You’re having a baby shower? Congratulations -- now one of your first jobs will be
to let your guests know about the happy event!

A very popular design for baby party invites is a baby shower footprint invitation.
It’s a charming way to celebrate the imminent arrival of a new member of the family
-- and, as an added bonus, it fits in with almost any theme you may choose for your
festivities.

As with any party planning, it’s a good idea to think well ahead. Your guests will
appreciate being given adequate notice of the shower and it will help them have a
better chance of being able to attend. You’ll also save yourself the headache of
preparing for the party in a rush! It’s usually a good idea to send out your invitations
four or five weeks in advance.

The baby footprint theme provides an excellent motif for many aspects of the
shower, not just the invitations. One simple image communicates the ideas of
innocence and sweetness that everyone associates with the birth of a baby boy or
girl. You can extend it to decorations, shower favors -- even place settings at the
table.

You’ll often find the baby footprint design in commercially produced invitations and
party supplies. But some people like to make their own shower invitations, in order
to lend a more imaginative touch. If you want to do this, a simple footprint motif is
quite easy to create at home -- and handmade, personalized baby shower invites
suit the beauty and style of baby shower well.

Here are some simple design suggestions:

• footprint outlines or cutout shapes
• footprints as a background to text
• a footprint ’trail’ -- just as if the baby had walked across the invitation!

Keep the concept simple and ensure that colors of the motif and text complement
background shade of the paper or card stock that you choose. If you wish, you
could base your invtiations on traditional colors -- blue for a baby boy or pink for a
girl. And if this seems a bit too traditional for your taste (or if you don’t yet know
the gender of the baby), why not go for other pastel shades such as green or yellow?

If you’re planning to make your own invitations, ask for rubber stamps of baby
footprints at your local craft supply shop -- or you can do an online search.
Experiment with different color inks and patterns to find a look that appeals to you.

Once you’ve decided on a design, you could extend this theme from the invitations
to other items such as game prizes, thank you cards and so on. It’s a great way to
create a unique look for your baby shower party.

Jane Hennessey is a regular contributor to http://babyshowerdom.com -- visit
BabyShowerDom.com for ideas, tips and supplies to help you plan the perfect
baby shower.