Wondering how to make your own birth announcements?
Here are some of my suggestions for handmade baby announcements.
- Keep "Gift Guiding" in mind on the design
There might be quite a few friends and family members who want to get the baby a gift, so consider helping guide their color and theme choices with the baby announcement design. For example, a friend of mine was recently running her announcement ideas by me, and she wanted a design with cute little monkeys. After asking, I found out she wasn't decorating the baby's nursery with monkeys and absolutely did not want to receive any outfits with monkeys on them either. However, she would certainly be sending these signals if she put monkeys on the baby announcements.
- Essential birth announcement information to include
You'll definitely want to include the baby's name, birth date and time, weight, length, and the parent's names. Another thing to think about is nicknames or calling babies by their middle names. If you're baby's name is Mary Elizabeth Smith, you might want let everyone know you plan to call her Liza. Consider putting Liza as a main feature on the front of a folded homemade baby announcement, and then include her full legal name "Mary Elizabeth Smith" on the inside with the other essential information.
- Including a photo with the baby announcement
Picture birth announcements are getting very popular, but don't feel like you absolutely must include a photo. Maybe you don't like the newborn picture from the hospital, you haven't gotten a good picture of baby with your camera, or you feel like you need to wait for a professional photo shoot. That's a lot of pressure, so don't stress over having to include a photo with the baby's announcement. I've received and designed them both ways, and either is completely acceptable and exciting to discover in the mail box.
If you want to include a photo, consider that some friends and family might want to frame the baby's picture, and a birth announcement design where the picture isn't glued down gives them this option. I think incorporating a pocket into the design is great way to do this. You can put the photo in the pocket, and when recipients lift the picture out, you could have all of the essential baby announcement information behind it.
- Consider outsourcing handmade birth announcements
With all the joy and sleep depravity of a new baby, will you honestly feel up to making handmade birth announcements? Ideally, these should be sent out before the baby is four months old (six months at the very latest), and this timeline may not be realistic if you plan to do the construction yourself. Consider outsourcing this project to a friend/family member or a professional, and take one pressure off your plate at this very special time.
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