Fun, Frank Cards Speak to the Heart

Words to love, laugh, live by—and, most importantly, share. That’s the crux of Curly Girl Design, which has been creating candid, original, and playful illustrated greeting cards and designs for over a decade.

Leigh Standley puts meaning to paper with each of her cards, capturing moments and sentiments in an endearingly real way. Her pithy, no-holds-barred voice lends itself to penning catchy, meaningful—and undeniably relatable—quotes. She brings them to life with collage art comprised of paint, ink, and paper.

“I like to tell my stories,” Standley said. “I get to say exactly what I want to say and I think a lot of that has been our success. That’s the place I try to write to, that point of connection of letting someone you love or care about know that you really understand them or are feeling for them.”

These authentic designs have earned Curly Girl quite a following, extending their reach far beyond greeting cards to calendars, magnets, cocktails napkins, home accessories and more. Despite the new additions, the cards remain the focus. Each is crafted by Standley and her team out of the Curly Girl studio in Newton, and produced with a hyper-local approach with nearby vendors. “It’s become quite a little lifestyle brand for us, it’s sort of about being who you are and not brushing it out,” Standley said.

Curly Girl also spawned Marmalade, Standley’s shop brimming with must-have home decor and accessories in Belmont Center (her neighborhood). It’s part Curly Girl flagship—though unknowing visitors wouldn’t be able to tell, and that’s how Standley likes it—and also part catch-all for anything that inspires.

“It’s really fun to have a community outpost for us because it’s the only time we get to interact with the community,” Standley said. “It’s just awesome for me being a Belmont resident, and wanting to create a special environment for people to shop in.”

Visit Curly Girl Design online to see their full range of fresh sentiments, and stop by Marmalade at 63 Leonard Street in Belmont or their new website.