London's Another Studio for Design made blog rounds last fall with their "PostCarden" design, but their new product "MatchCarden" is a good enough excuse to share them here.

It's a fairly straightforward concept: a matchbox that becomes a tiny garden (the original design was, of course, a postcard). Matchcarden is a little house containing it's own little garden. Open the box and you'll find everything you need to cultivate your own cress lawn: simply attach your house to garden, sow the seeds and add a little water. In just a few days your garden will start to grow, bringing a little nature indoors.

It's so small! Look at how small it is.

The original idea, of course, is rooted in the (once-)ubiquitous greeting card: it's a nice gesture but a pleasant diversion at best: "We felt that this conventional card lacked surprise, bringing only a momentary enjoyment." Meanwhile, the rise of digital media has yielded a more convenient analogue in e-cards. Hence, the PostCarden, an interactive twist on the postcard that has a longer lifespan for the sentiment.

Stop-motion teaser for the original: