Central & Gus
Clara Halley Monarch Butterfly Note Card
Clara Halley Monarch Butterfly Note Card
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Clara Halley’s family has two homes—the cool green north and the warm, sun-dappled south—and the whole enormous clan travels between them twice a year, the long way, together. There’s an official reason for the journey, of course, but Clara will tell you the destination is just a marvellous excuse to get everyone out on the wing. She’s been packed for a week, thermos topped up twice, counting down to this crisp autumn morning. And now, all at once, a great fluttering orange tide lifts off—more cousins than anyone can count, tucked so close that wing brushes wing. It’s a glorious, noisy parade through the airwaves: fledglings gleefully riding the draft, someone convinced they’ve forgotten a blossom-pouch that’s been tucked under a wing all along, the elders retelling the same beloved stories to a crowd that hums along in all the right places, and everyone talking about the weather. Even when a gusty pocket gives her a tumble, Clara only laughs, and gazes down at her reflection in the glassy rivers below, wholly enveloped in the warmth of her squished-together kaleidoscope.
When the sun dips and the land falls away into shadow, they press on through the velvet quiet of the unlit country, where the night is still allowed to be night. Guided by the stars, the silent pull of the earth itself, and dark paths no one ever mapped, Clara steers them true—riding a route she was never taught and yet somehow always knew, the faithful way ancestors flew. But when the oyamel fir-scented currents of the southern canopy at last rise up to meet them, it isn’t the arrival she treasures most. It’s the closeness, the shared laughter over the tales of generations, the sky full of everyone she loves, all going the same way at once. Clara Halley: named for the comet that always finds its way back—and never more at home than in between her homes, with her whole family, going.
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Note Card, A6 (4.5” x 6.25”) with envelope in protective cello.
On the reverse of each card is a whimsical tale of the animal featured. Entirely collectible, the stories intertwine, creating a much-loved community of characters.
We print on a luxurious 318 gsm, 100% cotton paper. Soft and durable, this paper showcases crisp detail and vibrant colour. We fell in love with our beautiful goldenrod shade, 90# envelope. According to the ‘World’s Favourite Colour’ study, people associate the feeling of joy with this colour. Also, this is the very shade that enrobes our trusty #2. As all of our images are hand drawn in pencil, we thought it appropriate to give a nod of appreciation.
We donate a portion of gross sales to animal welfare.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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They are — and that's one of the things that makes Central & Gus so unique. Every character lives in the same universe. They know each other, reference each other, cross paths at the switchboard, in the woods, at the patisserie, on the road. Collecting them is a little like reading a novel one chapter at a time — except each chapter fits on your wall or popped in the post for a stamp to someone you love.
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We spent a long time on this. Every Central & Gus illustration is hand-drawn in pencil — and so we are eternally inspired by the classic #2, enrobed in that particular shade of yellow. For that, we call it Ticonderoga Harvest. Studies on colour and emotion find that people associate this shade with joy — which felt exactly right. It also nods, quietly, to our farm roots, everything that grows out of the land, and also to a less tangible but just as important creative harvest. The envelope is not an afterthought. It is part of the story.
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They are extraordinary gifts — and we say that not as a boast but as something we hear constantly from our retail partners and customers. A Central & Gus card is not a card you send and forget. It is a card the recipient reads, re-reads, frames, or keeps in a drawer to return to. The story on the back transforms it from a greeting into a small, meaningful object. We have heard from one customer who had special date-day trips with his young daughter, each time choosing one special card for her coveted collection. The goldenrod envelope alone tends to stop people in their tracks. Another, a fiance purchased the entire set for his partner, a reminder of a day they spotted them in a shop and giggled while reading the stories aloud. These are not cards. They are moments, saved.
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Wholeheartedly yes — and the characters seem to know instinctively which age they are speaking to. Children are drawn to the illustrations, the names, the animals. Adults read the stories and find themselves unexpectedly moved. We regularly hear from customers who frame them in nurseries and living rooms alike, who give them to grandparents and grandchildren in the same gesture. The world of Central & Gus does not have an age. It has a sensibility — and that sensibility tends to recognise itself across generations.
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Yes — and we love that you asked. We offer curated collections and themed bundles. Our Open Water & Coastal set, our Woodland & Hedgerow set, our Wetland & Waterway, or our Start Your Collection bundle are all wonderful entry points. And for those that just wantall of themat once, The Whole Gang brings every character home together at a saving. Bundles make particularly wonderful gifts — there is something about receiving a community of characters at once that feels genuinely special.
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We do — and this is at the heart of everything we do. A portion of every gross sale goes directly to animal welfare. The characters you collect are not just whimsical illustrations — they are advocates. Every purchase is a small act of care for the natural world and the creatures in it. We are deeply grateful for every order that makes this possible.