DIY Baby Book

When we first got pregnant, I knew I wanted to create something different for my baby book. Registering for one at Babies R Us just isn't my style.  We decided early on that we'd take a front a side shot each week in front of a blank wall in our guest room.  Well, almost blank.  There was a bit of junk.  The first week, I photoshopped it all out and created a blank wall, and used that as a backdrop for all other weeks.

I looked up the info online to figure out how big peanut was each week, and found some of my favorite fonts to create the graphics.  

One of my favorite programs ever is Blurb. In Blurb I was able to type a letter to the baby each week.  I told him all about what was happening that week, how I was feeling, where we traveled.  I let him know how he was growing each week, and generally rambled on and on.  The software is so easy to use, and gives you a variety of simple layouts.  The book quality is unparalleled- I even ordered our wedding album from them!  Heavy paper and an image-wrap cover.

As far as layout is concerned, I punctuated these progression pages with some other fun graphics and goodies. See part 2 for some of those pages.

I wanted to add some fun, colorful graphics to help illustrate our journey through these insane 9 months.  What you're seeing here is a sample of 8 full page layouts, stacked from top to bottom.

I did most of this with simple type in Adobe Illustrator, and typed up the copy in Blurb.  The stuff that I did in Blurb is completely beginner level, although the Illustrator layouts are a bit more advanced (for starters, you'll need to get your hands on a copy of the software, which is really pricey. Blurb, on the other hand, is a free download from Blurb.comwwww.blurb.com)

I had fun taking the weekly pictures, but beyond that I really wanted to add more dimension and a bit of personality to Isaac's baby book.  These are some of the things that I thought were important to include: lists of the foods I had to have and the foods I couldn't get near, a picture of our positive pregnancy test, the baby names we were considering, a special note from dad, and the announcement (we didn't know whether the baby was a boy or a girl!)

I had so much fun doing this, but the pressure is on- I'd better think of another good idea by the time we have another baby!  

Enjoy!
Jen, Jason & Isaac
Ritzy Rosebud

{Ready To Pop at The Big Top} Circus-Themed Baby Shower Invites

For my circus/carnival themed baby shower, I really wanted my invites to be festive and playful.  The key element was the balloon, which guests had to inflate to read all the details of the party.  I designed the file in Illustrator and sent them to fastballoons.com to have them printed.

I designed a simple graphic for the envelope using elements from the invitation itself, and printed that on my home printer.  One thing I learned while designing my wedding invites is that you can have as much fun as you want with the exterior of the envelope.

I found these super-cute envelopes with striped lining at envelopes.com so I picked those up (bonus- I didn't have to lick the glue to close them all, they are self-adhesive!  No pregnant lady wants to lick 35 envelopes).

I wanted to ask shower guests to write their message to me or the baby on the inside of a children's book, rather than a store-bought card.  We want to start building baby Diehl's library now, and we are all about recycling well-loved books.

Welcome!

You know The Ritzy Rose for our handmade wedding designs.  We formed the company shortly after our own wedding in 2010.  Now stick around to watch husband and wife team Jen and Jason as we set out on our next great adventure: parenthood.

Follow us through our pregnancy as we design the nursery, plan for a little one, and tackle endless creative projects.  You’ll find tips, tricks and all sorts of DIY goodies.  And the fun is just beginning- this November, our little bundle of joy will arrive!

I am 24 weeks pregnant. We don't know what we're having. I have a lot of ideas and 16 weeks to implement them before our lives are turned upside down in the best way possible!

Currently, the room that will become our nursery is being used for storage.  Since our 1915 house doubles as our place of business for The Ritzy Rose, it just made sense to do things that way when we moved in a year ago. In order to feel like we were settled fairly settled, all extra boxes were placed in that room, to be sorted out later.

Later has arrived! This week we will be enlisting our brother-in-law and construction pro Brad in installing drop-down stairs to the attic so we can clear out the room and start designing.

As soon as this happens, I will begin a process that I've been excited about for quite some time: designing our vintage circus nursery!

I will be posting all of my DIY designs here! Wish me luck ; )
-Jen
The Ritzy Rosebud