Ideas for DIY Children's Birthday Party Invitations

It has always been my thought that homemade items are more personal and much better than store bought. Therefore when it comes to items for parties or other events, I always try to make what I can myself.

I have always prided myself in my child's birthday parties. I make my own birthday cakes. In addition, I have never had a store bought party invitation. Invitations are easy to make. Homemade invitations can be very cute and personal. On some birthdays, I have made a picture invitation. On other birthdays, I have just made a card on my Print Shop program.

To begin, you must first select a theme. In the picture, I have two example invitations that I have made. One theme is a farm and the other is construction.

After you have chosen a theme, you need a slogan, phrase, poem, or saying. The farm theme card has a poem that I created. The construction card simply has a slogan or phrase. The saying can be as involved or simple as you would like it to be.

Farm poem: Head on down to the farm,

Where the roosters crow and the cows go mow,

We're havin' a hoedown,

'Cause (child's name) is turnin' two!

The card opens and gives party details inside.

Construction slogan: CAUTION: (child's name) first birthday under construction

Workers needed: (party date)

Work hours: (party time)

Construction Site: (party location)

Then decide on the card layout. Do you want to include a picture of your child or do you want to use clip art instead? If you do not include a picture on your card, I suggest making the card stand out a little by cutting it into a shape. I did not use a picture on the farm invitation. To make it more creative, I cut it into the shape of a barn. It took some time to get the inside lined up so it would match the cutting. However, if placed side by side with a little space in between, the front and inside will work well. Cut out and fold along the middle where you left the space.

If you plan to use a picture, try to dress your child up for the theme. In the construction card, I had my son on a toy Bobcat.

After the picture is selected, you need a background or border. If you use as background like I did, it will need to be one color. Busy backgrounds take away from the picture. Most Print Shop program will let you change or adjust the color of the background. Try to use contrasting colors. I used blue and yellow. These work well with one another.

If you are using pictures, you will likely want to save the invitation to a CD or disk and take it to a store such as Wall-Mart to be printed. You could also find a website online such as Snap Fish. The quality is better and you do not have to use all of your ink.