Welcome to The Story Behind the Card—a new blog series where I share the inspiration, heart, and hope behind the greeting cards I create for Butterflies + Halos. Every card has a story. This is where I'll tell it.
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Every card begins with a conversation someone wishes had gone differently.
If you've spent any time browsing Butterflies + Halos, you've probably noticed something.
These aren't just greeting cards.
They're tiny pieces of someone's heart.
Every design in this shop began long before I ever opened Canva or chose a font. It started with a conversation. A moment. A story someone shared with me. Sometimes it was something beautiful that brought comfort. Other times, it was a sentence that landed like a brick in the middle of someone's grief.
Those moments stay with me.
And eventually, they become cards.
The very first card I ever designed wasn't polished or profound. It was the one below. A simple casserole, a little bit of humor, and a truth that almost every grieving person understands: people aren't looking for perfection. They're looking for someone who will stay. Looking back, I realize I wasn't just designing a card—I was unknowingly writing the mission statement for Butterflies + Halos.
The conversations that inspired a business
When my son Garret died unexpectedly, I quickly learned that grief leaves people speechless.
Friends wanted to help but didn't know how.
Family wanted to comfort but were afraid of saying the wrong thing.
Some people disappeared entirely because silence felt safer than awkwardness.
Others showed up with words that, while well-intentioned, hurt more than they healed.
It wasn't because people didn't care.
It's because no one teaches us how to speak to someone whose world has fallen apart.
That's where Butterflies + Halos was born.
Not from a love of stationery.
But from a longing to give people better words.
Why these exact words?
People often ask how I decide what goes on the front of a card.
The answer is simple.
I listen.
I listen to grieving parents.
Widows.
Adult children.
Friends.
Caregivers.
People who are trying so hard to love someone well but don't know where to begin.
Sometimes a sentence appears in my notebook after a coaching conversation.
Sometimes it's something I wish someone had said to me.
Sometimes it's the quiet reassurance I needed twenty years ago.
Before a card is ever printed, I ask myself one question:
Would these words make someone feel seen?
If the answer is no, I keep writing.
The cards you don't see
Not every idea makes it into the shop.
Some messages feel forced.
Some don't sound like me.
Some simply aren't ready yet.
Because every card carries my name, I want each one to feel genuine, comforting, and honest.
I'd rather release one meaningful card than ten that simply fill a category.
More than paper
One of my favorite things about owning this business is hearing where my cards end up.
Tucked inside care packages.
Left on a pillow.
Slipped into a hospital bag.
Delivered months after the funeral, when everyone else has gone back to normal.
Pinned to refrigerators.
Framed.
Saved in memory boxes.
Read over and over again.
A greeting card may only take a few minutes to read, but sometimes its words stay with someone for years.
That's a privilege I never take lightly.
Why I keep creating
There are already thousands of greeting cards in the world.
The world doesn't need another generic message.
It needs words that make people whisper,
"Yes...that's exactly how I feel."
That's what I hope every Butterflies + Halos card does.
Whether you're celebrating a birthday, remembering an angelversary, encouraging a friend through cancer, or simply letting someone know they're not alone, I want each card to become a bridge.
A bridge between not knowing what to say...
...and saying something that truly matters.
A little peek behind the curtain
This is the first in a new series I'm calling The Story Behind the Card.
Over the coming weeks, I'll be sharing the inspiration behind some of my favorite designs—the conversations that sparked them, the stories they represent, and the hope I pray they carry into someone's mailbox.
Because every card has a story.
And if you're holding one of mine, I hope you know this:
It was created by someone who understands that sometimes the smallest envelope can carry the biggest hug.
✨ A Gentle Takeaway
The next time you send a card, remember this:
You aren't just mailing paper.
You're mailing presence.
You're saying, "I thought of you today."
And for someone walking through grief, illness, or life's unexpected heartaches, those may be the very words they needed—even before they opened the envelope.
💛 Shop This Story
Let's Go Eat One of Those Damn Casseroles
This was the very first card I ever designed, and looking back, I realize it also became the heart of Butterflies + Halos.
It was created for the friend who doesn't have the perfect words but refuses to disappear. Because grief has taught me that presence matters far more than perfection—and sometimes healing begins over one of those damn casseroles.
Perfect for: A grieving friend, someone delivering a meal, or anyone who simply wants to say, "I'm here."
🦋 My hope: That this card reminds someone they don't have to find the perfect words. They simply have to show up.
(If this card speaks to your heart—or to someone you love—you can find it here.)
