If you want an adoption announcement or a gotcha-day card that looks like your child or your new family, Ottermagic starts with a photo you are happy to share. Upload it, run Style Swap or Face Swap, preview until it feels like a celebration rather than a press release, then order a printed A5 card (148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included; Royal Mail to UK addresses in around 3–5 working days, airmail to US addresses in around 2–3 weeks) or an e-card for people who need the news today. Gotcha day is a phrase many US families use for the anniversary of coming home. UK families may mark a matching day, or simply send an announcement when they are ready. Start at Ottermagic.com.
This is a card from you to people you trust. It is not a legal notice, a court document, or proof of anything. Do not put case numbers, social-worker names, or other people's children on the front.
What you are actually sending
Some families want a card that says the child is home. Some want a yearly gotcha-day card the way other households do birthdays. Some want both, in different years, with different photos.
How it works: photo → Style Swap or Face Swap (Pet Swap if a pet is part of the welcome; Text Swap if you do not want a face on a card that will sit on a lot of fridges) → preview → printed A5 or e-card.
Good to know: preview before you pay. The printed card is A5 148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included, blank inside or printed message, printed to order in the UK, recyclable stock, water-based inks. Typical UK post around 3–5 working days with Royal Mail; US addresses get it by airmail in around 2–3 weeks. E-card: hi-res, watermark-free download. Posters and canvas are available if you want the artwork at home; check Ottermagic.com for live sizes and fulfilment. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day). Prices are in pounds in the UK shop and dollars in the US shop.
Privacy before style
Adoption stories are not public property. Ask yourself who will see the envelope.
- A small list of relatives is different from a public post.
- Foster-to-adopt and open adoptions have extra people who may need careful wording. Keep that wording inside, in your voice, not as a slogan on the front.
- Older children should have a say in whether their face is on a card at all. If they wince, use Text Swap or skip the likeness.
- Never announce someone else's placement.
Ottermagic does not give legal advice. If you are unsure what you are allowed to share, pause the card until you are sure.
Style Swap for a welcome, not a spectacle
Style Swap restyles the likeness into a named look. Chibi, Cartoon, Watercolour, Sketch, and Sticker Sheet often feel warm. Royal Portrait can be a sweet "this is our person" without shouting. Clay 3D and Brick are playful if that matches the child.
Avoid turning a child's face into a joke they cannot consent to. Caricature, Bobblehead, and Lucky Leprechaun are easy to regret on an announcement that grandparents will keep.
Live styles: Brick, Chibi, Emoji, Anime, Watercolour, Caricature, Cartoon, Classic Cartoon, Action Figure, Clay 3D, Retro Halftone, Retro Game, Royal Portrait, Pixel Art, Bobblehead, Sticker Sheet, Tarot Card, Photobooth, Sketch, Lucky Leprechaun.
Face Swap puts them into a finished scene. That can be lovely for a gotcha-day party with a theme they chose. It is a lot for a first announcement to a great-aunt. Photobooth can echo a real first-week photo strip. Use scenes the child would recognise as fun, not as a costume dumped on them.
Pet Swap is a good second card "from" the dog who waited, if that is a true story.
Photos that feel like home
Use a clear, kind picture: daylight, face visible, clothes they actually wear. You do not need a studio.
A matching photo of parent and child can be two cards, or one design that expects more than one face. Do not force extra heads into a single crop.
If the only photo you have is from a difficult day, wait. There will be another picture.
For yearly gotcha day, a new photo each year is nicer than recycling the announcement shot forever, unless your child likes that continuity.
Words on the front and inside
Keep the front light: a name, a "welcome home", a "happy gotcha day", whatever phrase your family already uses. You do not need to explain the legal route on the artwork.
Inside:
- the name the child is known by
- the date you are marking, if you mark one
- thanks to the people you actually want to thank
- how to reply, which might be "come for tea" or "no gifts, please"
Leave it blank if several households will sign. Avoid language that treats the child as a prize, a rescue slogan, or a miracle headline. Warm and ordinary beats inflated.
The card congratulates a family. That is all.
UK and US gotcha-day lists
UK: printed A5 posted with Royal Mail in around 3–5 working days, or e-card today. Posters and canvas if you want wall art; read the live page.
US: printed A5 sent by airmail to US addresses in around 2–3 weeks, so order about three weeks before the day, which suits grandparents in several states. Closer than that, send the e-card, and print it at a local shop if you want paper in a party bag.
If some relatives are in the UK and some in the US, the UK shop posts to the UK addresses, the US shop sends the US ones by airmail, and the e-card covers anyone else.
Ready when you are
Choose a photo your child (or you) is happy to share, try a warm Style Swap, and preview until it looks like your actual family. Order the printed A5 330gsm gloss with an envelope to a UK or US address, download the e-card, or check posters and canvas on the site. Start at Ottermagic.com. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
FAQ
Is a gotcha day card only for the US?
No. The phrase is common in the US. UK families can mark a homecoming anniversary too, or ignore the phrase and send an announcement.
Does this card have any legal meaning?
No. It is a greeting card. It does not prove parenthood, immigration status, or a court outcome.
What if my child does not want their photo used?
Use Text Swap, or do not send a likeness card. Their preference comes first.
Can I send an announcement to a large group?
Only if you are comfortable with that many copies of a child's face. An e-card is easy to forward; that can be a feature or a problem.
How fast can I get cards in the UK?
Printed A5 is typically around 3–5 working days with Royal Mail. Use the e-card when sooner.
Can I put the same design on a wall?
Yes. Ottermagic offers posters and canvas. Check Ottermagic.com for live details.
