Handmade notecards, stationery by Pikake Press

Meet the Press

Photos: courtesy Pikake Press

In the age of emails, status updates and Instagrams, the handwritten word appears to have fallen by the wayside.

Somewhere deep inside, your second-grade self is throwing a tantrum. Probably upset over all those wasted hours on penmanship practice, poor thing.

Don't write her off just yet. She'll come in handy when you're fawning over Pikake Press' lovely handmade notecards and stationery.

This Kailua-based Etsy shop is a treasure trove of elegant paper collectibles. Click through a wide range of unique styles and you're guaranteed to find the perfect card or tag for any occasion: delicate cherry blossoms on Japanese washi paper, personalized blue or pink baby carriage tags, a vintage Eiffel Tower motif that says merci, glittering hearts accented with three-dimensional butterflies.

In 2008, owner Leslie Morse used her lifelong obsession with paper to create greeting cards for Cards for Heroes (now known as Operation Write Home), so active duty servicemembers could write to family and friends. Shortly after, her own business was born.

Morse searches high and low for decorative paper and textured cardstock, some made here in Hawaii, others in Italy, Japan and Nepal. She adds vintage or purchased graphics and cute phrases before printing, cutting and assembling everything into beautiful sets.

Along with regular notecards, you'll find calendars, binder clips and adorable mini cards, perfect for a quick message to someone special.

Which, FYI, is way more thoughtful than a tweet.

Pikake Press card sets, $6-$22, and tags, $2.50-$6, available on Etsy.