So, like I shared a few months ago, WTSHB is expanding!  Well, in a way at least….I’m having another baby! :)

Yep, come October, we’ll be adding a newborn to our family.  I’m so excited, but still a wee bit nervous because this time around, I’ll also have a three-year-old who has so. much. energy.  More long nights and no sleep are in my future….hopefully I’ll be able to throw a blog post together now and again! *wink*

Anyway, here’s how we announced our second pregnancy to all our friends and family, with the help of aforementioned toddlerboy, Rowan.  What can I say….I’m a sucker for chalkboards and adorable kiddos!

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Sibling Pregnancy Announcement Chalkboard Sign

My Inspiration

This is how we announced our pregnancy with Rowan back in October of 2012…pumpkins and puffy paint to the rescue!:

 

For this go-round, I knew I wanted to incorporate my now almost 3-year-old Rowan into the big reveal, but I wasn’t exactly feeling too hot myself (thank you all-day morning sickness), so doing anything too fancy, complicated, or Pinterest-worthy wasn’t in the cards.

One day while my son was at preschool, I moseyed on over to my local Panera where I enjoyed a cinnamon crunch bagel, a strawberry banana smoothie (sorry, can’t stand coffee), and their much-appreciated free Wifi, then browsed the interwebs for inspiration on just how to announce this pregnancy to everyone.

Since I’m a huge fan of creating custom digital chalkboard designs, I knew snapping a picture of Rowan holding a sign would be just perfect: both easy and adorable.  Plus, he’s so darn photogenic, so of course it would be a hit!

 

The Supplies

Here’s what I used to create and display this chalkboard sign:

• Photoshop Elements (or Preview on a Mac is a less powerful but still nice free option too!)
• Several cool chalkboard fonts
  • Check out some of my favorites here, here, here, and here!
• Picture of ultrasound
• Matte photo paper
• Printer & ink
• Frame
• Proud older brother :)

 

The Saying

After scoping out lots of ideas on Pinterest, Etsy, and the rest of the world wide web, I decided to go with the following saying on the chalkboard sign:

Here’s some BIG news you really should know… Starting this Fall, I’ll be a BIG BRO!

 

How to Create a Sibling Pregnancy Announcement Chalkboard Sign

I created this chalkboard sign in Photoshop Elements the exact same way I create all my birthday chalkboard posters.  And lucky for you, I’ve already shared a full, complete, everything-you-need-to-know tutorial on just how I do that!  Head on over there if you want all the nitty gritty details, including lots of screenshots.

 

Once again, it’s all about layers.  Here’s a rundown of what I did:

In Photoshop Elements (the much-cheaper-but-just-as-amazing baby cousin of full Photoshop), I started a new file and used the Paint Bucket tool to make a black background layer….no one can tell it’s not a real chalkboard!  I made sure it was sized to 8.5″ x 11″ with a resolution of 300 since I’d be printing it.

You can of course use an actual chalkboard file if you’d like to be extra fancy and authentic (check this out for more info on where to find them and what to look for).

 

I then started adding all of my information in different layers, changing the fonts, sizing, colors, spacing, etc. as I went.

Layers are important because that is what keeps all the different parts independent from one another, which means easy editing and moving.  And I’m all about easy.  (Oh, while you’re working, don’t forget to save your file as a .PSD in order to keep the layers separate and editable….other formats will flatten all the layers.)

Every different font and element on my sign ended up being a different layer: the white words, the green ‘BIG’, the orange words, the ‘BIG BRO!’ line, the month/year, the orange arrows, and the ultrasound heart (more on how to create this below).   You can see all the layers on the righthand side in the Layers menu.

 

The final main element to add was the ultrasound of our little peanut.  To do this, I just snapped a pic of our ultrasound with my iPhone, texted it to myself to get it on my Mac, then opened it up in Photoshop.

From there, I used the Cookie Cutter tool to crop it into the default Heart Card shape.  Then I added a red outline using the Strokes option under the Text Effects menu on the right, and finally dragged the shape onto my chalkboard file.

In previous versions of Photoshop, the Cookie Cutter tool used to be its own tool on the left-hand menu, but now it’s under the Crop tool options.  And just FYI: the Crop tool will crop your entire design (every layer), whereas the Cookie Cutter tool will only crop the specific layer you have selected.  So pay attention if you’re using it on a design with multiple layers.  It’s pretty handy.

Here’s a quick animation showing how to use the Cookie Cutter tool and then add a colorful outline:

 

I then went and played around a little bit forever with the font colors, outlines (or strokes), and other text effects until I finally put my OCD to rest and was happy with the design….good enough is good enough!

 

Printing the Sibling Pregnancy Announcement Chalkboard Sign

I plan on putting this in the kiddos’ memory books, so I saved the file as a .JPEG and printed out two copies of the sign on 8.5″ x 11″ matte photo paper and popped one into an 8″ x 10″ frame (the same festive blue one we used for Rowan’s first day of school chalkboard sign and photoshoot….like I said, he’s adorable!).

 

You can also of course use regular printer paper if you’d like.  I just like the crispness and sturdiness that the photo paper provides.

 

The Final Sibling Pregnancy Announcement Chalkboard Sign!

And here’s the final chalkboard sign in all its glory!  We went outside for a quick photoshoot in the backyard, and luckily I was able to capture a quick snapshot of Rowan actually smiling AND looking at the camera!  It’s always a crapshoot when trying to get a toddler to cooperate with anything.

I think they’re both adorable. :)

Needless to say, this was the perfect way for us to announce our big news to our family, friends, and WTSHB readers.  We’re so excited for October and our little one to arrive!  (Oh, so be prepared for LOTS more baby-themed posts!)

 

If You Enjoyed This…

Make sure you check out the rest of my tutorials and font roundups as part of my All Things Chalkboard series, and visit my Project Gallery for other digital and crafty creations!

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!