Wednesday, 28 February 2018

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.***

Tuesday, 27 February 2018

Hey, It's Ok

http://www.airingmylaundry.com/
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!!
 

Monday, 26 February 2018

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:
 


Wednesday, 14 February 2018

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,