These Brutally Honest Greeting Cards Are Perfect For Any Occasion

If you ever thought that greeting cards were a little too vague, or their euphemisms and terminology didn’t seem honest, you’re in luck. Designer and stationery creator Emily McDowell has two collections of honest greeting cards with messages that are refreshingly straightforward and honest. In their honesty, they’re both funny and surprisingly touching.

The cards feature a fairly long paragraph on the front, which pretty accurately sum up the awkward, confusing social situations we’ve all found ourselves in. Life events, missed birthdays, and even just expressing how much you appreciate someone’s presence in your life can be cripplingly awkward. McDowell was acutely aware of this. Instead of trying to gloss over the weird, potentially embarrassing thoughts that fly through our heads, McDowell simply writes them all out on the card. The result is a halting, awkward passage, but it really captures the cluster of emotions that can crowd our thoughts.

(via My Modern Met)

“When I launched my card line,” McDowell explains, “my intention was to make cards that speak to the relationships we actually have, not the ones we wish we had. Every card we release goes back to that principle, but to me, the Awkward Cards embody it in the purest way. Relationships are messy and weird and hard to define sometimes, and I think the Awkward Cards capture that in a relatable, universal way. I love making anything that helps people feel understood—it means a lot to me when people pick one up and think, ‘So I’m NOT the only person who feels this way? What a relief!'”

The first collection came out in Spring 2014, and a new collection was unveiled earlier this month. The cards are text-based, although the new collection features more colors and illustrative touches. Still, they’re just as refreshingly real and touchingly unpolished in their wording.

McDowell created the cards to fill gaps she saw in the mainstream greeting card selection. “I had some really important non-mom maternal figures in my life growing up, and I’m a stepmom now. I’ve always felt like there weren’t enough Mother’s Day and Father’s Day card options for step-parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, godparents, etc., so it was great to get to make some. And now they exist!”

You can check out McDowell’s website for more cards (and more items), including some pretty cheeky ones. You might rethink your usual trip to the drugstore with cards like these!