Volvelle Birthday

A handmade birthday card with a working volvelle — a rotating paper wheel, the same mechanism 15th-century astronomers used to track the planets, now considerably sillier.

Spin the wheel and a different message appears in the window on the cover. There are twelve. Some are sincere. A few are not. You pick where to leave it.

THE DETAILS

• 5" × 7" folded, 100lb cotton stock

• Hand-cut volvelle, hand-assembled

• Twelve rotating messages, blank inside for yours

• Cream envelope included

• Ships flat in a rigid mailer

BECAUSE IT'S HANDMADE

Each card is assembled by hand in small batches. The wheel should spin smoothly — if it ever sticks, it's usually just a bit of paper dust. Gently work it and it'll loosen.