Knapping Press

The story behind this card:

Know that I’m Here to Walk Through the Darkness With You ❤️

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When I was 26, my sister-in-law’s partner suddenly and unexpectedly passed.

Up until that point, I’d been fortunate to only experience death a few times before, mostly at a distance, and from natural causes. There was nothing natural about this, and his death felt unbearably cruel. Growing up with two older sisters, I knew my sister role well in our family. I knew when to call, or what to say in a text to offer comfort. Brian and I had only been dating two years, though, so the tools I had in my toolbox for my then-fiancé’s sister didn’t apply. I wanted to offer love and support but didn’t know how. I was in unfamiliar territory with this kind of death, too. The death of a partner is so raw and horrific, and I didn’t know what to say.

One of the times at Laura’s apartment in the immediate aftermath, she told us about the tradition of sitting shiva in Jewish culture. How loved ones sit with the mourner and wait for them to initiate conversation about the person that passed. Something as simple as sitting and being there, bearing witness to it all, can be perfectly enough.

In reflecting back on that time, I strove to create a design that I would have wanted to give then. A card that simply says I’m here and I’ll keep being here — through the hard, the dark, and the messy. ❤️

The next design I wanted to highlight from our Spring Collection is our RVA Botanicals Card. 🍓🌿

I’ve been wanting to create an RVA card for years, but was never quite happy with how things turned out. After another crack at it, I ended up with not just one, but two new RVA cards! The first is this one here. 💕

If this design looks familiar, you might recognize it. I adapted the design from our popular RVA Botanicals Swedish Dishcloth to fit on a note card.

The design features the classic RVA logo and vintage images of plants that can grow in Richmond: blackberries, strawberries, and figs.

This sweetie is perfect for housewarming gifts, keeping in touch across the miles, or simply sending a thoughtful note for everyday correspondence.

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Our Spring Collection includes eight botanical cards designed for everyday correspondence, and four heartfelt cards centered around moments of grief, gratitude, love, and building a life together.

You can see the full collection on our website, link in bio. 🔗