All The Paper + A Paperless Offset

This post is in partnership with Paperless Post.

Here at BHH, June is the month that passes by in a blink. Our calendar might as well read, January, February, March, April, May, July, August… Maybe it is the same at your house. During June, school ends, two kids go to summer camp, and we close out the month with our annual trip to the Origami Convention in NYC.

Origami Convention? What?

To make a long un-old house-related story short, my son has been folding Origami for about nine years. He folds other peoples’ models and designs his own. Last summer, one of his designs was published in Japan as part of a collection of original Origami art. So, this is all getting very real. With some frequency, he and I also co-teach beginning Origami classes to children and adults.

Even though paper cranes most often come to mind when we hear the word Origami, there is so much more to it.

Origami is art, of course, but it is also science, engineering, and design.

Researchers study folding techniques for items used in space travel, recreation, and even biomedical devices. (Picture something like an injectable remote-controlled stent that could open up when it arrives at its location.)

As you can imagine, Origami creates a ton of paper waste. Although most types of paper can be folded in some way, unfortunately, ordinary Kami paper is made from virgin fibers. Luckily it can be recycled, but even so…

Oh, the irony of having a hobby that uses an excessive amount of paper when we strive to be a paper-free household. Enter Paperless Post.

Paperless Post

Is an online stationery website. All of the cards, invitations, and flyers send electronically–no paper waste. While some would say that electronic notes are less personal, I would argue otherwise. The truth is, I’m simply not sending cards through the mail anymore. There is nothing more impersonal than not sending anything at all. Ha! Grandma does not approve.

The Paperless Post website is easy to navigate and includes plenty of filters to narrow down the choices. They even feature stationery from top designers such as Kate Spade, Anthropologie, and my personal favorite, Rifle Paper Co. You all know that my love for Rifle products runs deep.

To show you how it works, I designed a birthday card for my sister Erica. Yes, she got the pretty name. (That’s a little sister-rivalry humor for all of you.) The templates are very customizable. You can write your own message and change the fonts.

You can even swap out the background.

Next, choose the envelope color and liner print or delete the envelope option altogether.

But seriously, how cute is this postmark on the outside?

Finally, add the recipient’s name and email, and send the message on its way. When Erica opens the e-mail, she will see a short animated version of her birthday card coming out of the envelope.

Paperless Post can also easily handle an extensive guest list imported from a .csv or .vcf file and manage RSVPs. They have gorgeous party invitations, and it would thrill me to receive a wedding invite via e-mail. If none of the choices for stationery excite you, you are also welcome to design your own with their simple-to-use tools.

While some of the options on Paperless Post are free, many individual items average between .50 and $2.00 per piece depending on what you choose. That is still cheaper than most paper cards + postage, and a Paperless Post message does not have to be recycled. It fits neatly into the reduce category of the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle slogan.

For your next family celebration or even a corporate event, consider using Paperless Post. Hey! The 4th of July is coming up, and the gif flyers might be the perfect way to invite your friends over for a backyard barbecue.

So, let me know. Are you on board with electronic correspondence in place of snail mail, or would the fridge door look just too empty without invitations and flyers stuck to it? And I think I know the answer to this question already, but do any of you fold Origami?