Roses, Roses, Roses!

See our entire Rose Collection here!

Did you know that one of the oldest fossils of roses (discovered in Colorado) dates back over 35 million years ago? Or that roses can grow as tall as 7 meters (23 feet), and some species can live for over 100 years? Or that the oldest living rose is believed to be over 1,000 years old and can be found climbing the wall of the Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany?! The rose is the most popular flower in the world, with over 150 species and countless cultivars available today. At Laughing Elephant, we also love roses and have curated a collection of products that feature this beloved flower in many different illustrated styles. So, whether you're a rose enthusiast or just appreciate the elegance of this classic bloom, take a moment to stop and smell the roses with us and explore our Rose Collection.

Let’s start with an upcoming holiday: Mother's Day is one of the busiest days of the year for florists, and roses are among the most popular flowers purchased for the occasion. However, while real roses can be a beautiful gesture, they can also be quite expensive, especially around holidays. Luckily, Laughing Elephant has a beautiful selection of greeting cards featuring roses that make for a wonderful and affordable alternative!

A perfect pink rose for your mom!

See all our Mother's Day cards here!

Letter Writing

Laughing Elephant has recently released a new line of letter writing sets, available in eight charming styles, including beautiful roses in pink and yellow! These sets are perfect for writing a heartfelt message to your mother or mother-figure on Mother's Day, or any day for that matter. Each set includes twelve letter sheets, bagged and bound with six matching envelopes.

 

The elegant designs and high-quality paper make these sets a delightful addition to any stationery collection!

See all our Letter Writing sets here!

Boxed Cards

Let’s dive into our Antique Roses Boxed Sets — as they are a must-have for any rose lover! These exquisite sets include a collection of rose images sourced from various sources of paper ephemera, including Victorian scraps, antique postcards, and growers’ catalogs. Vintage growers' catalogs specifically are a treasure trove of information about the history of horticulture and agriculture.

These catalogs were often published by seed and plant companies in the 19th and early 20th centuries and provided detailed descriptions alongside intricate drawings and lithographs of the plants they sold. They were often sent out to customers through the mail and were an important marketing tool for these companies. At Laughing Elephant, we love to explore vintage growers' catalogs not just for their historical value, but also for the beautiful illustrations that translate well to our cards, postcards, and art prints. We have a collection of these catalogs in our archives and often use them as inspiration for our own designs!

Although the illustrators' names for catalog art may have been lost over time, their skilled artistry remains evident and timeless.

Seed the images in our Antique Roses Postcard Box Set here!

These boxes can also be an unexpected place to learn about American history! During the late 1800s and early 1900s, rose breeders named many new rose varieties after historic figures and events, resulting in charming and unique roses with names such as “Souvenir de la Malmaison” after Empress Josephine's famous rose garden, “Abraham Lincoln” to commemorate the U.S. president, and “Peace” to celebrate the end of World War I. Let’s dig into one of the commemorative roses featured in our Antique Roses Greeting Card Box: the “Mrs. Robert Peary” rose. Josephine Diebitsch Peary was an American explorer and adventurer who accompanied her husband, Robert E. Peary, on six of his expeditions to the Arctic. She was a skilled navigator, cartographer, and photographer, and she also wrote several books about her experiences. Today, the “Mrs. Robert Peary” rose remains a popular garden plant, and the vintage illustrations of the rose found in catalogs, advertisements, and our own cars serve as a unique legacy for an extraordinary person! 

 

The "Mrs. Robert Peary" rose was offered in the 1899 Dingee & Conard Co. catalog and advertised as "the first pure-white, hardy, ever-blooming climbing rose" and "the most sensational Rose of modern introduction.

See the images in our Antique Roses Greeting Card Set here!

Notebooks

Next up are Laughing Elephant's vintage notebooks! They simply are a must-have for any book lover or vintage enthusiast. With their colorful covers and 24 lined pages, these notebooks are perfect for jotting down notes, making shopping lists, and capturing your creative ideas. They are also great for gift giving, as they add a touch of nostalgia to any occasion. Plus, if you love roses, you'll be pleased to know that 5 out of the 66 vintage notebooks feature beautiful illustrations of this classic flower.

Take a vintage notebook on the go for all of your daily needs!

See all our Journal Notebooks here!

We recently added the adorable gardening gal below to our Pin-Up Girl Collection! Despite the thorny obstacles, this pin-up girl remains determined to care for her roses. We unfortunately don’t know the name of the artist and the only credit we have is "Collection of a Gentleman, London.” It’s interesting, but not very useful!

Gardening can be treacherous (but cute)!

See all our Pin-Up Girls here!

We hope you've enjoyed exploring some of our favorite products that feature beautifully illustrated roses. Our collection includes even more unique and delightful items, so be sure to check them all out: See our entire Rose Collection here!

Thank you for reading and being our friend! 

See this Thank You card by Hooligan Ruth here!