How to Create Handmade Baby Shower Invitations

When receiving the happy news of a close friend’s pregnancy, my creative wheels started turning. You see, I volunteered myself to design hand crafted baby shower invitations and since my friend wasn’t finding out the sex of her bundle, I had an additional challenge. Not only did I need invent a whimsical invite, but I also had to keep the color pallet neutral.

Another friend of mine joined me on my search for an adorable unisex creation. We researched websites, magazines and craft stores for an original, yet economical idea, but came up empty handed. Finally, after an intense brainstorming session, we developed a simple, yet darling, neutral design: a pocket card containing a baby bottle that includes all of the pertinent printed party information. And we estimate that it costs less than a $1.00 for each card!

Here’s what you will need to recreate this innovative design: colored card stock paper in white, beige, pink and green. You must also have glue, tape, scissors, address labels, stickers and decorative ribbon. A paper cutter would come in handy and a computer for printing labels is a must.

Here are the easy-to-assemble instructions:

The Pocket
Cut an 8 �½ inch by 11 inch piece of green card stock in half long ways and trim about two inches off of the strip so that it now measures 9 inches by 4 inches or so. Next, fold up approximately 2 inches of the paper and use double stick tape or another adhesive to seal the sides creating a paper pocket. Adorn the top of the pocket with neutral colored ribbon. We found a pastel pattern of green, pink, blue and white and adhered it to the top of the pocket with some all purpose glue. With a pair of scissors or a scrapbooking tool, round the top corners of the card to create a softer look.

The Bottle
Using the white card stock, cut out a rectangle measuring about 3 �½ inches long by 2 inches wide. Round the corners with a scissors. Next, make a template for a nipple and cut that out in the beige card stock. Then, create a pink oval that measures about 1 �½ inches long and place it between the nipple and the bottle creating a realistic effect. Finally, glue the pieces together for a multi-dimensional baby bottle.

The Labels
Simply find labels at an office supply store that will fit all of the shower information, print the labels on a computer and stick them onto the center of the baby bottle. Envelopes of all shapes and sizes can also be purchased at your local office supply store or craft shop.

The Stickers
Finally, purchase some neutral baby stickers to embellish the front of the pocket. Ducks work great as do teddy bears, baby carriages and rattles. We used various different stickers for our invitations, so each one was an original piece of artwork!