I am a traditionalist at heart and love to send and receive snail mail. I always make sure to have stationery on hand because you never know when you’ll need to send a note to someone special. My go-to stationer is Smythson (preferring their blank notecards) and I even posted about some of my purchases here. But I have to admit to secretly coveting the notecards designed by artist and master calligrapher Bernard Maisner. I remember first seeing his beautiful butterfly notecards at Gumps in San Francisco many, many years ago. I don’t think anyone who knows me would describe me as frugal but I couldn’t justify spending $145 for a set of 8 notecards that would sit in a drawer just waiting to be used. However, I will say that they are a wonderful splurge for a very special occasion. While expensive, the price tag is justifiable. Each notecard is beautifully hand painted with vibrant watercolors so no two are ever alike. Notecards also come packaged in a fabric covered box that makes me swoon because I am also a sucker for great packaging.

Here’s a look at some Bernard Maisner stationery. Keep reading…I can tell you how you can get Bernard Maisner for considerably less…

Barnard Maisner, Artist and Calligrapher in his studio.

In our digital age, there are options to physical paper stationery and Paperless Post provides a fabulous alternative by offering digital stationery that mimics the look of traditional paper goods. The online platform provides some of the most attractive digital designs and I was happy to learn that they offer many designs by Bernard Maisner, including the butterfly notecard I have loved for so long. If you love Bernard Maisner designs as much as I do, this is a much more affordable option. Here’s a look at a few of the Bernard Maisner digital designs available through Paperless Post. 

I really like that Paperless Post designs are so customizable. Many designs even allow you to upload your own picture.  

It’s never too early to think about the holidays. In fact, I was just telling someone yesterday that after Labor Day it always feels like a fast forward to the holiday season.

While Paperless Post is nothing new, it’s something I’ve haven’t tried until just recently. If you are on the fence about using digital stationery like I was, don’t be. Paperless Post provides a great alternative to physical paper by offering so many stylish designs, including those by Oscar de la Renta, John Derian and Jonathan Adler, just to name a few. Here’s what I like about Paperless Post:

• The website and the app are so simple to use and very user-friendly. 
• I absolutely love the fact that you can schedule cards to be delivered in the future. 
• You can save your drafts to work on later.
• A countless number of designs with style to suit almost everyone.
• You are informed when cards are delivered and can see once they’ve been read.
• Customization is simple and very intuitive.
• You can even upload your own designs.

I now consider myself a fan of Paperless Post but one thing I don’t quite get is how they came up with their pricing system. “Coins” are the currency you use to pay for your digital products and you buy coins in bundles. For example, a series of 10 coins cost $5.00, 25 coins cost $10, 100 coins cost $20, and so on. I sent a card recently that cost me 7 coins. I absolutely hate math so I didn’t bother to actually figure out what the real cost to me was in dollars and cents. I don’t get the concept of coins and I prefer a traditional check-out than to have to buy coin packages. For me, this is the only downside I found and it’s not one that would ever deter me from using their products again in the future. I’ll just simply consider it a quirk. After all, don’t we all have a quirk or two of our own? I know I sure do…