75th Birthday Surprise {Guest Post}

You may remember my very talented friend, Jamie, who has shown off her photography skills several times on the blog before. She’s back today to show off another creative side, her beautiful graphic design skills! Pair that with her caring spirit and love for her family and this post will make you smile. Jamie’s mom (whom I’ve only met once but KNOW it’s where Jamie gets her sweetness) turned 75 this past August and Jamie did something very special for her. I’ll let her share the story. Take it away, Jamie!

For my mom’s 75th birthday, I wanted to give her something special. More than just a gift…something that would make her heart happy. I  was Inspired by Inchmark’s Dad Turns Seventy post and encouraged our friends and family to fill my mom’s mailbox with birthday wishes on custom postcards.

I decided on 5″ x 7″ postcards to allow people more room for writing  than the standard 4″ x 6″.  (Keep in mind that a 5″ x 7″ postcard will need a standard first-class postage, and this size is too large for a postcard stamp.) It was important to me to emphasize in my design that this was a BIG birthday! I created the 75 pattern for the back, and decided to go with four different color palettes so that there would be some variety in her mailbox.

For the front, I added my mom’s address and left a large blank area for a handwritten note. I sent the postcards in an envelope with a custom address label and a note explaining what was enclosed. I made it as easy as possible for the recipient by already pre-stamping and addressing the postcards.

My mom called me the day she received the first few cards.  She said it took her a few minutes to figure out that they were not 75% off coupons! She was ready to go shopping – how cute is that?! The next day, I received an email from mom that read “13 postcards today!!!!!!!!  I just love it!!!!!!!  Cannot wait for the mail tomorrow!!!!!!  WHAT FUN—-LOVE YOU FOR DOING THIS”.  Not only did I make her birthday even more special, but she made my day by just seeing how excited she was.  And, I also realized I must have inherited my over use of exclamation points from her!