Here are two sites with free t-shirt transfers, but they do not necessarily pertain to "50th Birthday". I am also listing some cute sayings for a mid-life t-shirt and the site on which I found them: http://members.tripod.com/~charlene_norma/patterns.html http://h71036.www7.hp.com/hho/html/756_0_0_225_121.html · Classified antique · Don't worry about wrinkles they're just antique smiles · Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional! · I'm not 40, I'm 18 with 22 years experience. · I'm not old... I'm chronologically challenged! · I'm not old... I'm chronologically gifted · I'm not young enough to know everything. (Sir James M. Barrie) · In Dog Years, I'm Dead · It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser. · It's hard to be nostalgic when you can't remember anything. · It's not how old you are, but how you are old. · Just when I was getting used to yesterday, along came today. · Life not only begins at forty, it begins to show. · Middle age is when your age starts to show around your middle. · The trick is to live a long time without growing old. · Warning: dates in calendar are closer than they appear. · You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Farm/9753/poemfiles/aging2.htm And one of my favorites: "I'm not 50! I'm 49.99!" I have created transfers using my wordprocessor software and choosing the very large fonts and then when I print it out, I always choose the "transfer" option on the printer setup (sometimes it's listed as "reverse image"). Hope this helps, jackie (alabama) Here is a link that might be useful: HP Free Printables

Well, I make a WeeWilly Warmer - I take a glove and cut off the fingers to make the warmer. I sew on a small bell on the end of the finger and two 36" pieces of cold cord attached to each side of the top of the finger... The poem I attach to the box is Wee Willy Warmer When you are getting older, and the nights are getting colder... Nothing could be sweeter, than this cute wee peter heater!

Get a caterer! That is a LOT of people to cook for. You can do a few things yourself and ask the caterer to serve if you ask nicely. If a caterer isn't in the budget, at least order prepared food or platters to serve. Cooking for 80 at a hall is just too much. Hard to say what kind of food. I would pick what your mom loves best -- keeping in mind what your guests will enjoy, too. If she's a baseball fan, for example, have hot dogs and peanuts and beer. If she loves travel, have exotic choices. But I think really your best bet is to give the caterer a budget and let him/her suggest things. That always works for me. For decorations, flowers always say "special occasion," but they can be expensive. You can make copies of photos of her at different stages of life and put them in inexpensive lucite frames of different sizes (you may even be able to ask the store if you can return them if you keep them in perfect shape) and put a few on each table for centerpieces, perhaps with a single flower or candle. We did that for my mother's 70th and it worked nicely. Potted flowering plants with a ribbon around the pot are also nice and inexpensive centerpieces (and a lot less work). You can give them as thank you gifts to people who help you with the party. You are so nice to do this for your mother! Good for you. I am sure she will be thrilled.

I came to this site looking for ideas for my parents who are trying to come up with a good 50th anniversary gift for my grandparents as well. I appreciate the ideas that have been posted thus far. I do have a suggestion for the group - My mom made a cross-stitch blanket that is hanging above my grandparents' bed for one of their anniversaries. It's basically a family tree and includes a square for each person - My mom stiched i.e. "John" (son) and his birthdate and then "Jane" (wife) and her birthdate, and in between the two - their wedding anniversary date. And then below John and Jane are the three kids and their birthdates. In each person's square she stitched a little item that represents that person - like my square has a piano because I play piano... my cousin's has a baseball, etc. It was VERY well received and it's perfect because we know how when you get old you are very good at forgetting dates! I thought this was the best gift idea ever and it was very well received. And every time a new family member is added, my Mom just updates the blanket.... The problem is now, we have their 50th anniversary coming up and this past anniversary gift is going to be very hard to top.