Crate Paper Baby Card Central

Hi, it's Rebecca here with some projects all about babies, babies, babies! I don't know about you, but there seems to be an influx of new babies in my life. Two friends recently had baby boys, my sister had a baby girl back in June, and every time I turn around, it seems that someone else is expectings. It's okay - few things are more exciting than new babies and baby cards are some of my most favorite to make.

With Crate's Little Bo Peep and Little Boy Blue collections, it has become even more fun to design baby cards! I had so many ideas and so many products I wanted to use. I designed the first card with a baby shower in mind. I had "Hazel", "Matilda", and "Alice" scraps lying on my desk and I liked the way they looked together, so I lined them up and added a strip of the yellow backside of "Alice" across them.

I was definitely aiming for a sweet, colorful mix of patterns and embellishments. The pink rosette stand-out, the pink fabric brad, and the impossibly cute wood veneer deer are perfect for adding little touches and texture.

I designed the next card with a few things in mind. First off, I wanted to show how you could mix both of the Little Bo Peep and Little Boy Blue collections together. Secondly, I wanted to design a card that could be given to a baby boy or a baby girl -- more and more people are waiting to be surprised about the sex of their new little one so it's great to have some gender neutral cards on hand. And lastly, these collections are so cute with their vintage appeal, but when I started to mix paper and elements together, I noticed a more retro feel taking shape and I went with it.

I love the subtle color scheme of yellow, green, and gray, and the pops of natural woodgrain in the "Congrats" tag and veneer stork really work well together. The background paper is "Clara", taken from the Little Bo Peep 6 x 6 Patterned Paper Pad. Also, from the LBP collection, are the stork bingo card and fabric brad. There is definitely a stork theme happening here! The alphabet card is from Little Boy Blue "Oliver" patterned paper -- one of my most favorite in the entire collection!

Layering, along with using bits of this and pieces of that, played a big role in putting this project together. I punched a couple of medallions from the yellow "Leo" paper from LBB, layering a LBB rosette Stand-Out over one of them. Just a small piece of a green LBB Border Sticker added a needed pop of green behind the alphabet card and I cut the striped yellow "Date" strip off of the bottom of one of the LBB accent tags and stitched it to the side of the "Congrats" tag.

The last card might be the one closest to my heart! Both Crate baby collections have several different elements that can be used in creating baby announcements. Although I had many ideas and the best intentions, I never got around to making any when my own little guy was born, so I decided I would attempt one now, just for fun!

I used all Little Boy Blue products and mainly stuck with a red and blue color scheme here. I chose the blue with red dots base paper, "Stanley", because it wasn't too busy and I knew I would have several other layers, patterns, and elements to build on top of it. My next step was to choose another subtle patterned paper to matte my photo on and I went with "Oliver" from the LBB 6 x 6 Patterned Paper Pad for that. I added a couple strips of the red scalloped Border Sticker for interest under the picture. If I could use Border Stickers on everything, I would!

One of the things that initially inspired the announcement idea was the little accent card with the colorful growth chart on it. It says "He's Here", but I covered that up with the "Introducing" sticker because I wanted to add another element to it. I liked that the card had a space for the name and the birth date, which I immediately filled in! I also used two other accent cards layered underneath it -- isn't that little duck pull toy, the cutest?!

I made a little flag with some more "Oliver" paper and a toothpick, and used the flocked Doll Thickers in Red to spell out "Gus". Lastly, the wood veneer duck and the "It's a boy" sticker completed the card.

If there are currently a lot of new babies -- or future babies -- in your life, I hope you got some inspiration here today. Little Bo Peep and Little Boy Blue are full of sweet, sweet patterns, images, and sentiments that make creating baby cards incredibly easy and enjoyable. From little boys to little girls to little surprises, they've got you covered!

Comments

The cards are so soft and delicate, makes you wish for a little baby. But I'd scrap someone else's instead!

Posted by: Tamika | August 27, 2012 at 08:18 AM

Umm.. .could he be cuter!?! I LOVE those cards! Fab job! I just had a baby on August 5th so I understand! I made some thank you cards using Little Bo Peep! Here they are:

http://courtscrafts.blogspot.com/2012/08/crate-paper-thank-yous-take-2.html

They are simple, but when creating in mass, I find that to be helpful.

Posted by: Court's Crafts | August 27, 2012 at 09:36 AM