Patron Saint of pleasantries & the delightfully peculiar

Nine Lives Paper & Post is the imaginative shop of illustrator and lettering artist Kaly Quarles. Born into a family of sentimentalists with an eye for oddities and a propensity for collecting, she has spent her life captivated by the objects and stories of bygone eras.

A love letter to small pleasures and charming relics of the past, our fine art prints* pay reverence to slower times with a wink & a playfully endearing spirit. 

We celebrate craft over quick, and work primarily in gouache, ink, and humble pencils. Honest materials for a spot of mischief. We’re suckers for Victorian-era anything, ephemera, grandma’s bric-a-brac, and family lore. And like Kaly’s great Uncle Louis, we’re prone to theatrics and sneaking in a tall tale. 

When Kaly's not chasing the perfect shade of pink, she’s embarking on exploring expeditions (real and imagined), haunting antique shops, or hosting one-woman pastry eating contests. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with four rascally felines and a cat butler who happens to be one handsome fella.

*stationery + paper goods coming fall ‘26

Clients

  • American Greetings
  • Trader Joe's
  • eeBoo puzzles
  • Up With Paper
  • Design House Greetings

In addition to her work in stationery & gift, Kaly has a separate practice for small readers with big imaginations. You can browse her children's book portfolio at kalyquarles.com. She has worked with clients such as Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, and Workman Publishing.