Paperless Post: Helping People Connect In Real Life

I recently had the opportunity to partner with Paperless Post, which was perfect timing because I needed to send some thank you cards! They generously gave me 1000 coins to tryout their service. While I had heard of Paperless Post before, I had never used this service. Paperless Post allows you to send mail- invitations, announcements, birthday cards- paperlessly. The service is super easy to use; you select your design, customize it, and hit send. 

 

This would be perfect for a Kentucky Derby Party!

The designs are not your standard email template! They are beautiful and fun designs that look like cards and includes an electronic envelope. You can customize the colour of the envelope, liner, and postage stamp. So fun! 

 

How adorable is this Baby Shower invitation???

There are hundreds of design to choose from and Paperless Post has also partnered with fashion houses, lifestyle brands, and stationary designers to bring you even more selections. Some of their partners include Jonathan Adler, Vera Wang, Rifle Paper Co, HelloLucky, The New Yorker, and (my personal favourite) kate spade new york. You can find the complete list of partner brands here. 

 

Once you select your design, the fun begins! You have the opportunity to input a costume message, including the typeface and colour of the text. Next up is the envelope customization. This includes selecting the envelope colour, the design of the liner, adding a custom stamp and postmark. There are postmarks for different cities in the US, and there is also London UK and Toronto Canada. I was pleased to see there was one postmark for Canada, but it would be nice to see some cities besides Toronto. 

 

You can customize the envelope colour and liner. I love the combination of pink and glittery gold!

Another feature is the having reply cards sent with your mail. This will allow guests to RSVP to events, and include a message back to you.

Once you have you design complete, you add in email addresses for the recipients (you can send individual or you can do a mass mailing), and hit send. That's it- you're done! 

Something else that I love about Paperless Post is that they have a ton of stationary options available...you don't necessarily need to be sending a card or invitation to use this service. 

 

LOVE this kate spade new york stationary!

In order to use Paperless Post, you will need to purchase coins. You can get 20 coins for $6. I was given 1000 coins by Paperless Post, which has a value of $90. Designs start at 2 coins and then customizations (such as envelope liners) are additional coins. 

 

To give you an idea, I 'spent' 25 coins to:

• Send the same card to three people
• Send the a different card to four additional people
• Send three different cards to three people
• I used all of the customized features, except for a customize stamp (this would have been a total of 5 additional coins)

I am a fan of Paperless Post! It was so easy to use, environmental friendly, and cost effective! I am planning a celebration for someone later this month, and fully plan on using Paperless Post for the invitations and to manage the RSVPs.



***DISCLAIMER: Paperless Post offered me 1000 coins ($90 value) to test out their service for review purposes. All content and opinion are my own. For my full Disclaimer Policy, please see my About page.***

Hey, It's Ok

With Amber from Airing My Dirty Laundry

That I need to know, like the rest of the world, if Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are in love with each other. Also, I want to be friends with them.

To be slowly booking my trip out East!! My flights were booked earlier this month, my Halifax hotel was booked awhile ago, and I just booked my Prince Edward Island accommodations on the weekend. 

 

That Gossip Girl is back on Netflix!! I was in the middle of re-watching the first season when Netflix removed it

 

To be loving this Spring like weather we have had the past couple of weeks! It's been so warm and sunny. The downside is of course the ice jams and flooding...but Spring is coming!!

 

Crayons Still Colour

Happy Monday!! I took a mini-blogging break last week- Olympic watching kinda took over my life. Actually, February was a very hectic month..a lot going on personally and professionally. I am looking forward to a bit of travel for work this week, and not looking forward to Olympic withdrawal. 

 

Here is some food for thought this week:

 

An Open Letter To My Parents On My Birthday

Dear Mom and Dad, 

As you both know, today is my birthday. I am well aware of the stories around my birth day- my arrival was eagerly anticipated by grandparents and great-aunts and great-uncles, how mom yelled at dad to stay away from her and be quiet, how I had so much hair that the nurses put a bow in it. I hear these stories every year (thanks, mom)...so they are hard to forget. 

Today I will be celebrated by family, friends, colleagues, and maybe even strangers. All of the attention will be on me. People will make a fuss. I will get presents, cake, messages, cards, people wanting to go out and celebrate me with me. A little narcissistic perhaps...but that's how birthdays are celebrated. I appreciate everyone who adds to my "special day" and who loves and cares about me enough to go out of their way to wish me a happy birthday and/or to spend time with me. I really, truly do. 

But you, mom and dad, should be celebrated too. It's because of you that I was born. Mom carried me under her heart for all those months, and then had the unpleasant task of actually bringing me into the world. It wasn't a walk in the park for dad...on top of mom yelling at him, he was left alone with me so we could "bond" and I screamed the whole time. Dad didn't know what to do. 

Then the real work began. You had to raise me. You provided a roof over my head, food in my mouth. You made sure I was well taken care of and looked after. That I was always loved. You went above and beyond for me. You allowed me to make my mistakes and learn from them, but you always set me up to succeed. I was encouraged to do my best, not be the best. You provided a moral and ethical compass. You taught me to do the right thing, not necessarily the popular thing. You taught me to be loving, kind, giving, generous, patient. You taught me to not take life so seriously, and you taught me that nothing is ever truly bad- that I can overcome anything. You never gave up on me or stopped believing in me.

We can all agree that my life was not-and is not- typical. Being the daughter of a politician presented it's own challenges and adventures. That I was afforded many opportunities and experiences because of this. Thank you for making sure my life was full of culture, once in a lifetime experiences, travel, charity, and a dose of public life- being a civil servant, a steward of my communities. This has influenced and shaped me more than you will ever know...but this was also my normal. 

