Italian Birth Announcements: Creative Splendor

I have to say, the Italians do some things really right, and ‘How to Do Birth Announcements’ is one of them.

 

On the day of the birth, the whole front of the house gets decked out, like this:

 

And these birth announcement decorations (or at least the bow) stay up for months. 

 

So, this way, there are no boring questions to answer, over and over again: “Is it a boy or a girl? How many months now? How many pounds at birth? When did you have her? “ All this is clear for everyone to see and read.

 

Because this announcement stays up for a while, you can expect fewer panhandlers knocking on your door during your mid-afternoon nap with the baby. And of course, since everybody knows, you can expect congratulations and festive responsive such as presents from anyone around you. Neighbors, friends, etc.

The Birth Announcement ‘Party Decorations’ are easily bought here in Italy. However, you can make your own.

 

Italian Birth Announcement How-to

Every decoration is a bit different here.

1. Usually the simplest one include a couple of big pink or blue ribbons tied up together into a large bow. This one is made of burlap with baby blue seams. (Did you know you can just buy burlap ribbon at Amazon? Well, click that link and you’ll find burlap ribbon of all kinds of sizes. )

   Other ribbons are made of a mixture of silky and plastic mesh ribbons.If you make your own bow, choose ribbon material that will stay good for a while when exposed to light, sun, air (and some occasional rain). While plastic mesh is good for outdoor use, they are a bit tacky in my opinion, and you are really better off with something like burlap ribbon.

2. To add to the fun, consider making a heart garland. To make one of these, fold several strips of pink or blue wrapping paper like an accordion, and cut heart shapes, ensuring that the hearts slightly overlap. Have a look at the picture to see how it’s done.
3. To add cute babies to your garland/overall decorations, choose baby clipart that you can find all over the web, enlarge these and print them.
4. Next are some balloons. Write your personal text with a Sharpie or other colored permanent markers. Easy.
5. If you wish, add some baby items to your decorations, such as this cute pair of baby shoes. I have also seen rattles and other baby items.  Anything that stays good for a few months.
6. Last but not least, add a nice note card with contains all the details that you don’t want to have to give out over and over again.

E presto: there is your birth announcement, Italian style. Very creative, and effective.