Blac Gurlz Ink – A Full Service Greeting Card Biz!

S. Opara, Owner - Blac Gurlz Ink Greeting Cards & Gifts

Blac Gurlz Ink is the brain child of Spring Opara. I am an American lesbian of African descent, who found that I could not find a greeting card, a print, a calendar, or bumper-sticker… that “authentically represented the diversity” of the LGBT community in general, nor the lesbian community, specifically.

Not being one to complain and a creative cookie, I launched Blac Gurlz Ink Greeting Cards, in December of 2008!

Blac Gurlz Ink is, NOT your ordinary greeting card business. We provide a full range of paper greeting and event items, as “in-stock” inventory or “custom” orders to suit your special occasion needs.  In addition to creating unique and authentic “premium” greeting cards, specifically designed with the LGBT consumer in mind, Blac Gurlz Ink also create gorgeous, 3-dimensional, “handcrafted,” couture greeting cards, for ALL occasions, which are so artistic they appeal to EVERYONE!

“See a Need…Fill a Need” ~Robots (the movie)

We are a full-service greeting card business and provide the following services:

• Custom Invitations
• Custom Event Announcements
• Custom Thank You Cards

Current Handcrafted, Couture Greeting Card Line
(Custom Ordering Available)

Birthdays	Baby Showers/Maternity
Weddings	Romance
Holidays Valentine’s Day Mother’s Day Father’s Day Halloween Thanksgiving Christmas Hanukkah and Kwanzaa	Seasonal Special Occasions – Anniversary, Graduation, Congratulation, etc. Pets

Blac Gurlz Ink’s handcrafted, couture greeting cards are also great for any industry professional who wants to add a more “personal” touch to their business interactions: i.e. Non-Profits, Real Estate Agents, Financial Services – a great way to close those BIG deals!

Handcrafted Couture Greeting Card

Our handcrafted, couture line of greeting cards can be used as/for:

• Individual gift giving
• Fundraising/Raffles
• Donor/Funder Thank You cards
• Board Member Appreciation: birthday or anniversary
• Annual Event Announcements and Gift Bag Items
• Retreat “Swag”
• We even have greeting cards to celebrate your Pets!

Additionally, many of our designs make great PRINTS and are classy enough to be used in any home or office décor!!

The company’s name, Blac Gurlz Ink, was chosen because I and my former business partner are two, tattooed (inked), black lesbians and it was the most logical commonality we shared.  We felt it was important to ensure that everyone knew who was behind the scenes of this endeavor — two lesbians, who have a vision of providing “positive visibility” of the LGBT community, while filling a need.

Premium Greeting Card/Postcard Design

It is Blac Gurlz Ink’s intent to specialize in bringing quality greeting cards to the LGBT consumer, specifically, and to also produce greeting cards and gift items that appeal to ALL consumers!

Remember our motto – NOT your ordinary greeting card business!

We will continuously conduct “Calls for Submissions” and “Model Casting Calls” for future series that we will be creating to keep presenting “fresh,“ “authentic,” and “diverse” designs.

So Bookmark our website, subscribe to our blog, follow us on Facebook & Twitter or join the Blac Gurlz Ink e-newsletter (link located on the top of any of our website pages), to keep abreast of upcoming series releases and events!!!

Thank You!

Blac Gurlz Ink
www.blacgurlzink.com

Photography – http://www.ephemeralstudios.com/

Fall in Love with the Blac Gurlz Ink 2010 Butches of the Bay

The Blac Gurlz Ink Babes would like to take February – the month of Love, as an opportunity to introduce a new product into our greeting card and gift line – Postcards!

AND to also introduce our selection for the 2010 Butches of the Bay!

In keeping with our mission statement to be “authentic” in our presentation of images specifically designed for the LGBT community, by using LGBT members as our models and to showcase the “diversity” of our community, we feel that the handsome women chosen, represent a cross section of the submissions we received, as well as our community.  They come from various walks of life, ethnic representation and gender expression within the dynamics of being “butch women.”  The Blac Gurlz Ink Babes feel that based on the models’ energy, personal expression of their “butch-ness,” in addition to being simply handsome…well, we’re happy with our picks!

We asked our models to give us a brief bio (see bios below) so that you would be able to get to know them as we have and come to “love the Butches of the Bay” as much as we do.  They are an amazing group of women; they were easy to work with and though they had only met one another during the photo shoot (it was an open casting call), their energy was so warm and welcoming that well…you can feel it emanating from their photos!

Who better to launch our POSTCARD series then gorgeous women who also endow such wonderful masculine energy! 

A set of 6 Postcards for $9.99 (assorted)

And there’s more!

