Lolita Charm: Here, My Card: Lolita Calling Cards

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Here, My Card: Lolita Calling Cards

Lolita calling cards: a nebulous trend that needs to become reality. Why haven't they picked up? I think it's because most lolita interaction is still, unfortunately, over the Internet. It leaves us at a bit of loss when you can't just swap usernames or links in real life!

The first lolita calling card I ever got was from Crystal of Pretty Wonderland. It was sage green, dusty rose, and printed with a gilt crown. Below 'Princess Crystal' in script, there was an email and other online handles. I was absolutely touched. How cute! How personal! I loved knowing that she had designed it herself to reflect her personality and style, and I was even more pleased to know that she thought I should have one!

For ages I knew I should have a calling card. Meeting new lolitas at meetups, tea parties or conventions is great - losing touch with one who you only know by her first name or 'the girl in the blue Happy Garden skirt' is not. Scribbling on pads, keeping notebooks, fumbling for pens... how messy! Or whipping out cellphones to give and enter numbers, a slow process. Calling cards are the ideal item to bring to any event where you'll be meeting new people - or hope to do so! ;)

If you want to get your cards printed:

Design your card in an image program like Photoshop. It's best if you use a template first, either from a send-away company or from just a business card company in general. This is great for experimenting with different graphics, fonts, photos, pink backgrounds... anything you can design, you can create! I chose a template, designed mine in Photoshop, and then took the file to Staples where they quickly printed up a batch of them, ready for the next day! (Note: don't order too many at once, in case you'd like to change yours or something isn't right with the first batch. Somehow my pretty pink cards ended up purple! And I have 300 of them so...)

If you want to do it the old-fashioned way:

Victorian ladies made their own calling cards by hand using laces, calligraphy, pressed flowers, illustrations... No two were exactly the same and each was a small labor of love. Use good cardstock paper and some crafting supplies to make a set of calling cards next time you're stuck with a rainy day indoors. Decoupage them with magazine cuttings, use cute rubber stamps, or adorable stickers. A great option if you're meeting a new friend for the first time or attending small, personal meetups. (If you're attending a large meetup of twenty or more, do yourself a favor and get them printed! Don't be up the night before gluing pressed violets onto cards!)

Don't forget to include on your calling card:

Your name - to be called in person, not just your username! Usernames are rather impersonal... I can't imagine anyone saying, for example, xobubblesox in person! It doesn't have to be your full name if you prefer, just whatever name you go by for lolita or your other hobbies. Using your full name is also cute and princess-y - usually historical and fantasy princesses had many names, and adding your middle one is quaintly old-fashioned.
A contact - somewhere they can reach you. I think an email is best, but you can use a Livejournal name, Facebook address, or instant messenger screen name.
Your website - blog, tumblr, personal journal, anything!
A picture - a lot of people shy away from pictures on cards, perhaps they're worried about how it would look design-wise? But I think a picture is so important for people who need to match names and faces. A favorite face shot of you in your prettiest clothes would be just the thing - perhaps in a gilt frame or with a faded edge?
Graphics - these make your calling card especially cute. A strand of ribbons, a spray of roses as a watermark, or maybe printed paper can make your cards stand out from the pack.
Unique fonts - you can download tons of free fonts to your computer for making your own graphics or calling cards. Try dafont.com/en or just google free fonts - Hanako Lovely even has a collection of lolita-specific or cutesy fonts. My favorite lately is the Lolita Charm logo font - called Creampuff!
Optional - add something about yourself or a cute description. I added my substyles to my card in case they weren't obvious :P But a whimsical title would also be sweet, describing your style or personality. Meetup organizer? Shepherdess of rufflebutts. Super sweet fanatic? Angelic Pretty cult member. Be tongue-in-cheek about it! I think I'll start adding Powdered Sugar Princess to mine, just because it's so silly & cute!

For extra cuteness (and organization, a word I don't use much! :P) make sure you have a business card case to keep your calling cards in. This way they don't get crumbled in your purse or lost in your wallet.You can find one pre-made, or buy a plain one and deco it with rhinestones, sweets or even just cute stickers (I love puffy stickers especially!). It's very popular for gyaru and hostesses in Japan to have cute business card cases, and I think it's something lolitas should adopt!

