This past week I had the opportunity to help my friend, Karlierae announce to the world that her 2nd child, who she is expecting, is a baby boy! I am beyond thrilled to see her family grow to 4! As a Momma of 2 boys, I know what a real treat she is in for with a son. I absolutely believe its true what they say about boys, that they LOVE their Momma more than anything in the world. It’s such a special relationship!

The moment Karlie asked me if I would help her with her big announcement I was 100% in. I love Karlie and felt honored to be able to take part is such a special occasion. We quickly got our thinking caps on. Initially Karlie and I came up with the idea to do a pink and blue balloon garland around a gold hexagon frame and then her little fam of 3 would pop balloons until they found one filled with colorful, biodegradable confetti that I would strategically stuff and place. After some thought, Karlie decided she wanted to make this a more intimate affair for just the 3 of them in their home. Instead, I would find out the sex via an email from Karlie’s blood draw test and wrap up a gift where the contents revealed the announcement upon opening. I loved this plan, super sweet and simple. I started thinking of how I could display the results and decided to make a “Big Sister” shirt for Blair and then inside the gift make a “Little Brother” or “Little Sister” matching onesie. The plan was set, I just needed the results to get the ball rolling.

I anxiously kept refreshing my email from the lab the afternoon the results were due. I felt so honored to be the keeper of this secret and when the email arrived I about jumped out of my skin in excitement! “It’s a Boy!” I quickly made the onesie, wrapped it up as a gift and dropped it off on Karlie’s doorstep for the family to open together.

I used a 0-3 month white, long sleeve onesie, black iron on vinyl and a little bit of blue vinyl for the heart. I found a cute SVG file from the RLGBoutique on Etsy and added the blue and pink hearts on my own from my Brother Scan and Cut cutting machine files. The Etsy file can be used with most cutting machines, Cricut, Silhouette, etc. If you don’t have access to a machine, there are plenty of Etsy shops that will custom make onesies for you or ask around, you may already know someone who owns a machine and could help you quickly and locally.

About 10 minutes after I dropped of the gift, Karlie texted me “ Can’t believe it!!!! I knew It!”. From the beginning of her pregnancy she has said she felt this was a boy and she is absolutely thrilled!

After Karlie told her family and friends, she wanted to announce to her followers on Instagram in a fun way. We went back to our original idea of using the hexagon frame but this time lined in blue balloons and a big 36" balloon with “It’s a boy!” written across the front in white vinyl. I filled the 36’’ balloon with helium at my local grocery store in the floral department for about $15.00.

To create the balloon lettering you will need to have access to a cutting machine. If you don’t have access, you can have vinyl cut and sent to you via an Etsy shop. You will still need to apply the vinyl letters yourself if you buy custom lettering from Etsy. I searched high and low for the right font SVG file on Etsy for the lettering and found the “Life Like- Handwritten script” from the Zukimeki shop fit the bill perfectly. The dimensions for the writing on the 36” balloon was approx 17” long by 5” tall. I used lightweight transfer tape to help with placement and spacing of the lettering on the balloon. A tip (I learned the hard way), before you apply the transfer tape to the vinyl lettering, press a dry microfiber towel (or I’m sure a hand towel will do) over the sticky side of the tape. This will make the tape less sticky and easier to apply to the balloon.

For the balloon color, we decided to keep it monochromatic so we went with Robins Egg Blue from Qualatex in 5”, 11” a few 16” and one giant 36” balloon. I have to say, of all of the balloon installs I have ever done, this one was the easiest. I created the clusters of balloons in sections and then we just wrapped/hugged the clusters around the hexagon stand. All in all it only took minutes to install. A tip, I always place the bigger clusters in a garland and then in the end go back in with the small 5” balloons, some in premade clusters and some alone and strategically place them in with balloon dots to add dimension. I don’t use balloon strip kits at all, I tried it once and found it to be incredibly frustrating. It’s easier and quicker to create garland by hand with some lightweight fishing line or 260 balloons (long balloon animal balloons). We have instructions here or you can watch one of the many videos on the topic on youtube. Hand tying balloons I feel looks more organic and playful than the strips. If you do buy a kit with a strip, I recommend throwing out the strip and tying it together yourself, I promise, you will be pleased with the results.

That is it! Perhaps the easiest install I have ever done! Super simple but incredibly impactful in the messaging. I love the way it turned out!

I am beyond thrilled for Karlie, Alec and Blair to be adding a baby boy to their family! I can’t wait to meet the little guy! Thank you, Karlie for entrusting me to help you with your very special moment in time and announcement! XO

Did you know there is a balloon shortage in 2020? Because of this balloons are more expensive and harder to find than they usually are. Linked below are balloons found on Amazon which generally has had all of the colors I have needed over the year but the prices are clearly inflated. You may be able to find them for a better price on the Bargain Balloons website and can use Amazon as your backup. If possible source and order your balloons at least 4 weeks in advance to ensure you have what you need in time. We prefer the Qualatex brand of balloon due to them being biodegradable and of high quality.

For the balloon garland you will want 1 pack of 11” and 1 pack of 5” balloons in each of the colors below and 1 small pack of 16” to add size dimension. The big 36” balloon generally comes in a pack of 2. To create a 12-15’ garland you will use at least (30-40) 11” balloons, (5-10) 16” balloons, and (25-40) in 5” balloons. You will want an air pump, trust us. We prefer the electric pump but the handheld pumps work well too.

Aesthetically pleasing Etsy shops that create Custom Tee’s and onesies that work for your family make-up

Additional Products for a Gender Revel Party that we love: