Sunrise Creations Blog

When your baby first arrives everyone wants to see it and if they are too far away to come and visit, the next best thing would have to be to see photos of your newborn.

 

Our photo birth announcements are an affordable, easy and stylish way to share photos of your baby with family, friends and well wishers.

 

 

We have a wide range of style and colour choices from classic vintage swirly patterns to contemporary bold tones.

 

Choose your own preferred options from our wide range of size and design choices in our online gallery and follow the simple prompts in our design templates to create an individual photo birth announcement card for your baby.

 

If you can’t see your favourite colour, or you are unsure of the type of card that would suit you best, please contact us as we are more than happy to advise you and help you to make the best choices for you.

We can also offer you advice on the best way to take a high quality photo of your baby for inclusion on the card.

 

 

We have fast turn-around service options available so your family and friends won’t have long to wait before receiving their photo keepsake of your beautiful baby.

 

Photo birth announcements can also be styled as thank you cards, providing a photo memento of your baby as a newborn and a unique thank you for those who give gifts to you and your baby.

 

Browse through our gallery today and see the diverse variety of designs we have to suit your needs.

 

This is a little different to my normal posts but it is so lovely that I wanted to share it with you.  This is a poem written to 'my child' and I'd like you to take a few minutes out of your busy day to read and think about it.

It arrived in my emails this morning, one of the many doing the rounds, but I felt this one was important to read.  It's the attitude shown in the poem that is the key to getting into your child's world and capturing it with your camera.

To My Child

Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and
 pick you up and take you to the park to play.

Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and l
 let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.

Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the
 computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.

Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine
 for the ice cream truck and I will buy you one if he comes by.

Just for this afternoon, I won’t worry about what you are going to be when you grow up,
or second guess every decision I have madewhere you are concerned.

Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I
 won’t stand over you trying to fix them.

Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald’s and buy us
 both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.

Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a
 story about how you were born and how much I love you.

Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.

Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on
 the porch and count all the stars.

Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows. 

Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be
grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.

I will think about the mothers And fathers who are searching for
 their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting
 their children’s graves instead of their bedrooms, and mothers and
 fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer
 senselessly, and screaming inside that they can’t handle it anymore.

And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a
 little longer. It is then, that I will thank God for you

Taking photos of your children is one of the most rewarding things you can do.  We've shared some tips with you about how to make those photos work well for you.  Following on from our earlier article, here are even more tips to help you when it comes to taking beautiful shots of your little one.

1.  Always Be Ready 

There is nothing worse than seeing a perfect pose from your baby and you don't have your camera nearby.  It is worth having your camera, film, memory card and batteries always at the ready just in case this occurs.

2. Go Outdoors 

Venture outdoors and take memorable photos.  Stay away from direct sunlight if possible opting for shady spots or cloudy days.  These photographs will be some of the most beautiful and naturally lit pictures you will capture. 

3  Consider Black and White

Black and white photos are timeless and can really bring out the beauty of the image.  They also add interest to scrapbooks, albums and frames.  

4. Sleepy Babes

Newborns are often wonderful to work with as they are generally sleepy for the majority of the time.  However as they age, these periods occur less and less.  Therefore with older babies it is best to wait until they are off to the land of Nod before you snap. 

 

5. Content and Clean 

Make sure your baby is fed and clean and feeling extremely content.  This way he or she won't be crying mid-shoot for something to drink or a nappy change. 

6. Keep Snapping

Make sure you take more than one shot of each pose.  Digital cameras make this cost effective.  You may think you have the perfect shot only to discover later that it was blurry or your baby closed their eyes at just the wrong moment.

Babies grow quickly however their photographs and memories last a lifetime.  Making sure you follow these tips will ensure your photographs are as near to perfect as you can get.  Putting them into a photobook will turn them into a keepsake.

 

Baby showers don't always have to be in pink or blue decor.  They don't even have to be in pastels.  They can be in whatever colour you or the mother-to-be, prefers.

We love the look of dramatic red, black and white and think that it looks wonderful as a colour scheme for a baby shower. 

Don't limit yourself to traditional colours.  Experiment and create something wonderful.

Stockists and credits:

Bunting by Giggleberry Creations
Red Spotted Cupcake Stand by It's All About Kids
Red Paper Fan by Bride to Be
Black and White Dog Finger Puppet by Your Cheeky Monkey
Miniature Red Lanterns from Chinatown
Tea Infuser Favour by Baby Showers Australia
Baby Bath Towel Cake by Baby Cupcakes
Photographic inspiration by Sara Gray Photography.

Sometimes in this busy life of ours, we are tempted to take shortcuts, aren't we?  Email has taken over from snail mail in many cases but that only makes it extra special when we get a personal note in our letterboxes.  Imagine how much more special that note would be if it was personalised with a photo.

Our personalised Baby Thank You Cards are perfect for saying thanks in an intimate and very special way. 

Thank you cards make it simple to acknowledge the love, support and gifts you receive on the birth of your baby.  

