Who is Effie?  

I get asked this question all of the time. My maternal grandmother, Mrs. Effie Hayes, is the inspiration behind Effie’s Paper. Although she’s no longer with us, I know that she’d be tickled about being my stationery company’s namesake.

My gran was a stylish lady who was a stickler for pocketbooks filled with hankies and red lipstick, proper undergarments and a well-written thank you note. I got my sense of style from my grandmother. My grandparents didn’t have a lot of money, but my grandmother was one of the most stylish ladies I’ve ever known. Her creativity with her ensembles translated into everything she touched from the beautiful quilts she sewed to the way she made gift bows during the holiday season.  She hated taking photographs, but she showered us with handmade quilts. She'd be delighted to know that the unique heirlooms she handed to each of us were featured in Real Simple magazine a while back.

Believe it or not, my grandmother worked for a greeting card company when I was a kid. There were tons boxes of note cards around and she always had the perfect card for every occasion. She gave my sister and I our own notecards to use as scrap paper to practice and perfect our penmanship (do they even teach penmanship anymore?!?!).

Effie would’ve succumbed to the cellphone (she was a talker!), but all this other stuff like text messaging and email? She wouldn’t touch any of it with a ten-foot pole. She’d be happy for you to use all of that technology, but if she were here today she’d insist that you communicate with her the old fashioned way. And you know what, there really is something about receiving a handwritten note in the mail . . .

It must run in the family because Jada, my eleven-year-old niece LOVES stationery and regularly sends me the most awesome handwritten notes. To me, using personalized stationery continues to be the most elegant and distinctive forms of communication. Modern technology definitely makes things instant and easy, but it lacks a personal touch. Don’t you agree? Who doesn’t love to receive real mail? You know, a hand-written note on nice stationery ...

I know I do, and I know Effie did.