The impending arrival of a baby can be a hectic, yet exhilarating time for the mother and father-to-be. Whether it’s their first baby or their fifth, the prospect of having an addition to the family usually brings about feelings of anticipation and excitement. What better way to channel some of this excitement than through a baby shower? And issuing a baby shower footprint invitation would be a wonderful way to ask friends and family to participate in the event.

There are many ways to get hold of a baby shower footprint invitation for such a special event. You can go online and look for sites that specialize in making invitations. Business enterprises such as Ira’s Peripheral Visions (IPV) in New York City sell these unique invitations at very affordable prices. IPV’s invitations, for instance, can be purchased at $10 for a pack of ten, including the envelopes. My Sweet Dreams Baby, on the other hand, sells baby shower footprint and handprint invitations in sets of 24 for $14.99. You can even specify the color you would like for the text.

If you have access to a good-quality printer, you can download baby footprint designs from sites of companies like Hewlett-Packard (HP). The designs from this site are fully editable; all you need to do is to type your message on your computer screen before you print these unique invitations. Or if you prefer, you can delete the template message before printing the invitations and simply hand-write your message on the printed cards. Another site, Baby Shower Guide, offers a ready-to-print invitation featuring baby footprints in either pink or blue, for when the sex of the baby to be welcomed is still unknown. Saving and printing instructions are provided for maximum ease and convenience.

If you’re the artistic type and would like to make your own baby shower footprint invitations, then there is no shortage of reference guides and tips for you. You can choose from many options when it comes to design and materials to use. You can simply draw an outline of a baby’s foot using charcoal pencils or crayons, or paint it using watercolors. Or you can even make a cutout of a baby’s foot and print or write on it the details of the shower, such as the date and time. A popular way to design invitations is to arrange or place varying sizes of the footprints on the invitation in such a way that it seems like a baby has walked across the invitation. It’s a fun design and is designed to bring a smile to the lips of the people you invite.

Another way to create baby shower footprint invitations is via the use of special rubber stamps. This is sheer simplicity and ease in itself. All you need to do is to buy stamps shaped like a baby’s foot and inks in colors that you want. Then simply stamp the design onto invitation paper and you’re done. You can stamp just one footprint or create a pattern with several small footprints, depending on your artistic preference. And you don’t have to limit yourself to ordinary paper; there is a wide variety of paper to choose from: from thick decorative paper to thin and semi-transparent light paper.

Embossed cards are also unique invitations. Professional invitation card makers use a tool to create a raised footprint design, making it more memorable and more attractive. Printers nowadays can even have the embossed footprint in the color of your choice. This is an especially elegant design option, especially if the colors used are soft and muted. It conveys an impression of class and good taste. However, remember that embossed invitations usually cost higher than those that are printed using regular methods, but that the price paid is usually worth it. You can also do embossing work on your own. You will need special embossing powder (available in most arts and crafts stores), ink, and a baby-footprint stamp. Just stamp the baby-foot shape onto a piece of paper and sprinkle the powder on the wet ink. Dry the ink under heat; the powder will melt and stick to the baby footprint design, creating a raised effect.

A baby shower footprint invitation can be part of a wonderful way to anticipate and celebrate the arrival of a new human being. It’s an occasion for joy and anticipation, truly a cause for celebration.