a millennial who thinks some things are just better on paper
Some may call it old fashioned, but I have a love for all things tangible. No… don’t worry, I still have an unhealthy attachment to my iPhone (I mean I AM a Millennial with two Instagram accounts and a need to capture EVERYTHING on *digital* film), BUT I also long for the things I can touch and hold in my hands, notes I can place in a keepsake box, and photos I can pull out of storage and be instantly transported back to Christmas morning in 1990.
There is something special… a sort of closeness you get… a bit of permanence and maybe even a sense of nostalgia you feel when experiencing memories or interactions through more tangible forms of communication. A reminder of simpler times and a feeling that something is all your own… not floating on the cloud or accessible by essentially anyone on the internet.
SO! Here are three things I'm convinced are better on paper and why:
1) Planners
I don’t know if I’ll ever convert over to iCal. Maybe it’s because I grew up on spiral agendas, and got through college with paper calendars on my bulletin board, outlining due dates and study sessions, but I LOVE being able to keep track of plans, trips and playdates in an old school planner. Here are my favorites:
Rifle Paper Co. ($34) – Love these for the cute prints – also love the gold embossing, but note that the monthly calendar view is a little small (if you use this section a lot like I do!).
Paper Source ($35) - They have SO MANY to choose from, I can get lost on their site for hours! They also let you personalize one of their lines, with your name or monogram, which I love!
The Day Designer ($59) - I had this one a few years back, and I can say that it's PERFECT if you work from home, and want a lot of space to jot down ideas and daily schedules / to-dos. It's not so great if you like toting your planner around everywhere because it is quite large. But for an at-home desk planner, it totally fits the bill, PLUS it is chock-full of inspirational quotes and goal setting prompts.
Sugar Paper LA ($28) - They started carrying this brand at Target a couple years back, which makes it even easier to get your hands on these on-trend paper goods. This is the perfect planner if you don't want to sacrifice style for cost. They come in at about $30 and always have the most beautiful and classic designs - like this blush and gold polka-dot cover, complete with a gold metal spiral and matching corner protectors.
2) Thank you notes
I’ll be honest… I’ve contemplated switching over to email thank you notes (and I might do it one day), but for now, I love taking the time to hand-write a note to thank someone for a gift or thoughtful gesture. They took the time to do something nice for me, so the least I could do is take the time to write and thank them! Plus, how fun is it to receive snail mail??
I have a very real fear that all of the photos I take just live and die in dark little folders on my computer. Never to be seen again and with the always-looming possibility of being lost in the oblivion with the crash of a hard drive. Maybe it’s because I grew up flipping through photo albums and watching home videos – but I now HATE the thought that 90% of my photos exist digitally (how am I supposed to embarrass an older Ava by showing naked-bum-baby-pictures to her future boyfriends??).
I’ve solved this issue in two ways:
I first found this company after we got married. I had all of these amazing European honeymoon pictures, with no place to put them! Artifact Uprising to the rescue! I like these books better than some of the other brands for a couple reasons but primarily because they are high quality, look super professional and make for GORGEOUS coffee table books (no shiny scrapbook-style covers here).
I put together one of their layflat albums to preserve Ava’s first birthday pictures and I love it so much. You can see how thick the layflat pages are, and the edge-to-edge printing allows you to display your favorite photos in a full-page spread. The covers are made from a woven fabric that comes in lots of beautiful colors and can be foil stamped with the title of your book (I chose the 'Orchidee'/light pink color with gold foiling). I love knowing that no matter how many years go by, I can always pull out this special book to share this memorable day with her!
This is one of the BEST app freebies I’ve come across. If you have the Shutterfly app, you can order unlimited prints off your phone. It’s that easy! So throughout this first year of Ava’s little life, I’ve ordered prints of cute pics I snapped on my phone, and then added them to her baby book. It makes preserving those precious everyday moments THAT much easier (and cheaper than ordering prints from the store)!
Okay, so those are my paper-only non-negotiables. And I will gladly take the chuckles from some of my peers (along with the knowing looks from older generations who feel me on this) knowing that our memories are perfectly preserved, people are being property thanked, and I will never have a meeting accidentally deleted because my toddler got her hands on my calendar app.
