Tree Star Crown Christmas Cards

This set of greeting cards has 6 cards and 6 cream colored envelopes.  Each card has a leaf behind the core design. This is a real leaf from the Bodhi tree.  Buddha gained enlightenment under such a tree in Lupini, Nepal.  These auspicious leaves are often used in Nepali paper products.  A matching storage envelope is provided with a cool bamboo stick closure.  Each card measures 11 cm x 16 cm.

This exquisite high quality handmade paper is an ancient traditional craft from Nepal.  Known locally as "lokta", it is made from the Daphne Papyracea shrub which grows at an altitude of 6,500 to 9,500 feet.  The lokta shrub regenerates after cutting thus preserving the fragile forest ecology of Nepal.  

Paper making is a craft that primarily involves women in the production.  This is why we love to support this industry.  It also provides many jobs to people in rural areas (including sustainable harvesting and making of the paper sheets) where finding employment is a challenge.  Most of the final processing is carried out mainly by women in Kathmandu.

The quality of this paper is so high, that the Japanese have tried for years to plant the same shrub in their country without success.  Somehow it loves living in Nepal.  The government of Nepal uses this paper for archiving as it has tremendous longevity.  We've heard a claim of 1,000 years!  We know it will last your life time and more if well protected from sun and other elements.

Quick tips:

* You can use a marker or fountain pen on the paper and it will not bleed its that good!

* The color of the paper will remain intact if you keep it out of the sun (near windows).