local communities. Photo by Mia Collis © Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Our Donation We donate 1% of our annual turnover to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (beginning 1st July 2019) and now totalling more than £50,000 in donations, to help support their mission to conserve, preserve and protect wildlife and habitats in Kenya. SWT Christmas Cards and Stationery I have been incredibly honoured to design Christmas cards for the Trust over the last five years, which are sold exclusively on their online shop, with 100% of proceeds going to the Trust. It's been a joy each year to take inspiration from the beautiful photos and videos that the SWT share on their social platforms and create a new selection of elephant themed designs. More recently, 'just to say' cards, 'thank you' cards, stationery products and gift wrap have been added to the collection which are sold year round. Shop the Louise Mulgrew x SWT collection here.