Beautiful Birth Announcements

Welcoming a new baby into your family is such a wonderful and magical experience. You can't help but want to share your good news with all of your family and friends. What better way to showcase your new blessing than with handmade birth announcements?

When mass-producing anything handmade, it's usually best to keep it short, sweet, and to the point. After all, you did just have a baby. Who has the energy for anything too extensive? A few suggestions to help keep things simple:

• Purchase pre-cut and pre-scored cards with envelopes, or purchase envelopes and white cardstock in bulk if you'd rather cut and score the cards yourself.
  
  
• Pick some main items to embellish your cards with. For example, a baby-feet stamp, a paper baby bonnet, a small pacifier or bottle diecut, or a small piece of ribbon tied in a bow.
  
  
• Chose your colors and papers ahead of time, so you have everything you'll need right at your fingertips.

You can even get started while waiting for that little miracle to join your family. It's always nice to be prepared ahead of time. A few things you could to do to begin preparing the cards:

• Cut and score your cards if you chose to buy sheets of cardstock.
  
  
• Cut all of the papers that you'll be using to size, so you merely have to glue them down when you're ready.
  
  
• Prepare the inside of the card for a photo by adding four photo corners, so you can just slip in a picture after the baby is born.
  
  
• Decide on the wording you would like to use to announce your new bundle of joy. ("Announcing", "Introducing", "Meet our new addition", "We're so proud to announce the birth of baby", etc.)
  
  
• You could even use your printer to create fun address labels for the envelopes so the cards are easily addressed and ready to go.

Remember, there's no rule saying that each card has to look like the last. If you start to feel yourself getting bored with the same thing over and over again, change it up! These are your birth announcements to have fun with.

Those receiving your beautifully handmade cards will appreciate the personal touch and love that went into them, almost as much as you'll appreciate the fun you had making them!