We have also reduced pricing on our hand-crafted, couture greeting cards – in time for Valentine’s Day as well!

Now you can have one of these gorgeously crafted greeting cards for $12.99 – they’re great for expressing that “special” sentiment to the ones you love!  Our hand-crafted, couture greeting cards are great for weddings, baby showers, birthday, anniversary or any special occasion giving.

Valentine's Day You & Me Handcrafted Couture Greeting Card

We here at Blac Gurlz Ink strive to enhance your shopping experience when you visit us at www.blacgurlzink.com and hope that you enjoy your purchases from our greeting cards, gifts and NOW our NEW POSTCARD line!

Our products are also being carried in the following retail locations, so please show support for local and independent businesses:

Laurel Bookstore
4100 MacArthur Blvd.
Oakland, CA  94619
510/531-2073

Crumps Clothing
7416 N. Fresno Street
Fresno, CA 93702
559/449-8437

Rainbow Grocery
1745 Folsom Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415/863-0620

VoluptuArt
http://www.voluptuart.com.

www.blacgurlzink.com

Please keep us ALL  in mind when making future purchases and Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

Model Bios

2010 Butches of the Bay Model: C. Svendsen

Christine Svendsen is a college instructor who is always busy.  She is the president of her local pride organization, president of a local Dyke on Bikes Chapter and president of an advocacy council, all of this while working on her PhD.  She loves to write and is finishing edits on her first book, which she hopes to see in print soon.  She recently married the first, an only, woman in her life Schileen.  She feels one of her greatest accomplishments has been raising three great sons.

Loretta Cannon is surgical assistant who likes to volunteer in countries who little to no access to health care.  She is a firm believer in promoting good health and well being for all women and their families.

Loretta enjoys making gourmet meals for friends and families and team members.  If she had one wish, she would want all lesbian couples to see and feel the safest and warmest memories within each other.

2010 Butches of the Bay Model: L. Cannon

Loretta is embarking on a new business endeavor where she will assist you in “wooing” your sweetie – so watch out for it!

Ericka Schneider enjoys spending her days dreaming of a future as a porn star, but when she is not dreaming, she is spending her time running her own company – ELS Plumbing, “where their specialty is snaking your pipes”.

She also enjoys donating her skills to various organizations that help better the community, such as – Rebuilding Together Oakland (RTO), First Christian Church of Concord (FCC) and the First Christian Church of Fremont, volunteer programs.

When she is not working or dreaming she can be found out on the softball field or at a pool table.  Ericka really enjoys meeting new people and learning new skills.

2010 Butches of the Bay Model: E. Scheider

Happy Valentine’s Day from Blac Gurlz Ink & Flirtatious-T!

Blac Gurlz Ink & Flirtatious-T

Blac Gurlz Ink and Flirtatious-T have teamed up to make this Valentine’s Day a holiday to remember.  With both of us on your side you’re sure to score plenty of kisses from your Valentine!

Everyone knows that flirting is the best way to spark a conversation and one of the quickest ways to a potential love interest’s heart.

However, if you’re not good at flirting why not send a handcrafted, couture greeting card?

In honor of Valentine’s Day 2010, Blac Gurlz Ink has created limited-edition designs to commemorate your sentiments on this special day by honoring romance and all things flirtatious. These handcrafted, couture cards are artistic and the perfect token of affection.

Small tokens of affection on Valentine’s Day can go a long way.

Valentine's Day You & Me Handcrafted Couture Greeting Card

To make this offer even sweeter, Blac Gurlz Ink and Flirtatious-T will be donating 20% of the proceeds to the New York Gay Men’s Health Crisis Center and to also show support to team “Flirtatious-T – Flirt with a Cause” who will be participating in the 2010 New York AIDS Walk being held on May 16, 2010!

It’s flirting for a cause.

When you purchase a handcrafted, couture Valentine’s Day card from Blac Gurlz Ink it’s more than just a greeting card — it’s a lifestyle!

www.blacgurlzink.com

www.flirtatious-t.com

Valentine's Day Handcrafted Couture Greeting Card

Valentine's Day Handcrafted Couture Greeting Card

Black is Fashionable for ALL Occasions!

Winter Wedding designed by Blac Gurlz Ink

“Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue” — and dont forget the white gown?

Some of you may know the above adage as recited by many a bride to be…or at least their mothers or bride’s maid — haha!

Traditionally the wedding ceremony showcases the bride, adorned in the most beautiful of gowns — and in virginal white at that.

