"What if enlightenment were as quick & easy as brewing a cup of tea?"

That is the question designer Nooshin Thorpe asked herself one afternoon in 2001, and one which led to her launch of a uncommonly charming and trendsetting line of greeting cards and gifts which have brought her worldwide success..."

"Thorpe is the sole designer behind MUSE , a multi-collection line of upscale and whimsical cards and gifts. Her creations can be are found in over hundreds of trendy gift stores, fine stationery stores & bookstores. MUSE was a recent finalist for the Greeting Card Association’s highest honor, the LOUIE Award, one of only 164 finalists out of 1,350 entries worldwide. MUSE was also signed in New York by Papyrus, a national retail chain of upscale greeting cards. This year MUSE was selected by the exclusive Whole Foods Market flagship store in Austin , as one of the 3 card lines to be sold in their stores...."

".........As a perfect gift to appeal to the wanderlust in romantics, bohemians & adventure-loving souls alike, the collection now includes a fun array of travel related cards inspired by the great world destinations such as Paris, New York, Italy, San Francisco, Seattle, L.A. and others.........."

"All of MUSE designs are handcrafted and geared toward a stylish, creative and thoughtful market looking for uncommon gifts and handmade touches...."

'My vision is for MUSE is for it to be a playground for ideas and a source of inspiration for people'. Thorpe’s own inspirations range from old Cracker Jacks toy surprises to the exquisite works of Joseph Cornell, Max Ernst and Marcel Duchamp..."

"Thorpe began exploring her own creativity at the age of 10 when she started making her own cards and designing costume jewelry out of hardware and common objects, even sewing tiny vests for the family cats!"

..........later moved to San Francisco to attend university while beginning a lucrative career in residential real estate. Though she quickly prospered in the corporate world, selling over 300 homes and making well over six figures a year, Thorpe deeply yearned for a more creative existence. She wondered if she had what it took to make a livelihood through artistic creativity. Her cultural upbringing had programmed her to stick to tried-and-true careers, such as business, law, finance or medicine. A career in the creative fields was viewed as unstable......."

"Thorpe decided to take a six-month sabbatical to explore different paths and make time for self-inquiry. She studied Julia Cameron’s 'The Artist’s Way' and other books about the process of creative recovery, marking the start of a process which would culminate in a whole new life in the arts."

"....moved to Austin in late 2000 without knowing a soul, in need a change of scenery and some time and space to digest all the changes in her life in recent years. Two hours after landing in Austin , she stopped by a local café for a cup of tea and within minutes met her soulmate and soon-to-be husband,......" .".... and opted to live on a storybook-like farm just outside of Austin for one year, in order to get back to basics, get in touch with nature and inner life again while allowing her muse to speak to her..."

"MUSE is a testimony to one woman’s commitment to hearing and following her own muse, as well as a tribute to her personal journey in overcoming cultural and gender biases in order to create the life she always dreamed of."