Features Industry Profiles

Lori Christensen
Carde Blanche
Pleasanton, Calif.

1. When and how did you start working in this business?
Carde Blanche has evolved over the years, dating back to early 2002 or so (with a different business name). I started doing custom birth announcements with the birth of my oldest daughter in 1996, then again in 1998 with my second daughter. Friends started asking if I would do their announcements, birthday party invitations, etc. and the custom design work evolved from there and into a small business. The personalized stationery is and was part of the foundation of Carde Blanche.

I still design each order with the customer in mind — their aesthetic, colors, themes, price point and preferences. Every customer is unique and no two orders will ever be the same.

2. What is your signature style?
I would have to say, “less is more” with a pop of color and something dimensional.

3. What are your most popular stationery offerings?
People love the fact that Carde Blanche allows them to shop by color and that colored envelopes are included with all personalized stationery options. Having said that, I would say that Metallic Silver in the design or the envelope is a current favorite.

4. Please share the direction your line will be taking.
Although I’m not in the fashion industry, I always have one eye on the colors, patterns and features of fashion as a guideline to the personal preferences of women. While color is always a pleasing statement on paper, I see continued trends in the metallics (gold is next up for us) and bold patterns in black and white. We’ll dabble in both.

5. If you couldn’t do this, what would you do instead?
I would love to take a few cooking classes and open a quaint bakery café, a destination, with fantastic coffee like the bakery owned by Meryl Streep in “It’s Complicated.”