Birthday Season!

We've had a busy few months of what's known around our house as "birthday season." Me (Jess), Matt, River and Scout all have birthdays within the same few months in the summer, and as hectic as it is it's so so fun to get to celebrate all of my favorite people.

I wanted to share with you some snapshots from all these celebrations, because sharing little tidbits of my family with you all is something I just love. 

Plus, birthdays are probably the most notorious time to give a card and write a handwritten note to someone you care about. We think that's so special, and we're glad to get to be a part of that tradition. See some of our favorite birthday cards below, too! 

Happy Birthday My Love

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In addition to celebrating at home, we did a joint party for the two kiddos, and it was sports themed and so much fun – not to mention chaotic... :)

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Old is the New Hot

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Happy Birthday From The Gang

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Wuddup, Birthday Girl! Card

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Happy Birthday to my Best Friend

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For Matt's birthday, we went to the Ryman. One of his favorite places in Music City (and mine!)

For my birthday, I was gifted my favorite things from my favorite people: flowers, and the sweetest handwritten notes.

One Year in our Nashville Home

It's been one whole year since we moved into our house in Nashville. So much has happened in that year, and now our house feels like a home. 

We wanted to give you a "behind the scenes" look at our home and lives here in Music City, so that you can get to know Breathless Paper just a little better.

 

Around the House:

• I am slowly but surely changing the lighting. I recently added these kind of industrial pendants above our kitchen island and I adore them!

• The dining room table is one of my favorite pieces. It's the table I grew up with. My parents gave it to us and refinished it in a white, antique style and I LOVE having it! I installed a new light above it that I ordered from my mom's shop in Atlanta, Urban Cottage.

• Our foyer is a great, open space. All it needed was a simple metal drum shade light. 

• We screened our back porch in, and it is our FAVORITE spot to be.

• I painted our half bath a great deep navy. I LOVE it, and it's a great contrast to the bright white woodwork throughout.

• Also in the half bath, I have a little Dash & Albert rug, a ceramic white accent table and a great wall shelf. My dad made the mirror for me from old barn wood and I changed the vanity light. It's actually one of my fav spots in the house :)

• Walking up the stairs I have two large bulletin boards where we display the kids' art. I love watching them pin their stuff up there. Also on display is our Needle & Grain "Nashville" pennant that I bought right after we moved.

• The playroom / band room is another family fave spot. Matt and the kiddos spend tons of time in there making music. 

Fave Date Night & Restaurant Spots:

• Adele's is a favorite of ours. We love the atmosphere and the food is excellent! 

• Bar Taco! It was one of our favorites in Atlanta, too and we used to do dates there, so it's pretty fun to get to do that here as well.

• I adore Caviar & Bananas for a date with the kids!

Fave Spots to See Music:

• The Ryman... of course.

• The Basement on 8th Avenue. It's a tiny hole in the wall with great beer.

• 3rd and Lindsley. It is a good size and you can sit at a table with friends and grab food too. The sound is awesome!

• Mercy Lounge is also great. It's not too big and you really can see from wherever you are, which is always a plus.

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Needless to say, Nashville is home now and we are so happy to be growing our little family here. Come visit! ;) 

XOXO,

Breathless Paper Co.

Kindness + Card Making

As you probably already know -- or could guess -- I really value handwritten notes and letter writing as a whole. That's why our cards are blank on the inside. We want you to say what you mean and we want you to write it in your own words and your own handwriting. It's such a lost art! 

That's why when I was given the chance to visit my oldest one, River's class and talk about writing cards and practicing thoughtfulness, I took it. 

Not only is letter writing crucial, but we think it's even better when it's taught at a young age. In our home, we make writing notes common practice.

I loved getting to speak to a room of little ones about why writing notes is a kind and loving thing to do. It was the coolest thing to watch how excited they all got, and to watch them make their own cards. There's nothing like seeing a little one write their friend or parent a love note. As I always say, the world needs more love notes. 

I'm going to be scanning in each child's card project and creating a copy for every parent in the hope that it'll become a special artifact and memory for years and years to come... and in the hopes that it won't be the last card they write! 

Encourage your little ones -- and yourself! -- to write more notes. You won't regret it.

XOXO,

Breathless Paper Co.

February: Card of the Month & Valentine's Day

For us, Valentine's Day isn't just about celebrating significant others, it's about showing love to all! We feel the same way about our cards. We want them to spread all kinds of love and joy, especially when it comes to holidays like this one. We kept that in mind as we chose our card of the month.

This card from our Fresh Breath collection is vibrant, simple and sweet. Honestly, what more can you ask for when it comes to Valentine's Day? "You Are My Person"  means so much. It applies to boyfriends, girlfriends, wives, husbands, best friends... the list goes on. It's a powerful sentiment: You've found your person! The one who you can share everything with (even the silly or bad stuff) and the one who you feel completely understood with. We think this card is totally worth giving, for Valentine's and for always. 

