Why Printed Pieces Still Matter

 This post is sponsored by Shutterfly. Share and celebrate your family milestone. Shop Shutterfly for personalized holiday cards and gifts that are unique, meaningful and just the way you want.

It probably comes as no surprise that we’re lovers of print here at Darling. In this day and age, there’s just something superbly grounding about holding a printed book in your hand, unfolding a handwritten note, choosing to commit to permanence a favored point in time.

So when asked by Shutterfly to help preserve something memorable, the choice was simple. Sarah Dubbeldam, Darling’s EIC and Creative Director, had recently given birth to her first baby, Judah James. With family far away in Oregon and Canada, creating printed birth announcements seemed infinitely more meaningful than a text or email.

Here’s more from Sarah:

After I had my baby, Judah, I wanted to capture some photos of him immediately since newborns grow so fast! This new season has been such a whirlwind that I felt it was necessary to pause and be intentional in the midst of all the change. Printing a few simple family photos seemed the best way to do that.

I asked our Photo Editor at Darling, Rebekah Shannon, to do a photo shoot of our family and then chose to print the images with Shutterfly, since they have so many product options in almost any avenue you like. Also, as a magazine creator, I obviously love print and so I couldn’t wait to mail physical birth announcements and Christmas cards. It was like sending a little piece of our life to friends and family who couldn’t be right here with us.

I chose this card with the glitter on it as it gives an interesting texture, and the simple design for the birth announcement since that’s my favorite style of layout — simple and clean. I was really impressed by how many styles Shutterfly offered that actually felt like something I would have created myself. Not to mention the entire suite that they offer, complete with labels, liners, even envelopes already printed with my return address. As a new mom, having all of that at the click of a button truly saved me a ton of time!

In addition to sending cards in the mail, we found ourselves digging into some of Shutterfly photo gift offerings. These family photos were so special to us that we knew we also wanted to frame them for our home. I love simple black and white on walls, so these two frames were perfect. The cropping of the mat on the larger one in particular is very visually interesting and unique.

Lastly, I remember having my own Christmas tree ornament as a child that I got to put on the tree every season as I grew up, so I chose these two ornaments for Judah. I like the glass on the round one as it’s a little heavier, and the cube one because there can be multiple portraits on it and it’s easier and more lightweight to hold. It’s crazy to me that one day Judah will be big enough to hang these on the tree himself. For now, we’re just savoring it all one day, one photo, at a time.

Images via Allie Jeffers