As I celebrate another birthday, another year lived, I hope you celebrate too. Feel free to celebrate me, but celebrate you too. You made me- literally! Everything I do and celebrate, you have a hand in. I'm acknowledged for my charitable giving, I got that from you. I'm recognized for a work success, I learned hardwork from you. I'm loved by friends, you showed me how to treat and value people. Everything I do, is influenced by you.

Thank you, mom and dad, for giving me a reason to celebrate my life, to acknowledge this milestone. 

Happy birthday to me...but happy birth day to you both.

With love,

Hey, It's Ok

With Amber from Airing My Dirty Laundry

To be watching more TV than usual because of the Olympics. The Winter Olympics, in my opinion, are more interesting than the Summer Olympics.

That I had a fantastic time at the Grown Ups Read Things They Wrote As Kids (my favourite podcast) show last week! It was a lot of fun and really funny!!

To have a day off tomorrow! I always take my birthday off. Nothing really planned, but it will be a relaxing day. I'm looking forward to it!

That my flights for my trip out East are booked!! I'm so excited to be visiting Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia! Now I need to plan the rest of my trip- where to stay, what to do and see, and where to eat and shop.

To be unimpressed with Celebrity Big Brother...it's kind of boring.

Progress/Perfection

Happy Monday!! It was another snowy and hibernating weekend here. It was also restful and relaxing, a great way to recharge and get ready for the week ahead. With a busy few weeks ahead of me, I'm going to focus on this:

 

Currently- February

Here is what is currently going on in February!

Watching

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I am looking forward to watching the Winter Olympics! I think the Winter Olympics are more interesting than the Summer games...but then again, I live in a 'Winter sport' country. 

Reading

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K.A. Tucker- one my favourite authors- released a new book late last month. I'm waiting for a friend to get her copy so we can read it together. Can't wait to read this!!

Listening

 Body by Loud Luxury feat Brando

I was told by a friend that I need to listen to this song...love it! What a fun song!! It makes you want to dance!! 

Drinking

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 I mentioned the Coffee Crisp hot chocolate in my January favourites. I serious love this and have a cup once a day!

Eating

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 I have been making crescent rolls the past couple of weeks, experimenting with different fillings. These are becoming my new 'on the go' meal. 

Wanting

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I have heard and read so many great things about Due West in NYC. I'm dying to try out this new gastropub!! If only NYC were a little closer...

January // December // October // June // May // April // March //

Hey, It's Ok!

With Amber from Airing My Dirty Laundry

That I didn't watch the Superbowl...not even for the commercials (they don't show all of the same commercials in Canada) or for the halftime show.

To be going to a live recording of Grown Ups Read Things They Wrote As Kids. This is my favourite podcast- so funny. I'm looking forward to going to the recording!

That I am slowly decluttering my place. I have a lot of stuff that I just don't need...some things I've never even used. In the process I'm finding thing I forgot I even owned.

To be disappointed in how quickly people are to judge others, jump to conclusions, and all without knowing a situation or bothering to look at the credibility of a source. Careers and reputations get ruined because someone is looking for their 15 minutes of fame.

That I want to live in a Slim Aaron's photo...the lifestyle and scenes depicted appeal to me. And the photos are just gorgeous.

For Like 5 Minutes

It was a snowy weekend here...had a great Girls Night on Saturday, and was spoiled by a friend for my upcoming birthday. I feel that I had a somewhat productive weekend, but I can't say that confidently. 

Speaking of confidence...

 

Book Club: How To Build A Girl

Image Via Chapters Indigo

Book: How To Build A Girl

Author: Caitlin Moran

Indigo Summary:
What do you do in your teenage years when you realize what your parents taught you wasn't enough? You must go out and find books and poetry and pop songs and bad heroes-and build yourself.

It's 1990. Johanna Morrigan, fourteen, has shamed herself so badly on local TV that she decides that there's no point in being Johanna anymore and reinvents herself as Dolly Wilde-fast-talking, hard-drinking Gothic hero and full-time Lady Sex Adventurer! She will save her poverty-stricken Bohemian family by becoming a writer-like Jo in Little Women, or the Brontes-but without the dying young bit.

By sixteen, she's smoking cigarettes, getting drunk and working for a music paper. She's writing pornographic letters to rock stars, having all kinds of sex with all kinds of men, and eviscerating bands in reviews of 600 words or less.

But what happens when Johanna realizes she's built Dolly with a fatal flaw? Is a box full of records, a wall full of posters and a head full of paperbacks enough to build a girl after all?

What I Have To Say:
This was the January pick for my book club and I wasn't excited about it.

We are introduced to Johanna and her family living in estate housing in England. We get insight into the struggles that her and her family face, especially once their government benefits get cut. Johanna decides to drop out of school and become a writer, to help her family out financially. Johanna takes us on her journey as she starts to build her experience as a music writer and eventually becomes a known music critic. Johanna transforms into Dolly Wilde and introduces us to a very different lifestyle- sex, drugs, and rock n' roll. The antics of Dolly are over the top, sometimes entertaining, most times cringe worthy.

I have read other books by Caitlin Moran, and I am not a fan. Her other books are collections of essays and this is a work of fiction, a novel. The first part of the book was really tough to get through, once Johanna is working and living the life of Dolly Wilde, it does get easier to read. There were some funny moments, but I found a lot of the story to be boring. Johanna was not likeable to me, but the persona of Dolly was fun at times.

Final Verdict:
Unless you are already a fan of Caitlin Moran, give this book a pass.