The idea for tiny telegrams started as a bit of silliness - a mini card with a micro written greeting for a friend's 65th birthday after his successful cataract surgery. The card was received with so much amusement and laughter, both by the birthday person and our roomful of friends, that I knew I'd hit on something fun. I wanted to capture that moment and share that kind of delight as many people as possible.
That moment lie lodged in my brain for a couple months, then, while I was in charge of craft actitivities at a good friend's bachelorette weekend in Palm Springs, the atmosphere of creativity and fun (and maybe the influence of a few champagne cocktails) shook something loose: it couldn't just be stationery, it had to be a full experience! Presentation would be everything, all of the details would be carefully considered, thoughtfully designed and handcrafted.
The idea was met with resounding enthusiasm by a tipsy group of very creative gals, and I knew that this could turn into something special. The idea churned in my head, changing and evolving. I bounced ideas off of other creative friends, to make sure the idea sounded just as awesome without mimosas. I played with fonts and images and I doodled on scraps of paper. I looked at bulk packaging and spent hours researching vintage fonts, old woodcut designs and packaging notions... wax seals, twine, etc. I may have obsessed a bit. I spent countless hours wandering the aisles of the local paper store, touching everything. That tactile experience is intrinsic to this product/service I was forming.
Finally, I purchased some tin boxes and made a prototype, photographed it and sent it off to a couple friends who were there at the inception of this wild idea. They liked it. A lot. Realizing my tiny inkjet could not manage a high capacity print job, I found a local printer to make my designs tangable. I took those printed materials home and cut, folded and glued everything myself. Finally, a week after Thanksgiving 2014, I had everything I needed to launch my first few telegram designs in time for the Holidays!