our news
I mentioned we had some news that we shared with our friends in our new years card (and a special thank you to our patient friends and family who actually sat down and de-coded the card!). We wanted to share our big news with my parents and our children Bee and C on Christmas morning, so we decided to tell everyone all at once.
I offered to help my parents with their Christmas card this year and decided to do a Family Tree showing how our family is growing (there were 3 new babies in 2009). My parents have six children (I'm the fourth) and between my siblings and I there are 14 grandchildren. While I had everyone together this summer for our annual family reunion, I asked each person to stand against a wall so I could take their photo (mug shot style, with a sideways profile..). Later I traced the photos in Illustrator to make silhouettes of each person in our family. The result was a family tree chart that we printed on 10x14 sheets of paper and folded in fours and mailed out as Christmas cards.
For a gift to my parents I printed a large poster size version, framed it in a simple black frame, and wrapped it up for them to open Christmas morning. My mom unwrapped the gift with Bee and C sitting next to her. Immediately Bee and C wanted to know where they were in the chart, so my mom pointed to their silhouettes. And that's when she realized that this chart had a new addition (fourth row).
A new little baby for our family. It was perfect. My mom screamed, and the children literally jumped for joy (they've been asking for a baby for over a year now). It might be the happiest Christmas morning ever.
03.3.2010
Reader Comments (114)
I love this! Very clever!
Congratulations Brooke!
I always love stopping by your journal, such creativity, in more ways than one!
Hope you are feeling well.
CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Congratulations, a new baby and such a beautiful idea! I might just try to get silhouette head shots of my family members the next time we gather, too. I have a paper cut silhouette from when I was 6 years old, it really is a timeless way to portrait someone (if this makes sense).
How fun! I love the profiles you did. Congratulations on your expected arrival!
Congratulazioni!! Barbara (Italy)
Congratulations!!!...and what a beautiful way to share the news with everyone.
Congratulations! What a lovely gift and a sweet way to share the news!
Awwww! Congratulations to you and your family!!! Such wonderful news. And, what a great gift idea! The way you rolled the baby announcement into the gift is so clever!
Congratulations! What a sweet way to share your news, and how wonderful for your children to have another sibling. It's especially nice that they've been asking for one; a new brother or sisters is literally the best present anyone could get. Almost wish I was getting one myself (and I'm 29!)
What a wonderful and unique way to share the news ... I love it!
Congratulations! I love creative ways to share exciting news. Perfect!
What a sweet way to share your news. Congratulations!
Amazing yet again! Congratulations!
What a beautiful way to make an announcement. Love it. Congratulations!
Congratulations! What a wonderful way to share the news :)
What a creative way to share the exciting news!!
Maybe by our third we will have come up with a truly clever idea like the decoders and family tree poster...I wish I had thought of sending New Year's cards this year.
Congratulations!
Congrats! My family would kill me if I did this...we all have double chins. :)
Congrats! How exciting... and what a special way to share the news with your family. Your blog is such a source of motivation... I always leave feeling inspired to take the time to put more thought & creativity into everything I do. Thank you :)
What a sweet gift. The baby AND the poster. Congratulations!