rainbow babies

We've been working on a special project this week. Parents celebrating a pregnancy after the loss of a child may refer to their little one as a "Rainbow Baby" ~ something beautiful that comes after a storm or loss. I had a mom-to-be reach out to me with this special request for gender announcement scratch-offs that she could mail to some close friends. After the loss of their son, they are pregnant again! Her only request was that the cards incorporate a rainbow and clouds.

Here's her story:

"(Our son) should be 3 months old. But instead he's been in heaven for almost 8 months. No one should ever have to go through the pain of losing a baby... it has been an experience that has taken us to hell and back, but brought us closer to God. And now we have what seems to be a perfectly healthy rainbow baby on the way. God is good. (Our son) is healthy, whole, & happy in heaven. And we are beginning to feel peace with his death and our future.

We have a 2-year-old daughter and we didn't find out her gender until she was born. I was 1000% sure she was a boy, and was totally shocked and surprised to see a baby girl! With our son who we lost, we had them put the gender in an envelope and we waited a while to open it. I knew he was a boy. Sweet buddy. And this time, I'm so sure it's a girl!! I just love the surprise – I typically hate surprises but this is the last real surprise left in the world & I couldn't imagine doing it any other way. I thought I'd mix things up this time and send the gender to the ladies who have been the most supportive through losing our son and shockingly learning I'm pregnant again. And since they don't live near me, it's (hopefully) going to be a piece of cake!"

She plans on having the ultrasound technician mail them out to her closest friends who were a support to her during that storm... so they will find out months before her delivery, but she and her husband won't be finding out the baby's gender until the day that baby "rainbow" is born! Talk about self control!

Because these cards are so special, we're doing something different. With every set purchased, $1 be donated to the March of Dimes. We wanted to use this opportunity to give to an organization that supports parents who are grieving, and is proactive about sharing best practices in perinatal health through education, research and support.

I was amazed to read that about 33% of pregnancies end in miscarriage, and each year in the United States alone more than 2,200 infants die from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) through causes that cannot be explained.

A number of dear friends and family members I know have experienced the grief of miscarriage. I too have experienced sudden loss of a different kind in my own life. I also know that despite what you believe in the midst of that grief, you can still experience joy again in time. It may sound like a cliché, but rainbows can still be seen after the storm... just as God used one as a promise to Noah and his family thousands of years ago that never again would they experience such devastation.

It's been such an honor working on these cards, and I hope that they will be a treasure to those who receive them.

For those of you who are interested in the technical specs of our paper good, these are printed on an ultra-thick satiny stock with rounded corners, and a special spot varnish to create shiny raindrops!

Wishing you rainbows after your storms!

baby on the way!

The last few months have been quite a whirlwind. I'm pleased and excited to share that we've got a baby on the way... for all three of you who didn't know already.

After we told our family and close friends, I thought it would be fun to announce our news on Facebook in a fun way.  I credit the idea to this source. I'm not sure if they were the first ones to do it, but I thought it was darling!

Here's what you don't see in the picture:

1. The wind that October day, which seemed to make capturing an upright shot of a balloon (let alone FOUR balloons) impossible.

2. The tangled balloons, or the matchbox cars in the toes of the smaller shoes to prevent them from blowing away.

3. Two of the balloons actually blowing away, with mom-to-be uttering a few words which will not be repeated. I will not disclose which balloons blew away, for fear that the superstitious among you might think that it was in any way foreshadowing...

4. The looks I was given from neighbors walking their dogs around the commons. Who wouldn't slow to look at a lone woman laying across the concrete path, talking to herself, taking photos of balloons... tied to shoes? Yup. All in the name of creativity.

5. The hours spent later that evening in Photoshop to piece together this picture.

All in all, I'm glad I did it... because 1,392 pins later, I've FINALLY done something that I had pinned on Pinterest. ;)

And since taking this picture, we've found out that we're having another BOY. Very exciting. Our little guy (4) is thrilled about being a big brother, and has affectionately named his kid brother "Doodle". This could be interesting.

what will it bee?

Earlier this month, I was contacted by a mom-to-be who had a special request! She and her husband are stationed in Qatar (next to Saudi Arabia), and she really wanted a fun way to share their news with their family members in Canada. She loved our Baby Bee Gender Announcements, but if we were to ship everything to her in Quatar, it would have taken months for them cross the ocean... twice! By then, baby would have ARRIVED! I offered to hand-write little notes on her behalf, and had her send me the exact wording for each card. I've shared some of the pictures below!

I sent her photos of the results so she could be part of the process. She told all of her family members to keep their eyes peeled for a special letter that would be arriving in the mail for each of them. How fun is that?

It did take a bit of time to do, but it was such an honor to be able to share in this family's special news. And really, getting a hand-written note with a scratch-off in the mail is SO much more fun than an ordinary phone call, wouldn't you agree?

paper buzz

We've been busy as bees at Inklings! I'm pleased to share our bumble bee scratch-off design... aren't these baby gender announcements the sweetest? The soft grey background and yellow honeycomb back make these perfect for a boy or girl. These are printed on our premium 16pt cover with rounded corners, and each scratch-off card is packaged inside a glassine envelope with a freshly-minted 2012 penny. Slip it in a letter and send it to the ones you love to share your exciting news!

These are available as a set of 10 scratch-offs, and also as a suite. A suite gives you everything you need to mail your announcement: one fold-over notecard, one white A2 envelope (made with environmentally friendly FSC-certified paper), one scratch-off card, one glassine envelope, and a shiny penny. You'll enjoy all of the little details that we've been busily perfecting.

We've chosen French Paper Mill's Mod Tone for our fold-over notecards as part of our commitment to greener practices. French Paper Company has long been known as a pioneer in recycled paper manufacturing. They are the only paper mill to use fully renewable hydroelectric generators to create their premium papers, and their Mod Tone stock uses 50% recycled content. The finish is smooth and great to write on, with a subtle mod pattern in the background in a warm ecru that we just love!

We also plan on rolling out a baby shower game with this design, so stay tuned!

So... are you buzzing yet?