Today’s confession: I have a really cool process that combines a fun photo of the party with a Thank You Card.  It works like a charm!

Yes, we already have Claire’s Party Thank You cards done, but it’s not really my fault. Don’t blame the perfectionist; blame Target Photo’s One-Hour service.

I’m a firm believer in Thank You Cards. I love writing them, and I love receiving them. I think it’s so important to remember to show our gratitude, and getting a real card in the mail makes me feel special, so I always try to reciprocate. (Yes, we thank people in person, but there is an added bonus to doing a “real” Thank You Card, in my humble opinion.)

We had Claire’s 4th Birthday Party with a few select friends at the local Build-a-Bear Place today. We took a cute photo of the group, and when we got home, I uploaded it and she helped me pick out a cute Thank You Photo Card from their online photo card selection.

I got it all arranged, and got it set to print, and I chose the “pickup at the store” option. It really was done in less than an hour, so I went to pick them up. I mean, once I’m on a roll, why stop?

They’re addressed, stamped, and beautifully artworked by Claire.

The Perfectionist Part is SO glad to have it done. The Casual Part is SO glad the process was easy and painless. Plus, now my friends will think I’m either super-organized or a touch insane or both.

Not that there’s anything wrong with either one of those diagnoses.

This is a super-easy idea and I’ll be doing this (or a version of it) from now on.

During the party, I wanted to get a good group shot of the kids.  (I mentioned the Party People on a Couch in this post.) I wanted to use that group photo in a Thank You Photo Card.

The funniest part was trying to find the best shot to use!  In three of our five shots, at least one person was trying to escape.  In four different shots, at least two people weren’t smiling.  In most of them, at least one person was being a goofball.

I narrowed it down to this one.

I think every person looks good enough…and when you’re dealing with kids of this age-range “good enough” is as good as it’s going to get! 

So, after the party on Sunday (the 30th, Claire’s birthday), during Claire’s nap, I sorted through the digital photos and found the one I wanted to use.  I then went online to the Target Photo place and found a Thank You Card I liked (I think the one I chose was actually a “blank” version.  I can’t remember.  I looked at roughly 53 different cards.  Ha!).  I wrote all of the kids’ names in order on the card and sent it to print.  The only option I had, other than mail-delivery (which I didn’t want to do), was the one-hour option.  Thinking that was just a generic message, I chose it.  I’d go pick them up when they were done, on Monday, during Claire’s Young Preschooler Class.

Imagine my surprise when 30 minutes later I received an email telling me they were done!  Already!  I couldn’t believe it!  I grabbed my purse, ran downstairs and told my hubby that I’d be back in a few minutes.  Claire was still napping when I returned with the finished Thank You Cards.

On the back of each one, we (oh, who am I kidding…Claire is too little to really write out her Thank Yous yet, and her cursive is just not up to par!) wrote a personal message on a sticky note and attached it to the back of each photo card.  I addressed the envelopes and they went out with the Holiday Cards on December 1st.

And, on Claire’s copy of the Thank You Photo Card, I wrote everyone’s full names on the back (for posterity’s sake), and we have a nice easily-made memento of the party and nice reminder of who helped her celebrate her birthday.

For the record, I did NOT expect to have the Thank Yous done and sealed the afternoon of the party, but I’m not one to poke around in the mouth of a gift horse, so I ran with it!

Now, my friends think I’m extremely organized and also a touch insane.  I am organized, but not that organized.  It was purely luck.  For real.  Honestly, please stop looking at me that way; it makes me uncomfortable.