Bridging the Distance
Idea dedicated to Belencilla.
This idea will be useful if you have, or are going to have, someone important to you far away for a while. The person who inspired the suggestions you'll read below is a great friend who was far away some time ago and is about to leave again soon, so let these lines serve in part as a tribute to our friendship ;)
If you have a loved one at a distance and want to send them an important message in a special way ('I miss you,' 'Happy Birthday,' 'You know I'm there with you,' etc.), you can do it with the help of a digital camera. Many of you might know the classic gesture of taking a photo with a banner conveying your message to send to the surprised person, but here we will go further. We propose two original alternatives:
1) Print the photo in giant size. There are places where you can even print it life-size on a poster (though it will cost a pretty penny unless you have a printing service at your disposal). Once done, simply send your creation and wait for the recipient's reaction.
2) With a bit of computer skill, you can print your face (and maybe some accessories) in a suitable size to fit a Playmobil or Lego clip. We'll make the little figure hold a mini-banner with the message we want to convey (for example, by attaching a small piece of paper to a toothpick that will go in the figure's hand). Finally, we'll carefully package our special messenger with bubble wrap to prevent damage during mail transport.
These suggestions might seem a bit strange to you, but crazy initiatives are often the best because no one in their right mind expects them, and therefore their surprise factor tends to infinity. Put yourself in the other person's shoes. Wouldn't you love and be surprised by such initiatives?