When I think of baby showers, I immediately consider it an American tradition rather that something we do here in the UK. However, it has become increasingly obvious to the Frame My Name team, that baby showers are becoming more and more popular in Britain, with customers asking us week on week if we have a range of personalised invitations suitable for baby showers. So, listening to our customers wishes, we have created a beautiful baby shower range and in the spirit of things, I have decided to do a little research for myself, to see what this baby shower craze is all about.

Apparently, the tradition was that a group of women (relatives and friends) would meet with a first time mother to celebrate the imminent arrival of her first born child, and to share advice, tips and stories as she approached motherhood. Today however, women not only share advice and stories. They may also play games such as guessing the baby’s date of birth, weight, sex, etc.

Again, reflecting on my own preconceptions, I always imagined baby showers to take place at the mother’s home, in a relaxed atmosphere. However, I’ve come to realise that baby showers are becoming bigger and bolder than ever, with many being held at hired venues e.g. restaurants and hotels. Some even hold their shower at a spa for a day of pampering. This shows us that the baby shower is now celebrated as an occasion.

Generally, it is not the mother who arranges the baby shower, instead a close friend organises the event in honor of the mum-to-be. This is because historically it was seen as greedy and rude for the family to ask for gifts and a party. The guests attending the shower are expected to bring gifts for the mother and/or baby and these would normally be opened at the shower as part of the course of the party. In return, food is normally provided as well as favours, which are given to all the guests who attended. Furthermore, the shower is occasionally decorated around a theme sometimes personal to the mother, or more general themes are used like ”It’s a Boy!” with a blue colour scheme, for example.

All in all, the sentiment of the baby shower is what is most appealing – where a mum-to-be is surrounded by her closest female friends and family supporting her and celebrating the coming of a new baby.

So, if you are considering organising a baby shower, take a look at our personalised invitations. As well as providing your guests with the time and date, the invitations give your guests their first glimpse at what your shower is going to involve and provides them with key information, e.g. venue, dress code, theme, and gift list (if you have one).

Planning a big move?

It is often said that moving home can be one of the most stressful yet rewarding experiences of a person’s life. Obviously there are so many factors to consider when moving home, and one factor which is often over-looked, is telling family and friends your new address and phone number. Tasks like decorating, buying/moving furniture, and re-directing mail, normally take priority and usually families dont consider the smaller details until they are settled. Sending out a “We’ve Moved!” card is an excellent way of letting family and friends know your new address and landline telephone number. It saves you time and effort instead of telling everyone individually, and limits the possibility of forgetting to tell some people all together. The design team at Frame My Name have created a new range of personalised moving home cards, specifically tailored for those who have just made the big move. The designs come in either portrait or landscape format, and come supplied with envelopes. Your cards can be fully personalised to include all neccessary details, and you can also add a personal message, should you wish. What’s even better is the ordering process- simply select your chosen design, card orientation and card quantity, then enter your text. Click on ‘Buy Now’ to enter your address details and proceed to checkout. Once payment has been made, you will receive an email confirmation. Then the team at Frame My Name will create your card and send you a preview via email, within a couple of days. At this stage you can either make changes to your card, or approve your card for print.

If you have recently moved home, or are planning a big move, take a look at the new Moving House Announcement cards on the Frame My Name website.

Personalised Cards suitable for any occasion

With every New Year comes resolutions, new routines and new plans. Like so many, I joined a gym with the view of being more active this year, whilst others dedicate their focus to quitting smoking or saving money. For some, however, 2012 means making big plans like moving home, getting married or having a baby. Perhaps these events will feature later in 2012, or maybe they are imminent. But whenever they happen, elements of planning and preparation need to be set in place. Everyone approaches big events differently. From militant organisers to last minute planners, generally all have the same things to prepare for. If you, like many others, are looking forward to your wedding this year, you will have many hurdles to tackle before the big day, such as booking a venue, band, cars, buying the dress, ordering a cake, and inviting the guests (to name just a few!). Relieve some of your stress by taking a look at Frame My Name’s beautiful selection of personalised invitations and thank you cards. Frame My Name provide a variety of personalised cards suitable for the eager bride. Also if you are an expectant mother, or have recently given birth, welcome your child in style by choosing a Birth Announcement card, to introduce your little angel to your family and friends.  All of the cards can be fully personalised to suit any occasion. They can even be used as ‘new address’ cards.

The card collection has a range of colourful designs for you to choose from. Both landscape and portrait cards are available as well as cards with space for photgraphs and cards with text only. All personalised cards come with white envelopes included and quantities range from 20 to 300 cards.

As well as providing lovely personalised cards and invitations, Frame My Name also has a range of personalised gifts. So don’t worry if you’ve struggling to find a unique gift for a friend or relative, as we have many to choose from. Several of the products, such as the ever popular Animal Adventures or FMN framed prints are particularly suited as gifts for children and babies, perhaps as a unique christening or birthday gift. The framed portrait photo canvas and Special Moments, however, are suitable for any ages and can be utilized as gifts for any occasion.

At Frame My Name, we are constantly creating new designs and products, to keep our customers happy. So, if you’re celebrating an occasion this year, or planning an event, or have simply been invited to a party, keep Frame My Name in mind, for all your personalised cards and personalised gifts.

The team at Frame My Name have been busy this year, expanding the range of personalised cards, including baby thank you cards and birth announcement cards. We now have a wide variety of cards for customers to choose from including photo cards and non-photo cards. Customers mostly choose these cards for special occasions such as announcing the birth of their child, or as Christening invitations. Recently, it has become evident to us that our customers are embracing their creative sides, as more and more, we are impressed by the standard of photographs that customers are sending us. By taking time to create the perfect photographs, their personalised cards look wonderful. So, we want to encourage all our future customers to do the same.

And, to encourage this creativity, we have shorlisted some top tips for taking the perfect baby photograph:

1.  Firstly you want to take your pictures in the correct light. Try to use as much natural light as possible,taking the pictures during the day in an area with plenty of natural light e.g. beside a window. This will give you the best results and provide a natural soft effect. If you are taking the pictures at night or with little natural light, you should use a flash, but be aware that the flash may cause the images to look flat.

2. Find an appropriate backdrop. Consider your backdrop carefully as you want your baby to be the centre of attention rather than everyone distracted by the washing line in the background. Also think about the card design you have selected, and your chosen colour. Select a neutral backdrop that doesn’t clash with your card design.

3. Use props. This allows you to be creative and even set a theme. You could have your child holding a flower, cuddling a teddy or playing with a ball. By doing this you can capture some fantastic moments of your child playing.

4. Think about what your child is wearing. Again, you don’t want your child’s outfit to clash with the background and invitations, so try to dress them neutrally or along the same colour scheme as the cards. These extra touches just bring everything together to make the perfect card.

5. Choose the right time of the day for your baby. Time it right, so that your baby is well fed, happy, awake and playful. This will minimize restlessness when taking the photo.

6. Try to make them laugh/smile. Again this will minimise restlesness and allow for some really adorable photographs. Also by going down to the child’s level, this will make them more comfortable when getting their photo taken and you are more likely to get some really good snaps of them looking directly at the camera.

7. Choose your camera carefully. Try at all costs to avoid using mobile phone cameras. Although they are good for taking quick snaps, they do not provide the quality of image needed for printing. Your camera must be over 5 megapixels to ensure a good print quality. Also get to know your camera, explore it’s different functions and take as many photos as you can.