There may be fewer than 12 days left until Christmas, but there is still time to send out some cards before it's too late. The "the 12 days of christmas" card set is a limited edition collection from designer Happy Menocal for black pearl press. The cards are in silver, green, red and orange - all very seasonal colors - and each one showcases one of the items promised in the classic carol. It comes boxed and tied with an elegant ribbon, so even if you don't choose to send them out, they would make a lovely hostess gift for a holiday party. Price: $45.

Over the holidays, a lot more effort is put into selecting gifts than into selecting cards. Generic, store-bought cards are the standard. Townsend Sakai has a line of whimsical, handmade holiday cards that will put any off-the-shelf card to shame. Each design is individually hand-embroidered on muslin and attached to a chocolate-brown cardstock and a plain sheet of white stock is sewn into the card, providing a neat space for personal greetings, as well. The X-mas Tree Card is perfect for Christmas, but there are many non-holiday options to choose from, as well. Price: $8 each.

They may not make the most practical deck, but they're certainly going to prevent cheating at your next poker game. These Stainless Steel Playing Cards come in a full-sheet and the individual cards can be punched out to make a standard-sized deck. They can also be left in the sheet and framed. The updated, but recognizably classic, characters and card designs are lightly etched into the steel and the back sides of the cards have a zebra pattern. Price: $351.

[via boingboing]

When you want something other than the typical Hallmark greeting card for the holidays, it can sometimes be difficult to know where to look. Gradin Road has a set of City Sidewalk Christmas Cards that are elegant and seasonal, without being over-the-top on either count. They are embossed, foil stamped and printed on heavyweight card stock with red-lined baronial flap envelopes. The greeting is pre-fab, but you can add your own customized signature to your order to be printed up before the cards are shipped. The price ranges from $119 for 25 cards to $269 for a package of 100.