How to design my own baby announcement card?

The birth of a new baby is a wonderful occasion. Many proud parents are excited to announce the new addition to their family and friends with a birth announcement. You could buy announcements but making your own birth photo cards is less expensive and give that personal touch.

What you'll need

- Photo paper
- Card
- Scissors
- Ribbon
- Stickers
- Glitter

Step one

Sketch out the design you would like to use for your baby's birth announcement. Determine the amount of space you would like to dedicate to text and the picture of your baby.

Step two

Take a photo of your baby. Dressing the newborn in a white shirt or romper is simple, less distracting and will allow for more colour schemes and text when finishing the birth announcement. Keep the background simple as well by placing your baby on a blanket.

Step three

Make prints of the photograph you want to use for the birth announcement card. Make sure the size of the picture fits in with your design for the card. Print off enough copies so that there is one picture for each card you intend to make.

Step four

Obtain a piece of card stock or paper in a colour or pattern of your choice. If the paper is larger than the size of a postcard, trim it.

Step five

Trim the picture of your newborn. Taping the picture to a piece of white paper that is slightly larger, will give the photo a nice border and a tidy, matted look. Tape the matted picture to a piece of card.

Step six

Use a felt tipped pen or a smooth gel pen to add text to the birth announcement card. For an introduction, write "It's a boy!" or "Our new arrival!" on the top in larger handwriting. Below, add the baby's name, date and time of birth, weight and length, as well as the parents' names. Type up the text, print it out and tape it to the card if you're afraid your handwriting is a bit messy.

Step seven

Decorate the birth announcement card. Punch holes evenly around the edges, then lace ribbon around them. Add lace, stickers, buttons and other decorations to give the card a beautiful, unique appearance.

Other ideas

Using these steps, you could also create baby thank you notes or cards, baby photo cards, wedding photo cards, personalised birthday invitations, photo wedding invitations, Christmas photo cards, christening thank yous, christening invites or baptism invitations, birthday invitations and thank you notes for gifts.