Birth announcements

In this day and age, birth announcements seem rather anachronistic.  Why do we have to announce the birth 3 months after the fact when every detail about the birth itself and the baby are announced over email and facebook?   Nevertheless, it's an opportunity to take some really good pictures of your baby and send them out to everyone without seeming too pushy.

I'm in love with my brother's girlfriend's drawing and handwriting capabilities.  I've mentioned her before, but just to refresh your memory, she draws things like this:

Check out her design blog: Hello! Hello! Design.  She also works as a design person for Kate Spade (I think she does the window designs and stationery). 

I also have a newfound love for and appreciation of letterpress stationery.  I think it's super fancy and classy and now know how much work and artistry is involved in making paper products.  Coincidentally, Billy's sister Kseniya happens to be the owner of a letterpress shop out in Pennsylvania called Thomas Printers.  You should totally take a look around her website.  Letterpressed stationery and such make amazing gifts (just in time for Christmas!)

Anyhow, I had seen a birth announcement on my brother and sister-in-law's fridge and realized that I probably needed to send one out soon.  Kseniya was out visiting us (and meeting Desmond), so I took the opportunity to ask if she knew anyone online who did good birth announcements.  She looked at me and said, "No, not at all."  I shrugged and went back to what I was doing.  After a few minutes of silence, she yelled, "I'm kidding!  I can do them!  I DO print things like that, you know!" (or something to that effect).  It hadn't even occurred to me that Kseniya could print something like that because 1) most announcements I see are ones that are on glossy photo paper and include a pre-set design with your information filled in and a picture of the baby and 2) I don't think of "baby announcements" when I think of letterpress.  Anyhow, Desmond's very sweet Aunt Kseniya offered to print them for us herself.  

This is the picture we used.  I made that little Coccoon thing.  If anybody ever wants to borrow it, I'd gladly lend it out.  Picture taken by the immensely talented Jack Allred.

Here is the invitation "suite" (I think that's a word they throw around when talking about things like this...it may just be "set," now that I think about it).  It's hard to see what the writing says, so click on the picture to magnify it in the new tab.  The front of the envelope has a little Pirate (our pug) saying, "It's a boy!" and the quote on the bottom of the announcement is from Bill Cosby.  The silhouettes are our actual silhouettes (Billy, me, and Desmond...in case anyone couldn't tell :))

So, here's my formal and public THANK YOU to Jack, Kseniya, and Katie for making this beautiful birth announcement possible.  Now, any ideas from anybody on how to store/display them?