Who We Are

What’s this all about? Well, here’s our story:

Dear Ida is a collective of friends in Portland, Oregon, who share a love of art, kids, creativity — and the occasional bottle(s) of red wine. We believe that, in a world of texts, tweets and Facebook photos, there’s something to be said for finding a surprising smile in the mailbox — not your e-mail inbox. We’re hooked on the idea of this simple pleasure: the tangible feeling of tearing into an honest-to-goodness envelope to find a one-of-a-kind message that cuts through the clutter of cookie-cutter greetings.

We’re lucky to be working with Lisa Mundorff, a talented children’s book illustrator, artist and mom who brings a fun and unique viewpoint to her art. Lisa has painted and illustrated professionally for more than 15 years. Her paintings have been shown in galleries throughout Seattle and Portland. And her illustrations have appeared in magazines, advertising, books and more.

For years, Lisa’s colorful illustrations, which she often turned into cards, have been the envy of our friends and family. And one day (maybe over one of those bottles of wine) we thought: Hey, let’s share the love. That’s where Dear Ida comes in. Our cards are faithful to the highly personal and creative aesthetic that Lisa puts into cards for her own family. And we’re excited to share her creativity with you.

We've gotten some very nice shout outs from a few of our favorite friends. You'll find us in Martha Stewart Living, Portland Monthly -- twice, Babble and Cool Mom Picks -- twice!