39 reasons why I love you
I love my husband. And he knows that. But on his birthday, I like to make sure he knows it in more ways than one. So this year I sat down and wrote out 39 things I love about JR, since he turned 39 this year. (I take it as a good sign that 39 things came fairly easily.. maybe it will get more difficult when he is turning 87?)
Here's how to make your own... Grab some strips of paper, some colored tape, and some string. Then write 39 things you love about the birthday boy: traits you admire, things you know will make him laugh, add some serious things as well. Lay out some string and tape your strips in order, from number 1 to 39 (mine were about 18 inches apart).
Hang your string up using a little more tape. I put mine up all around our living and dining room, since it's the first room my husband enters when he comes home. They make a festive little garland, and later that night JR walked slowly around the room reading all of the messages.
When I took the garland down a few days later I saved all of the little strips, tucked them into an envelope and stashed it in my husband's desk so he can reread the things I love about him anytime he likes.
And because so many of you asked.. I got my tape as a Christmas gift from here.
08.15.2010
Reader Comments (60)
this is sweet.
i love sentimental things like that.
SO darling! Oh my gosh... it was really, really lovely and this was such a sweet thing you did!
Just discovered your blog - I think your birthday garland idea is beautiful, and a great way to honour someone special.
Your ideas are so simple, refreshing, meaningful, thoughtful, and just plain lovely. I'm happy to have your blog on my reader and on my own blog (so that others can be inspired by you as am I). :)
I simply adore this idea. It's so personal and thoughtful! We may have a baby on my husband's birthday this year so I might be preoccupied. Might have to wait until next year! xoxoxo
Can I ask where you got such beautiful tape?
i really adore this, brooke! what a lucky man. xo joanna
So sweet. I love taking the time to tell loved ones why we love them so much. For our first anniversary (dating) I made for my then-boyfriend-now-husband a similar gift: a jar of 52 wooden hearts--one reason why I loved him on each heart, 1 for each week we'd been dating. Now it sits on a "sentimental" shelf in our home.
I love this idea, and I want to do it for my husband on his next birthday!
I did something similar for my mom a few years ago. I printed out 52 reasons I loved her on pretty colored pages of lightweight cardstock, then cut each into a strip. I coiled the strips around a pencil to give them a little dimension, then mixed them all up in a vintage mason jar. I made a label in coordinating colors for the lid of the jar that read: "52 Things I Love About You: One for Every Week of the Year." She pulled out one strip every week for the next year. It resulted in a lot of random voicemails, like at 1 p.m. on a Tuesday: "I just read my reason for the week, and I can't believe you remember that! And that mattered to you!" So it was fun for both of us. And she's still not tired of it; she keeps the jar on her bureau and rereads them all the time!
I love this so much!!! stealing this idea :)
mp
http://www.thepinkandblueblog.com/
just great!=)
One year I made a jar of 365 things for my husband's Christmas gift. He was deployed at the time so I sent it overseas. Being a total dude, he read all of them in one sitting! It got tough to think of creative things after about 230. :)
I second the question about where the tape comes from. Great idea, by the way.
what a wonderful idea! i bet he felt really special. :)
This is ADORABLE and I really want to do it but my fiance's birthday isn't for another nine months and it's too cute! So maybe it will just be a random surprise. hehe :)
That's SO incredibly sweet!
That is such a wonderful idea!! I'm sure your husband loved it! I think I'll do something like this for my husband's birthday - thanks for the idea =)
This is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen... thank you for sharing it!
You singularly saved my husband's birthday. I wrote up 31 Things for him this week and he said it was perfect when he saw it this morning. Thank you.
PS - I saved what I'd written in my journal for those days when I need a bit of a reminder. ;)
so inspiring. my boyfriend's birthday is Sunday and I'll be putting up this lovely installation as a surprise. you're extremely talented!