We've been taken with chalkboards and tots' rooms since chalkboard paint first hit the scene — it's easy to use and creates a fun play space in bedrooms and playrooms alike. And while chalkboards are certainly fun, they can also be sophisticated, as the popularity of vintage chalkboard art shows us. From photo shoot backdrops and nursery walls to birth announcements and party invitations, we've rounded up our favorite chalkboard art pieces for big and little kids alike.
If 2012 brought you the best gift of all — a new baby — then your holiday greetings this year are of paramount importance. These 10 multitasking holiday cards are a perfect solution for busy moms. Not only do they spread season's greetings to family and friends (with serious style, might we add . . . ), but they also share the happy news of your family's new addition!
The sophisticated, quirky paper designs created by Mr. Boddington's Studio have long been some of our favorites, so you can imagine our delight when we spied the baby collection recently created by the mythical paper man (who "has no tolerance for haggard looking correspondence").
Full of gorgeous birth announcements, baby shower invitations, art prints, stationery sets, and keepsake birth certificates, each of the collection's designs is more beautiful than the last. While the letterpress paper goods created by the New York-based company are undoubtedly high-end, they won't break the bank. Prints start at $25, birth certificates at $30, and stationery at $30. Contact Mr. Boddington's Studio directly for quotes on birth announcements and baby shower invitations, which usually take four to five weeks to ship.
Old-world but modern, whimsical yet refined, these baby goods will definitely stand the test of time — as long as they're safely ensconced behind glass on your wall. No tot could resist playing with paper this pretty!
Have you heard of Animoto? It's an easy-to-use website that allows even the most technologically challenged among us to become video producers and editors, with professional-looking results. Thanks to a new partnership between the site and celebrity nursery and baby apparel designer Wendy Bellissimo, Animoto is now the perfect way to announce your baby news, document your little one's first year, showcase favorite pregnancy photos, and more. The site enables you to create unlimited 30-second-and-under videos for free, or you can upgrade your service for $5 per month or $30 per year. The Wendy Bellissimo-designed backdrop gives your work a gorgeous, finished feel.
Here are five videos we'd love to make using the new service:
We've seen our share of the most creative paper birth announcements, as well as video and photo essay announcements. But for parents who are looking to share their big baby news without reinventing the wheel, Nursery Notice just may be the way to go. We love that the service is eco-friendly, and the clean, modern templates are easy to update with birth details, photos, and a digital guest book. At $34 per month, Nursery Notice is also a lot more cost-effective than most printed announcements. Plus, you can archive your site on a CD once you're done with it so that it doesn't get lost in cyberspace.
What do you think? Is announcing a baby's birth over a website impersonal, or the way news will be shared in the future?
We love a beautiful printed birth announcement as much as anyone. But with iPhones and Flip cams making it so much easier for anyone to become an at-home documentary maker, it's hard to resist the urge to take your baby news into the digital age. Here, we share five of the best hi-tech baby announcements that we've seen to date. Enjoy — and welcome, lil ones!
Isabella Jane: This proud dad documented the action-packed journey to the hospital that he and his wife made in the midst of an NYC snowstorm last Winter to deliver baby Isabella:
Mommy and daddy aren't the only ones who have been expecting the stork's arrival, so announcing baby's debut is big deal to new parents. Lots of mamas prefer to go with a custom birth announcement as unique as their new baby — and nothing says custom like letterpress announcements or photo birth announcements. Click through to check out nine creative custom birth announcements for a little inspiration.
The boys in the Spelling-McDermott house are now officially outnumbered! Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott, along with their children — Liam, 4, and Stella, 3 — welcomed a baby girl, Hattie Margaret, to the family yesterday morning. The new mama, who decided to wait to find out the baby's gender, tweeted the announcement to her friends and followers, saying, "Our family is so happy to announce tht 10/10/11 R baby girl Hattie Margaret McDermott was born at 7:08am. She's amazing!" Congratulations to our blogging partner and one of our favorite Twitter moms!
Letterpress printing has captured the hearts of paper lovers everywhere for hundreds of years. An ancient printing technique that involves literally pressing words or designs with ink into thick, soft paper using a printing plate, letterpress is elegant, high-end, and fabulous. Brides are big on letterpress invitations, and now new mamas are joining in on the hottest paper trend. Check out these 10 stunning letterpress birth announcements, and we assure you that if you're not a letterpress fan already then you will be!
Having a baby is big news! There are many ways to announce a baby's arrival, but birth announcements are still the most popular choice for new parents — especially those with a photo of the newborn. Who would pass up the opportunity to send out a picture of their newly delivered pride and joy? Check out these 10 drop-dead-gorgeous photo birth announcements to share the excitement of a lil one's birth with your loved ones.
