A Pregnancy Announcement Dog Bandana (And The Meaning Of Freya’s Name)

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of The J.M. Smucker Company. All opinions are my own. For more information, see my disclosures here. 

When David and I found out we were expecting our first baby, we were so excited to share the news! After a couple months of keeping the secret to ourselves, we planned a weekend of visits to spill the beans to our parents and siblings.

Today I’m sharing how we told our families we were expecting and a simple DIY project I made so our puppy, Freya, could be the one to share the news! And if you’ve thought Freya is an odd name, I’m also sharing the meaning of her name.

After some brainstorming, we decided our puppy was the perfect one to tell our families we were pregnant. We adopted Freya last December when she was just two months old, and she instantly became a huge part of our family.

One thing few people know is the meaning behind her name, “Freya.” Each litter of puppies at the adoption shelter had a theme for their names, and Freya and her siblings were named after gods and goddesses. Although we could have renamed her, we decided Freya, the name of the Norse goddess of love, beauty and fertility, was meant to be. I had never heard the name before but at the time we adopted her, we were nearing the two-year mark of our infertility journey so her name couldn’t have been any more fitting. We were so excited to bring that lovable puppy into our home.

Freya has been a constant source of entertainment and love since we adopted her seven months ago. She is our little companion, following us around the house, snuggling next to us on the couch and making us laugh all the time.

Of course, Freya is still a rambunctious puppy, so we spend a lot of time playing with her in the living room and on the bed (her two favorite places). She loves to fetch balls and tug of war is her absolute favorite game.

After we use up some of her puppy energy playing games, we practice commands for a bit and then she likes to relax with a tasty treat. She is extra excited about her recent treats – Pup-Peroni Original Beef Flavor Dog Treats. They now come in a 38-ounce bag at Walmart, and the big bag is awesome because we tend to spoil Freya with frequent treats!

Pregnancy Announcement Dog Bandana

When I learned our baby’s due date at my first ultrasound, I was surprised it was October 25th – the same day as Freya’s first birthday! Freya is our little lucky charm and, although we still have some manners to work on before October gets here, we know she’s going to be an awesome big sister.

I created the cutest little pregnancy announcement dog bandana using an old cotton shirt and iron-on lettering. This craft project only took me a few minutes to make!

A dog bandana doesn’t require much fabric, so I searched our house for scraps. I had an old T-shirt in a pile to donate and decided that would work quite well. I will say that the pink shirt wasn’t the best choice because everyone thought we were having a girl even though we didn’t know the gender at the time. You may want to stick with a gender neutral color fabric to avoid confusion ;).

I cut a triangle out of the bottom of the shirt like this:

Then I used my cutting machine to cut the words out of iron-on vinyl adhesive. If you don’t have a cutting machine, I highly recommend adding it to your wish list! You could also handwrite the announcement with fabric paint or potentially order vinyl letters online.

Once the letters were cut out, I used my hook tool to “weed” the excess vinyl so just the words remained on the clear plastic backing.

Then I stuck the plastic sheet down onto my fabric and ironed on the lettering.

And, voila! A super cute, easy and affordable pregnancy announcement dog bandana. Isn’t it cute?

We had so much fun surprising our families with our big news! When we arrived, we let Freya run around and greet everyone while wearing her bandana. It was hysterical to watch as people noticed the words and started to catch on! Freya moves so fast that it took a while before anyone could fully read her announcement.

David and I exchanged so many glances at each other across the room, anxiously waiting for someone to read Freya’s message. It was such a simple yet fun way to surprise our families!

If you are looking for a creative way to announce your pregnancy to your parents and families, it’s definitely fun to include your dog! Woof, yeah!

Have a great day!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of The J.M. Smucker Company. All opinions are my own. For more information, see my disclosures here.