Pretty & Practical - Paperless Post

{ Remember these things? }

I. Love. Stationery.  And design.  And paper.  Always have. When I was in elementary school, my dad came home with an IBM PS1 and a dot matrix printer.  He installed Print Shop shortly thereafter, and from that day on my afternoons were spent in front of that behemoth creating cards and banners for anyone and everyone.  Stuffed animals included.  I even started a neighborhood club just so I could create membership cards and letterhead.  Only my parents know how many color ribbons I went through.

Then, in high school, I worked at a Hallmark store.  Week after week, I spent virtually my entire paycheck on cards and stationery.  Today, I'm in heaven at places like Papyrus, Crane's and Paper Source.  {My poor husband is a really good sport.  I've already ordered him two sets of monogrammed cards.  He helped tremendously with our wedding thank you notes!}

So as much as I love the speed and convenience of email, something about it just feels so impersonal to me.  It works fine for quick messages, but for special occasions or otherwise important events, I find it subpar.  And while I love how Evite allows you to track responses, the designs are just not my style and their customization options are limited.

{The Premiere Party invitation I made on Paperless Post}

Enter Paperless Post.  It's like they were eavesdropping on my mental wish list and combined everything I ever wanted in online stationery.  You can create a custom look from a litany of beautiful "papers" and motifs, or pick up one of their existing - and lovely - designs.  They even allow you to choose envelope liners. {Swoon!} Birthday cards, personalized stationery and invitations all the way from fun and funky to traditional and chic... I only wish I could order them in real paper!  We used Paperless Post for the invitation to our little "Say Yes To The Dress" premiere party  and were exceedingly pleased.  It's still in Beta {click here to join!}, so I can't wait to see what beautiful new options will come forth as they continue to develop.

In my mind, half the joy of sending someone a kind word is the effort put forth into finding and writing the perfect card.  Paperless Post brings that joy back to email.   So while it's still not a handwritten note, it's close.  Virtual communication just got a whole lot classier.