birth announcement cards...

[*green*faery*]

Are you making or buying birth announcements? I'd like to make them (assuming its less expensive), but I'm not really sure how. Just wondering what all you mamas are doing...

[Sagesgirl]

I always intend to make them, and then never do. :LOL I'm not even going to waste my energy thinking about it this time. The truth is the last thing I want to do right after having a baby is go through the effort of making announcements.

[akemi]

I am planning to make mine. I'm going to make a 4"X6" image in photoshop or something, I'm sure there are templates you can probably download from somewhere.

What I plan to do in the next month is to make up two, one for a boy and one for a girl then when the baby is born I'll just have to insert a picture of the baby and the details (time, weight etc).

Then I'll have either an online photo printing place print a bunch for me, or else I'll take them into Costco and have them printed (only 19¢ each!)

I also hope to have the envelopes preaddressed before going into labour but who knows if that will happen

[Worldshakerz]

I'm doing what Akemi is doing.

[Carsonsmama]

I ALWAYS have BIG plans when it comes to these kinds of things.
(that never pan out, ever!)
I would love to learn how to scrap book and send out my own home made announcements......however that was my plan with my wedding thank you cards that eventually I had made by someone else and have taken six months to finish them! POOR!
SO I am thinking I will just call up the ladies I know that scrap book for a reasonable price and have them make up the announcements...takes allot of the fun out of it but at least they are cute, and finished!
I plan to go to a photographer to have newborn pictures done of the baby and one with DS....get those back and send them off with the announcements....Probably end up costing me about $3 an announcement.
Which isn't too bad I don't think.

[Rach]

Last time, I bought blank cards and printed them up with Eva's stats on the inside. On the inside of the cover, I used those photograph triangles and stuck a wallet sized picture of her.
This time, we have no printer, so I'll probably just have some made up by Walmart or something. *shrug*

[mamas2atti]

Last time I bought some card stock at a paper store that was dark mustardy yellow on one side (with a little of that confetti look) and navy blue on the other side (looked almost like corduroy). I printed up the announcement on one side and used double stick tape for a 3.5 X 5 picture of Atticus on the other. The card stock was 8.5 X 11 so I did the announcement in word with four sections and printed them up and then took them into kinko's to use the slicer. Everybody thought they were very original and they really required minimal effort.

This time I am starting with some great autumn confetti envelopes I found at Staples for 50 cents so these announcements will be more oblong, probably with a small picture and then the wording under it.

hopefully, "born in the water..."

[Serenity]

i put my dh in charge of that last time. we just took a picture at home, had copies made and then he got some announcements at a stationary store and stuck the pictures in.

[p.s]

Was at my college homecoming in May, walked into one of my favorite shops in the town, and saw these on sale
http://www.finestationery.com/produc...cat_id=0&cat=0.
So bought a stack, was about 8 cards/$6, and MIL will help with printing, presumably when she comes to stay. This baby will have nicer announcements than our wedding :LOL .

[RachelGS]

I'm ordering them. I'm not entirely sure WHERE yet, but that's my plan. Last time I had my daughter's done at www.naptimecards.com, and they were lovely. I've also seen some beautiful ones at www.bluedaisygreetings.com , www.purplestork.com, and www.announcingababy.com, and I know two people who do custom design for these as well. One of the two does the whole announcement, and the other does a photoshop design that you can then upload and order from somewhere like Shutterfly. So we'll do something like all that.

[Sagesgirl]

Darn, it occurs to me I really need to do birth announcements this time, since I'm not in great contact with everyone. Never worried about it before, since everyone who needed to know got a phone call, but a 5-hour difference in time means I'm not making a lot of calls. Guess I need to do some research for the traditional birth announcement format & see if I can mock one up on the computer in advance.

[dylan27]

is an email announcement too tacky?

I hadn't really thought about sending announcements. Pretty sure everyone who cares will know with or without an announcement. My sister is PERFECT- 'sigh' and handmade the announcements for her first two daughters. (She is also expecting again... in January.)
I just can't see the use of energy to make or address cards... would rather hang out with baby

So- is just sending one of those email postcards with vital info and pics too tacky?

If my mom complains- I'll just put her in charge of the the announcements!!

(I should note that I'm also terrible at thank you cards, etc. Always mean to handwrite/send them, but never get around to it. I'm not rude- just distractible!! )

[MelMel]

I was gunna order them from www.winkflash.com. its real easy, just upload a pic and type in the message you want on the side....i figured it would be easy to do during all that nursing time stuck in the chair.

thats where i got my dd's b-day invites, they are real cute, and only about cost $19 for 50 including shipping. VERY reasonable..it was probably even cheaper than getting cards from the store.

but since the baby isnt due till late october/early november possibly, we may just hold off a month and then order x-mas/end of the year post cards from winkflash with general info including birth stuff, and a pic of all of us. you know, something cheesy like that

[Czen:)]

I hope its not to tacky to send out email ones because that is what I always do! I communicate with everyone I know via email so that is what I would think people would expect from me. Plus its the quickest way to notify everyone at once. No phone calls but to parents, the rest get an email.

Czen

[dylan27]

email...

See that is exactly how I feel. I communicate with all my friends and family through email and it just makes sense to email the info.
If I depend on mailing announcements, I just know it won't actually get done...
I just found a couple of solstice cards that never made it to the mail. *sigh* I've missed christmas in july now too!

[freestyler]

I'm doing what I've done before, because I'm a calligrapher and it's the only time I get to polish my rusty skills LOL. I get nice cards that are embossed around the edges, and do the name in Half Uncial style (anyone know what that is lol), and then tie a bow through the front of the card, fabric bow either pink or blue. Then I use a cute baby stamp on the inside, and after the birth, quickly jot down the vital stats (date, weight, etc.) and send them off, with or without photo. I just send hand-made ones to my nearest and dearest, and then some storebought ones to other people. But not knowing the gender, I have to make a few of each! Umm, it's a lot easier than it sounds....or I wouldn't do it!

[lovnbnhome]

I think that this time I will just do a quick email with a photo attached either with just baby or with of all of us & baby...I think that email will just go to family and friends that I keep in contact with regularly.

I had DS in early November and I sent announcements and then it seemed like 2 weeks later I had to turn around and do Christmas cards

This year with a newborn and 2 other little kids and so much to do around the holidays I think I will stick our 'official announcement' in with the Christmas card/letter/picture or whatever I think I might be doing. That way everyone has a family picture and knows of baby's arrival a few weeks/month earlier!