When it comes to Valentine's Day in our household, we've made it a tradition to take our kids out on a "family date night." We let them pick the place, and they love it. Last year was our first year carrying out the tradition in Nashville, and they chose Taqueria Del Sol (y-u-m!) It's looking like that might be their choice this year too... but they said they'll "let us know" ;) We love family time around here, and Valentine's is no exception. 

Our little ones ready for date night last year.

What Valentine's looks like at our house. We love hand-written notes ;)

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P.S. Don't forget to take part in our#BeBreathless campaign now through the end of February, 2018! We want you to show us where and to who our cards travel to! Snap pics of one (or more!) of our cards out in the world and post onInstagram. Hashtag #BeBreathless, tag @BreathlessPaper, and be entered to win $500 worth of cards to gift to your loved ones or keep for yourself. Winner announced after close of contest.

A Breathless Paper Christmas ♥

This Christmas, our family is venturing back to Atlanta to spend time with extended family. 

Back in Nashville, though, our tree is all decorated with ornaments picked out by our little ones -- mostly from our family shop, Urban Cottage in Atlanta. 

I am so excited to tackle Christmas Eve dinner this year for not only my little family, but for my parents, sister and her new husband. I'll be whipping up apps, dinner and cocktails. Of course, Scout and River will be helping too. They're especially looking forward to being on cookie decorating duty. 

Music is a huge thing for us, and so we'll definitely be jamming out to Christmas tunes allllll weekend and while we cook and open presents. Not gonna lie... it's pretty cute watching them dance and sing to all the classics. 

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We'll be continuing some traditions from my own childhood, like exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve after dinner, and opening Santa gifts on Christmas morning. 

While we love giving gifts, we try to keep it minimal. We want the togetherness to be the focus, not the receiving of gifts. 

This year we focused our time, energy, and funds toward donating to two families to allow them to have a Christmas. 

We hope you & yours have the most beautiful, warm, peaceful & giving holiday this year. And if you're giving a Breathless Paper Co. card, we'd love to see what you're giving! Remember to tag #BeBreathless ;)

Still need a card or two? Order on our retail site! Right now, get 15% orders of $20 or more. Because we love you guys.

XOXO,

Breathless Paper Co.

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P.S. Don't forget to take part in our #BeBreathless campaign now through the end of February, 2018! We want you to show us where and to who our cards travel to! Snap pics of one (or more!) of our cards out in the world and post on Instagram. Hashtag #BeBreathless, tag @BreathlessPaper, and be entered to win $500 worth of cards to gift to your loved ones or keep for yourself. Winner announced after close of contest.

Thanksgiving in Our Household ♥

Giving thanks is something we're sure to do year-round in our house, but it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day and forget to stop and say a simple "thank you." That's why Thanksgiving rocks.

Everyone is home and together, and we dedicate a whole 24 hours solely to saying "thank you" and appreciating what we have, instead of thinking about what we don't. We also eat. A lot. (Duh). 

This year was big for us because we spent our first Thanksgiving here in Nashville, and I cooked the whole dinner... which I'd never done before. Matt was on turkey duty and did an awesome job, and of course our little ones helped. 

There are a few things we just had to make sure to have on our table, like bourbon & vanilla bean cocktails made with White's Elixirs and sweet and sour whiskey drinks. We decorated our table with the heirloomed "Blessings" napkins and runner, with my favorite vintage tablecloth beneath it that I've had for years and years. We used my favorite set of mismatched serving pieces and plates, and tied our napkins with bakers twine and fresh rosemary. I just love rosemary, so we used it for the centerpieces, too.

It was so fun to teach the kids new traditions, like putting notes about all the things we're thankful for into a mason jar and sealing to open next year. We also taught them how to make a wish on the wishbone - that was just too cute. 

We loved having quality time to give thanks and love each other. From your friends at Breathless Paper Co., we hope you had just as beautiful of a Thanksgiving as we did. 

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P.S.: Don't forget to take part in our #BeBreathless campaign now through the end of February, 2018! We want you to show us where and to who our cards travel to! Snap pics of one (or more!) of our cards out in the world and post on Instagram. Hashtag #BeBreathless, tag @BreathlessPaper, and be entered to win $500 worth of cards to gift to your loved ones or keep for yourself. Winner announced after close of contest.

We Believe in Nashville!

Recently, our family and our paper company made the move from Atlanta to Nashville. It's been an adventure in setting up our new life and exploring the nooks and crannies of this city. We love where we are now, and we cannot wait to share with you our favorite places to eat, sip, adventure and shop. Read on! 

