After navigating a difficult loss, Carla Scholz found herself wanting to break away from her art direction career to do work with a bit more meaning — both to herself, and to others. She came up with Clards, a patented greeting card made from Swedish dishcloth material that transforms into a reusable towel once you add water. She sells them through her company, Soak iT Up — a career pivot she views as a sort of “redemption” story. “I helped create millions of direct mail catalogs that ended up as junk,” Scholz explains. “Now I get to make products that are useful, sustainable and make people smile.”

Editor’s Note: Soak iT Up has been named to The Story Exchange’s 2026 list of 15 Brilliant Business Ideas. Here’s our lightly edited Q&A, with Scholz.

How is your business different from others in your industry?

We’re not just selling “another cute card” or “another dishcloth.” We created a new category: The guilt-free greeting you can use.

Clards replace a disposable greeting card and help reduce paper towel use by becoming a reusable cleaning cloth. They are patented, eco-friendly and fun. They are bright, gift-able and actually get used. And my customers come back for all sorts of occasions: Birthdays, holidays, hostess gifts, teacher gifts and last-minute “I need something smart” moments. We also carry our values through by shipping without plastic, as well as selling something washable, reusable and compostable.

In short: we turned a throwaway tradition into something practical, memorable and better for the planet, without asking people to give up any joy. Real full article


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