Hallmark Cards probably thinks it has secured coolness with Fresh Ink, its new line of bizarre and unconventional cards similar to the ones independent gift and bookstores have sold for years. In this realm, however, if you care to send the very best, Hallmark Gold Crown Stores are not your destinations. Independent cardmakers are still making the most stylish and funky cards around, and Gifted in Deep Ellum offers a great selection from several designers. From cards with "Thank You" spelled in neon letters to minimalist ones with thick, grainy paper and black-and-white photos, Gifted carries everything from the simply sublime to the wonderfully wacky.
No matter what the occasion, you can find a card depicting a young, bare, muscled torso at Nuvo. We don't mean to say that all their of cards are for gay men (or, for that matter, straight women with an aggressive appreciation of the male form). Some of them are all pecs and butts, but there are plenty for the straight shopper, including several lines of one-of-a-kind hand-printed art cards that tell someone that you not only care, but that you're the kind of person who'll spend $7 on a card.