Favorite places discovered when exploring:

OMG (Old Made Good) - East Nashville

OMG has everything vintage, from a great band tee to an old map or antique chairs. It's a must-do whenever you're in East Nashville.

Judith Bright - 12 South

Judith Bright has jewelry made right on site by the nicest women -- they even made bracelets for my kids while they watched!

Bloom - 12 South

This place is one of the best little flower shops we've ever been to, also in the amazing 12 South neighborhood. Stop in to treat yourself or someone you love with a gorgeous bouquet! 

The kids' favorite find:

Philip's Toy Mart - West Nashville

Our kids can't get enough of this place. The toy selection is crazy amazing, and they have a train all set up that is mind blowing. 

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Visiting with Family:

This past weekend, my sister and my soon-to-be brother in law came to visit and our weekend was jam-packed. We went to the nearby Franklin and sipped on the amazing Franklin Juice Co. Then, we walked around downtown and popped into Whites Mercantile (one of my favorite Nashville finds) and Rock Paper Scissors, an awesome paper shop (which, of course, we love). 

For eats, we chose Flipside in 12 South for lunch, and The Pinewood for dinner. The Pinewood is also a bowling alley, and it made for an awesome "just adults" night. Afterwards, we grabbed drinks at super trendy Old Glory in Edgehill. Nashville is full of all kinds of eateries and watering holes, and we recommend checking out all the places we mentioned.

We Believe In Nashville & we can't wait to keep exploring!

Happy Dad's Day from Breathless Paper!

It’s no secret that Breathless Paper Co. is all about celebrating. Our cards revolve around amplifying even the littlest of moments and making them into celebrations of life. Family is one of the things we emphasize most; it comes first. 

Breathless Paper Co. founders Matthew & Jessica Berinato with their kids, River & Scout.

With Father’s Day upon us, it’s time to highlight dads, what makes them extra-special, and how we can show them just how important they are. Our rockstar Breathless Paper dad, Matthew Berinato, is the most generous and kind-loving father. He puts his children first one hundred percent of the time, whilst designing Breathless greeting cards and products, and laughing all the while. Yeah, he does a lot. 

Without a doubt, you probably know one or two kick-butt dads who also do a lot. We’ve got some ideas on how to show them you care: 

We’re all busy, so chances are that quality time with dad is the most valuable gift. If you want a place to maximize dad-time, try this: 

Top Golf, Midtown Atlanta or Alpharetta: Whether dad is a golf fanatic or barely a fan, Top Golf puts all the fun of playing sports with dad into one family-friendly experience for various skill levels. One experience with tons of ways to play, a KidZone, and “grown-up” drinks. Or, give dad a gift card and he can go have some “quality time” of his own. 

Write dad a note in this card…

Sometimes, a night on the town is what it takes to let loose after a long day/week/month/year’s worth of hard dad-work. Here’s a way for dad to have a night out that’s the perfect balance of relaxed and fun, from one of Atlanta’s up-and-coming hangouts: 

City Winery: A new addition to the Ponce City Market area, City Winery is exactly what it sounds like and more. The winery has a line-up of concerts these summer months, and they’re the perfect way to enjoy a classy, music-filled evening. This is for the “wine over beer” kind of dad. Bonus! They even have winemaking classes. Yeah. Best gift ever.

Some notable upcoming shows:

June 19 (Dad’s Day!): Todd Snider with Rorey Carroll

June 24: Carl Verheyen Band & Andy McKee

June 29: The Weepies

July 3: Don McLean

(And tons more! Visit CityWinery.com for more details!)

Write dad a note in this card…

For the dad that isn’t “wine over beer” Atlanta is filled with top-notch breweries to tour and brews to taste. Take dad and let him take his time being handed some of the best beers in Atlanta and the southeast. See our recommendations below! 

Orpheus Brewing: Orpheus Brewing overlooks Piedmont Park and the Beltline. That’s hard to beat. Noted for their artisan packaging and off-the-wall beer names, the year round offerings plus “Bone Tablet” IPAs, sours and limited addition brews will not disappoint. Faves: Transmigration & Serpent Bite

Second Self Beer Company: Second Self is a beer company characterized by brews that pair well with foods and experiences. A company led by two foodies, if dad’s all about having the perfect beer with lunch or dinner, this is for him. Faves: Thai Wheat

Monday Night Brewing: Monday Night is becoming an Atlanta staple. The iconic “man with fit in air” logo is the company’s claim-to-fame, and if you or dad doesn’t think they’ve heard of Monday Night, you’ve probably seen the colorful cans around. Does “Weekends Are Overrated” ring a bell? Faves: Eye Patch Ale & Slap Fight. 

Write dad a note in this card...

Whatever way you celebrate, do so with joy. Happy Father's Day from our family to yours! 

Our rockstar dad (Matthew Berinato) with Scout.