"open when" letters.

As most of you know, Jon and I just celebrated our 3-year anniversary. I decided to get a little creative with his gift this year and make him some "Open When" letters, inspired by a picture that I saw on tumblr about a year ago. I've been working on this gift since June, and I'm pretty excited about how it all turned out. 

What exactly are "Open When" letters? They are simply cards or letters that you give to someone, instructing them to open them at a specific time. Check below for some examples!
Ideas for your "Open When" letters:
Open When...

• you need to know how much I love you.
• you miss me.
• you're not feeling well.
• it's finals week.
• you're on your way to see me.
• you're going for a workout. 
• we're miles apart.
• you're sad.
• you need a laugh.
• you're having a bad day.
• it's your birthday.
• we're having a fight.
• you're hungry.
• you feel like it.
• it's Valentine's Day.
• you're bored.

The possibilities are endless! I had a ton of ideas, and I had a hard time narrowing them down. 

For my cards, I decided to include small gifts with a few of them. I've heard of a lot of people who just stick to the cards and letters, but I liked the idea of having my letters be different sizes, shapes, and colors. I've seen some that have all of their envelopes look just alike, and those are fine too, but I wanted mine to be colorful, chaotic, and fun. 
Ideas for small gifts to go with your letters:
Hungry: A gift card to somewhere the recipient likes to eat Workout: A pedometer, sweatband or other small workout gear Bored: A word search, Sudoku, Mad Libs or some sort of puzzle Laugh: A joke book or list of jokes, a funny picture Finals Week: 5-hour energy, coffee or a Starbucks gift card Having a Bad Day: A mix CD of happy songs, happy pictures or a happy movie Miss Me: A picture of the two of you together, a list of fun memories you've had together Get creative with your gifts! The costs may add up, so make sure you think small, but significant. It also helps if you plan this gift in advance so you can spread out your spending over time.

Tips:

• If you're starting this gift in advance, buy cards for every holiday.
• Think of important dates coming up in the recipient's life, i.e. graduation, a family vacation, job interview, etc.
• Collect cards with colorful envelopes. White envelopes look pretty boring unless you decorate them.
• Think personal. Don't just stick to general cards like "I miss you" or holidays.
• Write meaningful things in the cards. Don't just write your name.
• Make the message in every card different. Don't be repetitive. 
• If you include any food as gifts, make sure you write on the envelope when they need to open the envelope by.

If you have any questions or want to share any of your ideas, comment below or shoot me an email! Have a lovely Friday eve!