Well in 2010 this particular bridal tradition may be turned on its head if the new fashion designers have anything to do with it.  Europe has always been viewed as the heart of the fashion industry.  Continuing to be avant garde and walk outside of the box, their new design concepts are incorporating black as an acceptable option for wedding gowns.  http://w-weddinggowns.com/black-wedding-gowns/

This new train of thought coming out of the fashion houses has determined that “black formal gowns” are suitable for ALL occasions, including weddings and to this end, they are designing fabulous wedding gowns, with intricate and delicate detail, but with a twist — they are introducing “black” — it aint just for funerals anymore — haha!

Beach Wedding Under the Stars designed by Blac Gurlz Ink

So for you brides to be — go ahead and be daring — erase the lines and walk down the aisle as you wish with options galore — wear that “sliming” black  wedding gown you’ve had your eyes on but dare not wear.

We here at Blac Gurlz Ink feel that great minds must think alike — we’ve been designing many of our couture line of wedding cards using “non-traditional” black paper to make the design “POP”!

So when we saw this article we simply smiled and thought to ourselves…yes, great minds DO think alike.

Traditional Lesbian Wedding designed Blac Gurlz Ink

So if you’ve been shy about purchasing our wonderful 3-dimensional wedding cards, dont let that stop you any longer — black is now fashionable for all occasions and Blac Gurlz Ink has a custom couture card for you to mark any wonderful occasion!

www.blacgurlzink.com

Holiday Pets on Parade

Holiday Pets on Parade - Handcrafted Couture Greeting Card

We all know that our “furbabies” bring us so much joy throughout the year and I bet that many have “stockings hung by the chimney with care”…in hope that St. Paws will soon be there…hahaha!

So to honor our cats, dogs…and all animals who are affectionately referred to as “our pets”…I created a holiday line to celebrate our best friends, comrades and furry members of the family!

Holiday Pets On Parade!

www.blacgurlzink.com/shop

Holiday Pets - Handcrafted Couture Greeting Card

And you can custom order any combination you want!

Holiday Pets on Parade - Handcrafted Couture Greeting Card

Introducing Our Couture Line of Greeting Cards!

Lesbian Christmas Couture Greeting Card

The holidays are fast approaching and the Blac Gurlz Ink line of greeting cards is expanding just as fast!  We know that the holidays can present a unique opportunity for same-sex loving members and their allies to exchange holiday greeting cards that reflect and express their sentiments.

So we decided to help out a bit!

Introducing the Blac Gurlz Ink’s “Couture” line of quality greeting cards!

We are introducing the line during the holiday season so that not another day goes by where you’re wondering…”isn’t there something more…something more representative of my community?”  Well, now there is!

And the beauty of the Couture line is that you can place a “custom” order!

These limited edition and signed greeting cards are lovingly handcrafted from the finest materials we have found thus far and can we just add that anyone giving or receiving one of our Couture cards will know that they are SPECIAL to someone!

Once the holiday season has passed they will make wonderful keepsakes AND we didnt just create cards for the Holidays!

Please go to our website to view our complete line:
http://www.blacgurlzink.com/

Holiday Special!

From now until Dec. 20, 2009, when you purchase 4 premium greeting cards or 2 handcrafted couture greeting cards, we will send you a FREE card as our way of saying thank you!

Below are some ideas taken from Gallery Collection of great ways to enhance your greeting cards to fit your home decorating motif.

Lesbian Christmas Couture Greeting Card

Greeting Card Crafts
(excerpt taken from http://www.gallerycollection.com. All photos are of Blac Gurlz Ink Couture greeting cards)

Puzzles
Choose a theme, such “Winter Wonderland” or “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” Cut out the pictures and arrange them on a piece of cardboard (a cereal box is ideal)Glue (Modge Podge works well for this craft) the pictures to the cardboard and then brush Modge Podge on the top of the pictures for a strong glossy finish. After it dries, cut in puzzle size pieces with an Xacto knife.

Christmas Gift Tags
This is so easy. Cut the front of an old Christmas card or just the picture from any greeting card. Punch a hole and place ribbon through it.

Gay Christmas Couture Greeting Card

Wall Plaques
Your local craft store sells wooden plaques in all different shapes and sizes. Paint or stain the wood. After it dries, use Modge Podge to glue the picture to the plaque. Put another coat of Modge Podge over the picture for a glossy finish. This can be great in place of a holiday card or Christmas card.

Place Mats
Glue your pictures to cardboard. (You may want to paint the bottom of the cardboard first.) Laminate or use clear Con-tac paper.

Framed Art
Your favorites designs can be framed and hung on the wall. Or artfully arrange a few personalized greeting cards in one frame.

Lesbian Wedding Couture Card

Gay Wedding Couture Greeting Card