SentimentalAsylum is taking a short break
Reviews
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Kimeber on Mar 1, 2019
5 out of 5 starsLove, love, love these napkins! What a great and funny conversation piece! Great quality and customer service!!!
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Jennifer on Jan 18, 2019
5 out of 5 starsLove this shirt and proudly wear it. Fine experience with the shipping.
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sandrapim on Dec 21, 2018
5 out of 5 starsAwesome and well-done, with beautiful packages and fast shipping! I'll be back for more for sure. Thank you!
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Kimeber on Dec 2, 2018
5 out of 5 starsLove these napkins!!! A dinner party hit! Great customer service and excellent communication!
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Aaron on Nov 23, 2018
5 out of 5 starsItems are exactly as pictured, better quality than I imagined. Shipping was fast and the order is nicely packaged with colored tissue paper and some art postcards. All I need to do is wrap the box, put a bow on it, and put it under the tree in a few weeks time! Thank you!
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mawychick on Nov 1, 2018
5 out of 5 starsT-shirt was a huge birthday hit and worn to a boo at the zoo with butterfly wings and she got a ton of compliments on her shirt!!
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Mimi on Sep 12, 2018
5 out of 5 starsRuth's work never disappoints! Sentimental Asylum is definitely an Etsy store I return to over and over again because of the quality of their products, fast shopping, and kind proprietors!
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Frances on Sep 8, 2018
5 out of 5 starsI love this card! It was beautifully made, and exactly what I was hoping for.
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About SentimentalAsylum
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An assortment of cards headed to Shake It Records in Cincinnati.
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New fabric prints on their way to our friends at Spoolbeans!
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An early test print for a new tee.
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New onesie coming to the shop soon--so teeny! So much fun!
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Carving a stencil for a new octopus screen print.
A little snark, a little laughter, a lot of love
Sentimental Asylum began from a need for cards I couldn't find in stores, something to send to my dearest cousin Turquoise, who was dying of liver cancer on the other side of the country. I wanted the right balance: a little snark, a little laughter, a lot of love. I wanted a card that said, "This sucks." I wanted a card that didn't hold images of a life she would not have: that meant no babies, no elderly women holding hands, no suggestion that she would get well. I wanted a card that held love, but without easy sentiment. I never found it.
Two years later, I told that story to a friend, who asked if I had ever tried block printing. "I'm not an artist," I said. "I'm a poet. You do the designs and I'll write the sentiments." I took some of the skills I'd learned as a poet, like binding together small booklets (chapbooks) with a few simple stitches, and applied them to assembling the cards. I carved my first block because I thought it would be a good idea to know what the limitations of the form were.
Before I knew it, I was hooked. I started making cards to send to friends--in celebration, in mourning, and everywhere in between. I gave them away to people who I knew needed to find the right thing to say during a difficult time. My husband and I made our Christmas card and I realized that somewhere along the line I'd become an artist.
Since then, we've expanded into also block printing on clothing, on fabric (for our friend Meg at Spoolbeans, also an Etsy shop), and, recently, into silk screen designs. Some of our work is very sincere, some is sarcastic, and some--like our popular "Believe in yourself" Nessie design--can be taken either way.
Sometimes what you need to say lies between sentiment and sarcasm. That's where we like to be. I hope you like it, too.
Shop members
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Ruth Foley
Owner
I'm a visual artist, poet, and lifelong New England resident. You can follow me on Twitter: @SentimentalAsyl and @GrainOfRuth On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sentimentalasylum/
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Erin Yoder
Designer
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Jed Foley
Designer
Shop policies
Shipping
Payment options
Returns & exchanges
I gladly accept returns, exchanges, and cancellations
The following items can't be returned or exchanged
- Custom or personalized orders
I accept returns I do not accept returns
I accept exchanges I do not accept exchanges
I accept cancellations I do not accept cancellations
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for: