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The Gallagher Guide to the Baby Years

Stephanie Gallagher, a.k.a., “The Shopping Mom,” reveals her closely-guarded shopping secrets and money saving tips in her blog, The Shopping Mom’s Favorite Things. She is also the author of four books, including The Gallagher Guide to the Baby Years, Fabulous Bargains, The Everything Baby Resource Guide and Money Secrets the Pros Don’t Want You to Know.

Looking for something a little special to announce your newest addition to the family? Want a birth announcement that goes beyond the ordinary printed card? Check out these five super unique birth announcements:

1. Say It With a DVD

Why send a birth announcement when you can send friends and relatives a keepsake instead? DVD Birth Announcements (dvdbirthannouncements.com) will create custom DVD slides shows set to music. You can send them to friends and family in the mail or hand them out at the baptism, christening, or bris.

Choose from songs like “Circle of Life” by Elton John, “Amazing” by Josh Kelly, “Unforgettable” by Natalie Cole, and others. Or upload your own songs. Each DVD comes with two songs, about 35 pictures, custom pink or blue packaging, and a picture of your baby printed right on the DVD. The cost is five to eight dollars, depending on how many DVD announcements you order.  

2. Put Your Baby On the Cover of The Wall Street Journal

Proud Parent Publications (proudparentpublications.com) sells birth announcements that are designed to look like newspaper articles. Using themes like getting elected president, winning a beauty pageant, being a soccer star and more, the articles are written like real newspaper stories with you and your baby as the center of attention.

Just send in your baby's photo and vital statistics, choose your announcement theme and style, and Proud Parent Publications will do the rest. The results are quite unique and sure to capture your recipients’ attention. The cost is $38 for 25 announcements and envelopes.

3. Put It in a Ticket to a Sporting Event

Like to watch football? Attend concerts? Go to the theater? Now you can send out your baby’s birth announcements on what looks like a ticket stub to a sporting event or concert. Little Big Man creates personalized birth announcements designed to look like tickets to major sporting events.

The announcements include the baby’s picture, name, and birth statistics in a clever, event-ticket style of your choice. You can even use professional sports figures’ photos if you like. The cost is $50 for 24 announcements.

4. Surprise Them With a Customized Fortune Cookie

If you want to go all out, go where the celebrities go for their party favors: Fancy Fortune Cookies. Fancy Fortune Cookies has been turning out delicious, customized fortune cookies in delectable flavors since 1988.

You can put the baby’s name and birth statistics on the cookie message and mail them out in Fancy Fortune Cookies’ special crush-proof containers.

Choose from flavors like luscious lemon, very berry raspberry, passion fruit punch, cool cappuccino, toasted coconut, and minty mint. You can also get chocolate-covered fortune cookies and, of course, plain ones.

The cost is $45 for 100 cookies, including the customized message. The crush-proof containers will hold one cookie each and cost $49 for 100 boxes.

5. Make It Elegant — at a Fraction of the Price

If you want a more classic look but don’t want to spend the money on high-priced printed announcements, just do it yourself. Mountaincow’s (mountaincow.com) PrintingPress software lets you create gorgeous, elegant, or modern birth announcements in a huge variety of styles using your own personal computer.

The software costs $29.99 and includes a variety of fonts, graphics and images. Plus, you can upload and use your own photos. It also lets you create thank-you notes and other personalized stationery, too. The actual paper is not included in the cost of the software, but Mountaincow sells a variety of paper styles as well, in prices ranging from $2.99 for 25 flat cards to about $19.99 for 25 wedding-invitation-quality invitations and envelopes.

© Stephanie Gallagher, 2006.

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