Birth announcements

What are you doing, if anything, for birth announcements? Are you going to make your own or purchase them? Any recommendations for online resources? If I had a million-billion dollars I would have beautiful letter press announcements made for the boys but I don't have that kind of cash flow so I'm looking for something affordable but classy.

 

I've been making mine for the past 2 months. All I have to add is a picture and the info. It's a lot of work, but my passion. I'm using supplies I already have so it hasn't cost me anything...until I buy stamps for them. I heard snapfish.com does a good one, but watch out for the shipping prices.

 

Thank you for asking something I've been thinking about lately. Looking forward to hearing what people have done or are planning to do.

Cary

 

We were going to go with snapfish.com birth announcements. They have some specifically for twins. It's easy to get out right away, you just have to upload a picture. You can order and have them sent to your house or pick them up sooner at a local Walgreen's.

 

Don't do what I did! I was disgusted at the cost, so made a template and researched printing co's to do it on my own...then never got around to it! :fool:
I did find a company that will print professional short lots if you want the link.

 

This is a great website, lots of choices, but they are so expensive. I hate to say I used a few of their ideas and made my own in Photoshop, all we have to do is add the pictures and date and we are all set. I created an Excel spreadsheet and printed labels for all the people we are sending them to, so that's done. Can you tell that I'm off work and bored, I learned how to mail merge!

http://www.babybirthannouncements.com/10Ex...ductCode=NBA012

 

I did mine from the hospital - our hospital has the package with the first picture - all I had to do was mail them out - the girls pictures and data was already printed. check with your hospital to see if they offer that - I think I paid about 75 or 100 for the package - I got alot of pictures with that.

 

Here are a list of links to birth announcements that I have compiled over the months:

http://www.bayberryannouncements.com/babyb...ouncements.html

http://www.buttercupkids.com/products/ProductView_953.htm

http://www.alphabitsoup.com/shop/order.asp?item_id=145

 

I was recommended to 2 sites...

www.tinyprints.com

www.sweetbabydesigns.com

I know people who have used both and they came out adorable! They also give you good ideas if you want to try it on your own.

 

I'm going to use moo cards. I use them as my photography business cards, and the order gets to me within about a week, and the cards are adorable!
I figured I would buy cute-but-plain notecards from target, maybe with our last initial "B" and stick a Moo card with the twins photo inside. The back of the moo will have the birthdate and time and the info.

http://www.moo.com

As for the picture, my doctor told me they want to do a c-section between 36 and 37 weeks, so the week between christmas and new years. I've been cross-stitching christmas stockings for them, so I figured I would photograph them with their feet/lower bodies inside the stockings and their heads/arms out. That way their cute little faces and names will both be in the photo and people will be able to tell them apart.

 

My friend just had a baby in April. She is an excellent photographer, so she took pictures of her baby and got her announcements through snapfish.com. I am not sure of the prices, but they are definately the best announcement I have ever gotten!

 

depending on when you are due, you can do what we did and combine the birth announcement and christmas cards! we saved on cards and postage as well as time! ours were born in October, came home right before halloween, and i think we sent them out end of november. we took some pictures and had cards made at yahoophoto or kodak, i forget. they came out really well and i think were less than $100.

 

We are planning on doing Hershey wrappers. I bought a program from ebay quite awhile back to do my own wrappers. We plan on buying the Hershey bars at Sam's Club - so those won't cost too much. Then printing our own wrapper at home.

I'm pretty sure you can just purchase wrappers off of ebay too..

Hope this helps!
Elizabeth

 

QUOTE(xavier2001 @ Sep 6 2007, 11:47 AM) [snapback]395309[/snapback]
I learned how to mail merge!

i am so impressed by this. i used to be an admin asst in college and i never could figure that out!

 

I saw a design idea I liked somewhere online (can't recall where) and used it as the basis of creating my own. I just have to throw in the pictures and have them printed (DH works for a printing company). I will also do what I did for DD's, and that's to have the envelopes all addressed and stamped before they come so once they are born, we just stick them in the envelopes and pop them in the mailbox.

 

We'd also like to recommend the many unique selections we have here at Twinstuff using four different printers we've hand-selected over the years.

http://www.twinstuff.com/store/catalog/index.php?cPath=52

Our main printer is returning from an extended summer break and we'll be putting several new of her designs online soon as well as returning her established lines back to the site (unfortunately we couldn't sell her products during the summer)

 

Hey if anyone is interested in birth announcements then PM me...i'm a photographer and I do templates like this all the time...I'd love to do some twin ones...and I will cut a good deal for my ts friends!

ladybenz: i tried to order moo cards for tags on my presentation packaging...their website was crazy. overlapping fonts and couldn't get the checkout to work...it was weird. i was so disappointed b/c i love others photogs moo cards pm me and we can exchange ideas