One Year Anniversary Gifts

Congratulations if you have made it to your one year anniversary. 
Gifts to celebrate this wonderful first year are wonderfully easy to create without spending a fortune, which is good news, because let's face it, money is tight in those early years.  You still have 24yrs to go before you officially have to buy diamonds, so breathe a sigh of relief as this year you only have to buy/create something with PAPER!! (see what I gave my hubby on our first anniversary below...)


Paper Anniversary Gifts


Here are some suggestions to get your creative juices flowing:


1. Write a Love Poem - I did this for our first wedding anniversary and my husband still can't finish reading it without crying -and we have been married 20yrs this year!  (scroll down to see the poem...cheesy!!)
2. Put a Love Note in a bottle - This is SO romantic - you could be extra creative here and leave it floating in a bath full of paper rose petals..
3. Create your Surname search our Backyard Letter Photos (made of paper!) and spell out something meaningful and then frame them or find a creative way to display them. I think this is a lovely first year gift as it will have special meaning to you both - and it is a personalized gift
4. Funky Stationary
5. Tickets to a concert - well they are made of paper!!
6. A book
7. A journal made from hand crafted paper with a nice pen
8. A baby TREE - the origin of paper!!
9. Put an Ad in the paper - wow! Declare your love with a love note and photo in the local mag - tell the world!!
10. Create a collage from all your wedding cards or photos and have it framed - I did this too - worth doing otherwise they just get stuck in a shoe box somewhere and you never see them


Come and share with us your ideas on our Facebook Page and be in to win a Paper Gift from Backyard Letters!  


Ok - so here is THE POEM I wrote for my wonderful hubby all those years ago - it always chokes him up when he reads it (every anniversary!!) and I know it is CHEESY but it just goes to show that if it is written from the heart.....oh and if you want to know what anniversary gift is used to celebrate this 20th Anniversary - check out the Yearly Anniversary Gifts Page - bookmark for future use!!


The Poem:
  
I know that our marriage
will be like a country walk
never knowing 
what is around the next corner
refreshing
when we walk in the shade
out of the glare of the blazing sun 


always finding something
interesting on the way and
perhaps discovering
things we hadn't noticed
the first time we walked there


Satisfying to look back and 
remember
the walks we have achieved
always challenging
the ones we haven't yet climbed


How exhilarating
it will be
my love
when we reach
the top of the hill
together


awwwwww....20 years on...and still going strong...we have taken a few 'wrong turns' now and then - but we always get back on the track and continue the walk together xxx

April Competition - do you have a birthday in May?

Does your birthday fall in the month of May? Backyard Letters have a special Free Backyard Letter gift to give to one lucky person who will be celebrating their birthday in May.

If not already, simply become a 'fan' on our Facebook Page  and leave a comment telling us it is your birthday !

We will contact the winner near the end of April 2010!


Congratulation to Myra Davies form the UK who was our 'April Birthday' Winner

Special Days to remember each month

Here are a list of Special Days to remember in 2010:

April
1st - April Fools Day
2nd - Good Friday
5th - Easter Monday
25th - ANZAC Day


May
9th - Mothering Sunday (NZ & Aus)


June
7th - Queen's Birthday


July


August


September
5th - Fathers Day (NZ & Aus)
27th - South Canterbury Anniversary Day

October
22nd - Hawkes Bay Anniversary Day
25th - Labour Day

November
1st - Marlborough Anniversary Day
12th - Canterbury Anniversary Day
29th - Westland Anniversary Day
30th - Chatham Islands Anniversary Day

December
25th - Christmas Day
26th - Boxing Day

March Competition

Do you have an April Birthday? Backyard Letters have a special Free gift to give to one lucky person who will be celebrating their birthday in April.

Simply become a 'fan' on our Facebook Page  and leave a comment telling us when your birthday is!

If your birthday is not in April but you know someone who has - simply forward them this link or send our facebook link to them so they can enter!

We will contact the winner near the end of March 2010!

click here to become a fan 

Trendys Stationary Awards

We have three entries in this years Trendys Stationary Awards.

"The Stationery Trends Awards - "The Trendys" - grew out of a desire to provide retailers with a voice on the latest trends in greeting cards, gifts and all things stationery. These awards recognize the best in the industry - through the eyes of the retailers, who are in tune with the consumers' desires."

The winning designs will be exhibited at the National Stationary Show in New York - there are some wonderful entries so if you want to see what is happening in the Stationary world head off to cast your votes.  Our entries can be found here:

Baby Entry

Bridal Entry

Greeting Card Entry

People actually pay to hear us TALK

Yes - I know - it seems crazy that people pay to listen to Maria and I ramble on when we do it for free everyday!


But last week that is exactly what happened when we gave a short presentation to the local business woman's network, sponsored by Diva Business Solutions Ltd.


This was a first for Maria and I - and having little time to prepare - we had been exhibiting at the Trade Fair prior - we barely had time to pull on a new pair of pants - but managed to put together a colourful powerpoint presentation telling our story to date.  We included weird and wonderful facts like:

• our favourite letters
• our most embaressing letters
• iconic NZ letters
• most requested words etc
• as well as how we got ourselves in this mess in the first place!

We had an 'interactive' display which the ladies seemed to enjoy and showed their support by ordering some gifts (thank you ladies!)


The venue was a delight - Just Heaven Lodge - bare it in mind for your next event/meeting- 10/10 - The first part of the evening was spent dipping our toes in the swimming pool whilst drinking wine and nibbling cheese & grapes before we moved to the comfort of the 'Barn' - nothing 'stuffy' about this venue - in fact I think ALL business meetings should be held in this way from now on!

We did it!

Well we survived the Gift Fair and all the greeting cards stayed up!  The plastic strips we used to display them requires a little 'tweaking' to stop the cards falling 'forward' - but all in all we were very pleased with the effect and received some positive comments about our display.  A few exhibitors mentioned they would like to copy the idea so it must have looked OK!

It is funny to watch people walk past - they either totally 'get the concept' or totally 'don't' or casually glance and are about to walk on by when they have the 'light bulb' moment !!!  Had to laugh at one lady - she said she was given a 'LOVE' block for her birthday about 3 months ago by her brother (wasn't he lovely....) but it was only recently that she realised it actually 'spelt' a word!!  But that is what I love about the letters - they aren't immediately obvious to everyone - which is actually quite endearing....

Loads of people said they had seen our products in other shops and had purchased for their own use - which is a HUGE compliment - and then they hunt out our stand to make a purchase for THEIR retail store.

Took us no time at all to dismantle our stand - and gave us time to stop off for a well earned piece of chocolate cake and debrief...

One of the highlights for me was meeting Celia from 'Cecily' Greeting Cards - I am a HUGE fan of Cecily Cards and a keen supporter of NZ artists.

photos coming soon xx