dad turns seventy
My dad recently turned seventy (!) and my mom and I wanted to do something special for him. Dad didn't want a big party, and he and my mom were going to be out of town on his actual birthday, so we decided to give him a gift that would continue all month long.
I printed 70 postcards on thick cardstock (110 lb.), each with a different number between 1 and 70. My mom helped gather addresses for seventy of the important people in my dad's life: family members, old classmates, dear friends and all his grandchildren. Included in the envelope was a card explaining that it was dad's birthday, and that they needed to send the postcard back sharing their funniest memory of Skip. To make things easy, I pre-addressed and pre-stamped the postcards so all they had to do was write a quick note on the back and toss the card in the mail.
When my dad got home a few days after his birthday, there were a handful of cards in his mailbox. He was surprised and delighted. And then the next day there were a few more cards, and the day after that, a few more. This continued on for the rest of the month until he had quite a stack. I hadn't asked people to stagger when they mailed their cards, that just happened naturally. Some of the notes were heartfelt and quite moving, others were funny, bringing up memories my dad hadn't thought about in years. I especially loved reading what his grandchildren wrote. All in all, a pretty inexpensive gift (postage was our main expense) and one I think my dad will remember for quite some time.
11.8.2011
Reader Comments (88)
Hey! Just wanted to let you know that I featured this on my blog and that I really love what you did! Very sweet, incredibly unique and so heartwarming. I can't wait to do this for my dad ;)
Lindsay
Clandestine Closet
Love this idea!! I would like to use it for my moms 50th birthday.... just scanning the pics and other comments...wondering how you worded the cards to guests about replying with a written memory?
Thanks a million,
Sarah
i'm getting teary reading about this idea. what a perfect gift. i might just have to use this idea!
I love this idea and am going to "borrow" it for my mom's upcoming 70th. I know this was a while ago, but do you have any idea what fonts you used for the postcards that you made? I'm not so creative and have no idea where to even start looking...thank you!!
I love this idea. Any chance you might share a template?
Ditto to Betsy's request for the template, please!
What a fabulous idea!!!! Can you tell me what is printed on the side with "Skip turns 70?" The message to family and friends....
Thank you!
Do you happen to have a template you could share for the # cards and also the front? It is adorable and we would love to do this for my Dad's 70th bday party. Although I am going to send with the invite and have them bring the cards to the surprise party and have a box there for them.....
Love it, I have actually just done this for my friends 40th but instead of numbers i got a photo for each year of her life and put it on the postcards via MOO. Her birthday is on 10/9 so can't wait for the surprise and to see how many arrive on the day!! Thanks so much for the idea.
What a great idea!! I've been racking my brain as to what to get my dad for his 70th birthday. He pretty much has everything he wants so I was stumped until I saw your post!! I'm so excited!! I just ordered the cards and I can't wait to read people's responses! Thanks for a creative and special idea!
My sister and I want to do this for our older sister who turn 60 in December.
Can you share the template/font etc. I hate to reinvent the wheel when your's is so perfect. It's the simple things that make life the greatest. Thanks for sharing.
Do you still have this template? I'd appreciate it so much.
Hi!
Love this idea- Would you mind sharing the template you used and where you got the cards printed?
Thank you!
11.18.2013
Go to: She has them for a GREAT price...
craft
blog
::
merrimentdesign.com
etsy
store::
etsy.com/shop/merrimentdesign
facebook
::
facebook.com/merrimentdesign
twitter
::
twitter.com/merrimentdesign
pinterest
::
pinterest.com/merrimentdesign
google+
::
plus.google.com/100130971699031469750
I must have spotted this post on Pinterest right after you completed this project, because I pinned it over 2 years ago. And I have waited and waited for my mom to hit a milestone number, which she will in just 2 short weeks. For the past 2 years I have been planning this, and finally started putting everything into place around Thanksgiving. It has been so much fun, and I created cute self addressed stamped envelopes, all individually numbered from 1 - 60. I reached out to 60 friends and family members, people who she would least expect and I can not wait until the times grows closer and those cards start rolling in. Thanks so much for this idea, for I have came across others very similar, but NONE like this. It does get pricey with buying the stamps, but so worth it. Hope everything goes smoothly and no one ruins my moms surprise in the upcoming weeks.
Can you share your template
I was wondering what you did with the postcards afterwards? Did you just store them or did you display them in some way?
Thanks!
Such a great idea!
I did something similar for my husband's 50th birthday. We got a good response but not a great one - though some of the letters were truely amazing. I didn't think about addressing envelopes & stamping them. That is such a great idea.
I adore this type of gift and fully believe in the power of postcards! Would you be so kind as to let us know what type of printer you use? I am in need of an upgrade, as mine doesn't seem to like thicker cardstock, and it seems like your creative endeavors put your printer to the test. Thanks!
Fast and Furious 7 torrent download, Fast and Furious 7 full movie download, Fast and Furious 7 torrent, Fast and Furious 7 movie download, Fast and Furious 7 full movie free download in HD, Fast and Furious 7 movie torrent download in Hindi