Style your baby thank you cards to reflect your own personal taste or carry on the theme and colouring of the christening or baby shower.

This one is stunning in the purity of black and white and has been designed around the gorgeous photo.  It is clean and lovely in its simpliciity.

This thank you card is very different.  It features more photos of your baby and you will notice that the colours have been chosen to match those in the baby's bonnet in the main photo.

Both designs are stunning and will be kept with all those other special mementos for a lifetime.

Do something special when you are thanking your friends and family.  After all, they went to a lot of effort to select a gift for you and your child.  Give them a thank you worth doing with a personalised photo baby thank you card.

Today I had the good fortune to stumble across the website belonging to Lenka Hattaway.  Lenka is a portrait photographer from North Carolina in the USA.

If you are thinking of having some portraits done (and you can't afford to fly to the US to book Lenka) I encourage you to look at her work.  It's pure and fresh and really emphasises the face and not the surroundings yet they all blend into a work of art.  Her use of colour is lovely.

This is just a taste of her work.  If you are in the USA I would be booking her asap!

Now do you see what I mean?  Her work is clever, very fresh and vibrant and somehow shows off the individual perfectly.  It's a pleasure to view her portfolio.

As you know, I believe that by selecting a theme for an event it makes decisions about colours and decorating styles much easier.

When I create a theme for an event I like to gather inspiration from magazines and online.  The images help me develop a picture in my mind about the way I want the event to look.  I want to share an example with you.

This collection is inspiration for a vintage themed christening.

These ideas were collected from the following sources:

 Christening Kids- stunning antique styled christening gown 
Amazon-  fabric Bunting
 Handley Beard Event Planners- a stunning christening design
Vintage Rose Collection - superb rustic elegance
 Favor Ideas- gorgeous crystal stroller bonbonierre
Classic Function Centre - delightfully floataway table setting.
 Kara's Party Ideas-  a blog full of clever ideas including the pretty cake with booties.
Sunrise Creations - the pretty vintage styled invitation.

We just received this photo from a Sunrise Creations customer, showing how the baby canvas prints are presented in their home. The first canvas print was done a few years ago. When Father's Day arrived this year, it was the perfect gift for Dad - another baby canvas print with complimentary artwork. The design of these baby canvas prints allow for a third child to be added.

Our expert today is Seona from Seona Mercer Photography. Seona captures the natural beauty of babies and kid, just look at some of her photos! I love the use of props; especially the little beanies, they really add to the photos - making your babies precious eyes really stand out.

1. Tell me a little about yourself.
   I'm a mother of 3, two boys & a girl, wife to my childhood sweetheart of 16 years and I have lived in the Sutherland Shire all my life. We have chosen to stay & raise our kids here. I'm an animal lover - we have a bunch of second hand animals, a dog from the pound, a cat from a box on the side of the road & 2 carpet pythons (Those 2 are mine !) Photography has been a passion of mine since I was a kid, my first camera being a 110 film Pink Barbie number with a silver glitter hand strap & I still have it stashed away for safe keeping.
   
   
    
   
2. What do you love about photographing families or babies?
   
   
   

   Babies bring out the softness in their dads, I've seen big tough blokes coo & make gaga noises while holding their newborn, I love that ! I love to photograph toddlers, they are high energy & fun, they giggle and give the most enjoyable expressions - they make me giggle too.

   I love seeing the happy tears come from parents & grandparents when they see their images, Photos are eye candy, they fill your body with a sense of pride & emotion, they give you that warm fuzzy feeling inside, they put you in the moment, and without photos, what memories do you have? And most of all I love the odd cuddle I steal while mum's packing baby's bag up to leave after the photo shoot!
   
   

   
   
   
3. What is the number one tip you would give a family preparing for their photoshoot?
   
   A well rested & fed baby or child, as well as clothing that won’t clash, avoid large slogans & patterns, layered outfits & denim jeans work well. Babies are best photographed in their birthday suit !
   
   
   
   

4. What is your favourite Sunday morning breakfast?
   
   Bacon & eggs on English muffins, with Orange juice, we don't eat this often, as we are usually up & out of the house, with a bit of toast in hand- but when we do I really enjoy the long lazy breakfast, reading the paper - oh and the junk mail - l.o.v.e junk mail !
   
   
   
    
   
   
   
5. Describe your perfect day
   
   A day spent with my husband & kids, I love picnics, so we like to pack up the 4WD & head over the sand hills to our favourite beach for the day, I love summer & all the fun it brings, like chasing sun flare with my camera...
   
   
   
   
   

Tanya from Tindale Images has generously shared some of her trade secrets on how to take timeless photos of your baby's hands and feet. Babies hands and feet are stunning photographs to have - the size difference makes them more precious.

In this article Tanya talks through the 4 poses below.


So have a cuppa, put on some nice music and have some fun taking these timeless photographs of your baby!

Read Tanya's tips on taking photos of your baby's hands and feet, and let us know how you go.

Photo credit: Tindale Images