Greeting cards can be embellished with online attachments and crowdsourced designs, or sold through monthly subscriptions—but the fact remains that most are still just ... well, greeting cards. Not so the Postcarden, a pop-out card that transforms into a bite-sized allotment.

Combining gift and greeting card, Postcarden is available in three designs: Botanical, City and Allotment. Recipients open and unfold the card, then sprinkle water into the base and scatter the enclosed cress seeds onto the damp paper. The Postcarden will start to grow in a few days, and will keep for two to three weeks; once grown, the cress can be eaten. Designed and produced by UK-based A Studio for Design, the cards can be sent through the post and are printed in Wales by Ethical Packaging; the seeds and inner tray are sourced nationally as well. Each card costs GBP 7.50 and features enough space to write a personal greeting.

A Studio for Design is currently seeking contributing artists and stores interested in stocking Postcarden. Retailers and artistic minipreneurs around the globe: this one's for you! (Related: Eco-friendly gift cards & hotel key cards.)

Website: www.postcarden.com
Contact: info@postcarden.com

Spotted by: Judy McRae

Toddlers and young children are notorious for their desire to grab whatever might be dangerous for them, and hot beverages are no exception. In fact, some 100,000 children each year are scalded by hot drinks and foods in the United States alone, according to the American Burn Association. Enter the MummyMug, a new innovation that uses a lip-activated lid to prevent drinks from spilling.

Parents simply fill the MummyMug with their favourite hot drink, secure the screw-on lid, and start sipping. The pressure of the drinker's top lip against the top of the lid causes the valve to open. It automatically closes up after every sip, ensuring that the MummyMug remains safe if accidentally knocked over.

Made from a material that gives the look and feel of ceramics but with shatterproof durability, the patent-pending mug is recyclable and guaranteed BPA-free.

The Swedish-made MummyMug, sold by the Dutch company of the same name, will hit European stores this autumn. There's no word yet on pricing. Parenting and baby retailers around the world: better sign up now ...

Website: www.mummymug.com
Contact: info@mummymug.com

There are few things we love more at Springwise than to see formerly drab and utilitarian products reborn with a splash of style. We've already seen that happen with fire protection kits, for example; now, another case in point is California-based *emera, which has targeted the practical (but often ungainly) camera bag.

*emera's 'Modern' and 'Quilted' tote lines are designed to be elegant but functional equipment bags for fashion-conscious urban photographers. Strongly built and water resistant, the bags are structured and padded to protect delicate photographic gear. Inside are modular dividers that can be arranged to suit the size and shape of cameras, lenses and accessories. The bags also feature internal compartments for small items such as memory cards, and have exterior pockets at each end. Prices are USD 149 for the canvas-exterior design (which comes in a choice of colours), and USD 169 for the quilted design.

*emera is now accepting wholesale orders, so retail camera shops around the world may want to start getting in line. Or are there other utilitarian goods that you could transform with a little flair for fashion? (Related: Puzzle books given a design makeover — Toilet seat covers, upgraded — Chic vomit bags for morning-sick moms.)

Website: www.emerabags.com
Contact: nathiya@emerabags.com

Spotted by: Amy Leung

There are ever more connections being forged between the online and offline worlds, as we've been noting regularly for years. We've already seen T-shirts printed with scannable QR codes, and now a Pennsylvania startup is adding flexibility to the concept by putting the codes on patches that can be affixed practically anywhere.

Pennsylvania-based Tikaro Interactive now offers a series of 2-by-4-inch, Velcro-backed patches with a “mysterious commando” design on top and a QR code on the bottom. The code on each p8tch, as they're called, is actually a URL that can be scanned with a smartphone. Initially it directs scanners to the domain “p8t.ch,” but patch owners can set the redirect target of the URL to whatever page they wish, much like with TinyURL or other URL shortening services. Bloggers, for instance, can redirect the code to their blog; videographers can send it to their latest YouTube video. Users can change the target URL as often as they like. Each patch costs USD 19.95, including one waterproof, machine-washable patch along with two rectangles of Velcro “loop” fabric for attachment to a jacket, backpack, laptop sleeve or other visible spot. Also included in the price are a pass phrase for redirecting the patch's target URL and two .png files of the associated QR code.

Just as consumers have long used real-world products and brands to tell the world who they are, so too have online destinations come to play a similar role. The opportunity? Create a digital lifestyle lubricant that lets users flaunt their online affiliations in the offline world, and you may receive some nice lifestyle lubrication in return! ;-) (Related: Google window decals link online & off for retailers — Bumper stickers recruit Twitter followers in traffic — Electronic business card forges online connections.)

Website: www.p8t.ch
Contact: john.young@gmail.com

Spotted by: Jeremy Pope

It's been more than three years since we wrote about Japanese Design Barcode, with its clever and whimsical UPC designs. Proving that the idea still has plenty of merit, New Jersey-based Vanity Barcodes just launched a similar service to help businesses take advantage of what it considers the little-known marketing potential of the decorative barcode.

Vanity Barcodes offers an ever-growing library of stock barcode designs that are customizable with any unique product UPC or similar code format. Birds, cows, candy bars, paint brushes, books, flowers and purses are all among the standard designs Vanity Barcodes offers, with customized pieces available as well. All codes are pretested for scan compliance to ensure that they work just as well as standard barcodes. Pricing ranges from USD 375 for one barcode design to USD 200 for 10 or more; supported code formats include UPC, EAN, JAN, ISSN, ISMN, ISSN, UCC EAN-128 and GS1-128.

The result, Vanity Barcodes says, is a barcode that goes beyond functional to serve as a powerful brand asset—and it's pretty hard to argue with that, we must confess. One to try out on your own product packaging—or to emulate for specific niches or industries? (Related: T-shirts that talk code.)

Website: www.vanitybarcodes.com
Contact: customerservice@vanitybarcodes.com

Spotted by: swissmiss