Orders
Many people are choosing to order announcements. Some of the services will allow you to pick a size so that the envelopes can be sent to you before the birth for filling out. Then when the baby is born you simply call and the order is printed.
There is a larger variety available, although many do look alike. You do run the risk of having a design that someone else has had, if that matters to you.
Many of the companies have displays online or you can order a catalog. Make Your Own
This can be a lot of fun. If you have an inkling of imagination or creativity let it flow. You can do many things and they will be original. This doesn't mean that you need to go all out on your birth announcements.
Let me tell you about the birth announcements we made for our second child. I bought enough pre-stamped plain postcards and addressed them to my family and friends prior to my due date. After the baby came I had a pink and a blue foot stamper (since I didn't know if the gender), and I took the foot stamper and placed his foot on the stamper and then on the postcard. I did this while he was asleep and did about 5-10 a day until they were all sent out.
I used a stamp that said BENJAMIN to put his name on the postcard, but you could easily save yourself the time and use printed labels with the baby's information. Everyone was thrilled to have their very own foot print of the new baby. It was inexpensive, creative and not a lot of work.
For more ideas on making your own birth announcements, look at the clip art that you might be able to use.
Online Announcements
There are plenty of free places to post your birth announcement on the web. Places like Little Loves provide you with free space to post your baby's page. You can also purchase larger packages for a small fee.
There are even some hospital that are doing online birth announcements. Check out Clark Memorial Hospital and Baptist Hospital East. Ask your hospital or birth center if they are doing anything like this.
Fill-in the Blanks
You can go to the store and purchase fill-in the blanks cards and envelopes. While a few years ago the selection was slim, today there are a lot of really cute options. If you go to a card store or party store there tend to be more options. These are cute and easy. These are also great for older brothers and sisters to fill out and take to school. It keeps them busy but involved, while not costing a lot of money.
Whatever you decide, have fun. And remember to save one for the baby book.