Have you ever made calling cards or designed your own? I'd love to collect them from a meetup or event and save them, just like brand tags! It's like a collection of mementos from friends and good times

Labels: lifestyle, lolita living

19 Comments:

At November 9, 2010 at 3:14 PM , Rosalynn said...: Your sample card looks adorable!
And I think it's a supercute idea! ^^
At November 9, 2010 at 3:54 PM , Anonymous said...: Cuuute! I love how it came out.
Calling cards are sooooo nice to have for meets and cons. All your contact info in one place rather than having to dig out a pen and paper everytime you meet someone cool XD
At November 9, 2010 at 4:46 PM , Stephanie said...: This is pretty funny, I just designed and made my own calling cards yesterday and then you post this today! I'm glad I'm not alone in my love of calling cards. ^_^
At November 9, 2010 at 5:22 PM , Andie said...: Looks so cute!!! I've been debating making my own, maybe I will!

Crystal's was the first I ever got too, I think it's still around here somewhere...
At November 9, 2010 at 5:34 PM , Julia said...: I have a business card, but it's black with my name and contact details, that I use for work. I'd love to have something cute, too!
At November 9, 2010 at 5:41 PM , Unknown said...: I love your card, very cute! I have a calling card I give out to lolitas at events/meetups. At Anime Expo last summer I attached my cards to mini bottles of bubbles. :)
At November 9, 2010 at 5:43 PM , Nymph of the Archers said...: I'm SO gonna make one now! Time to learn how to use Publisher 2010....
At November 9, 2010 at 5:43 PM , caro-chan said...: Super cute idea! I have 2 sets of my own cards actually XD Mini moo ones for myself and some pretty standard ones for my shop. I wish more people had things like this because they are fun and cute, especially if you go to a meet where everyone is passing theirs around!

Too bad yours came out purple though! Did you order from vistaprint? I got a set of postcards that came out too blue and told them and they reprinted them for me. I think you have to save in CMYK or something, I don't really know, printing stuff online is hard sometimes...
At November 9, 2010 at 5:57 PM , Victoria Suzanne said...: @Caro-chan: I was in a rush for NYAF so I just went to Staples ;o; Mine was in CMYK and it looked fine on the screen...

@Geeky Glamorous: I love the idea of tying them to bubbles or other small favors! So cute!
At November 9, 2010 at 8:41 PM , Teresa Oaxaca said...: Nice card, I would indeed enjoy receiving such a thing from another lolita. I absolutely love your new Main Title/logo image. It think it is one of the best ones you have taken.
At November 9, 2010 at 8:41 PM , Unknown said...: I love calling cards, but prefer the more traditional method of having only your name printed on them. Hand writing specific information makes a card more versatile and personal. I love the picture you used for your's, very sweet!
At November 9, 2010 at 9:44 PM , Mykki said...: This is a great idea. If I ever decide to meet up with Lolitas in real life, I'll be sure to fashion something like this up for the occasion.
At November 10, 2010 at 10:04 AM , Nekolalia said...: What a gorgeous idea! I think I'll make some myself ^__^
At November 10, 2010 at 1:26 PM , Otaku Purinsesu said...: It's so cute! When I'll need a business card, it will be cute like yours! (sorry for my english btw >.<)
At November 10, 2010 at 1:40 PM , Luca Sára said...: oh my God so cute and nice!<3
Sweet photo and very good job!
At November 10, 2010 at 4:00 PM , ErisVamp said...: Great Idea !! It's a easy way to present you with another lolita's ^^
At November 10, 2010 at 9:21 PM , Jai Lyn said...: HAHA! What a great idea and why hasn't it caught on, I bet it'll be a great gateway to positive conversations!
At November 12, 2010 at 12:45 PM , thebabydollprincess said...: I've sadly enough only gotten one lolita calling card and that was from a lolita at the annual lolita sale for her store...

I think this would be a great idea. It would be really useful to have a calling card so that you could contact people. However, I'm afraid if I randomly just start doing this, people at meet-ups will think I'm weird.( I mean a 15 yearold with a calling card ?)
At November 13, 2010 at 11:47 AM , Psu said...: I think it's a cute idea, but here in my country, spreading cards with your name and blog and all that, even in cons, may be considered a bit self-centered. And it's sad because I love collecting this kind of cards... u_u

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Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Here, My Card: Lolita Calling Cards

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