It took the better part of four months (after she was born) to figure out what I wanted to do for Juniper's birth announcements. I finally settled on using this custom wreath stamp, then decided on playing with watercolors, and wrapped everything into a book theme to use two of my favorite things — vintage library cards and my typewriter. Since so many months had already passed, I decided to make these cards more of an announcement/update on Juniper's first four months. I used MOO custom business cards with the rounded corners to create mini photo cards, one photo from each of Juniper's first four months. On the back of each photo card is a little information about where the photo was taken and highlights from that month in her life. The photo cards are the perfect wallet-size photos. I'm so happy with how they turned out — the matte finish and quality of printing looks awesome. (Another thumbs up for MOO!). I tucked the four photo cards into each vintage library pocket which I stuck on the inside of each blank card. I also added a vintage library card in each pocket. On each library card, I typed out a bunch of Juniper's favorite things. And I typed out Juniper's full name on the library card (as if she were a book!) and included her birthdate as the date she was issued to us.
On the outside of each blank card I painted a watercolor frame in purple and yellow. I used the custom Juniper stamp to stamp her name on the front of each card in purple. I decided to line the envelopes using a favorite gift wrap from Linda & Harriett. For the outside of the envelopes, I used red frame labels that I found at a local paper store, and I wrote out the addresses using a neon pink pen.
Here's a little secret. By the time I watercolored, stamped, and lined the announcements, I realized that Christmas was fast approaching (and I'd have no time to do a separate holiday card for everyone!). So I took mini gift enclosure envelopes that I had in my supplies, stamped them with a Christmas tree, and stamped "peace and love" on a bunch of random gift enclosures and mini paper tags I had in my stationery box. It didn't matter that all the gift enclosures were different, and it was kind of fun matching the card style to the person. I'm a bit of a stationery hoarder ;) So the announcements doubled as our holiday greetings as well.
I really love how they turned out. While it took me the better part of 6 weeks to find the time to create 80 of these announcements by hand, each step was fun to do. I can't remember the last time I used watercolors. I love that there are little pockets and envelopes for people to open and discover. A lot of people have remarked how they like that the photo cards are wallet-size. Mostly, I'm happy that these announcements share a peek inside what Juniper is like — beyond her basic birth stats. Little details like how she loves to suck her fingers and her very first roadtrip was to Maine. And she amazes me each and every day.
Photographs by Jen for the The Haystack Needle.
