Follow the Theme

• Design first birthday invitations that indicate the theme of the party. Make cards for a zoo event shaped like your baby's favorite animal or adorned with a photo of your child dressed in an animal costume. If you're hosting a princess party, affix castle clip art on the front or use a picture of your baby in a glittering gown. If the party doesn't have a central theme, create an invitation shaped like the number "1" or a card that features a list of your baby's first-year milestones.
  
  

Gather Materials

• Save money by determining what craft supplies you have on hand to make the party invitations before buying new materials. You'll need blank cards, envelopes, scissors, double-sided tape and an assortment of accents. Visit a craft, scrapbooking or dollar store to find embellishments with colors and motifs that suit the theme, such as rubber stamps, die-cut number "1" shapes and cake stickers featuring a single candle. To add dimension, use pastel-colored ribbons, buttons or self-adhesive foam shapes.
  
  

Assemble the Invitations

• Begin each invitation with a colorful blank card. You can also create a card base by folding and cutting an 8.5-by-11-inch piece of card stock to fit inside your blank envelope. Place the central embellishment like a birthday-theme sticker scene or a photo collage of your 1-year-old in the center. As a deluxe touch, mat the image with decorative paper before affixing it to the card. Use letter stickers, rubber stamps or your own writing to add a tag line across the bottom of the invitation such as, "Look Who's One," "Let's Have Fun, She's One" or "You're Invited to a First Birthday Celebration."
  
  

Add Party Details

• Give the guests party specifics like the time, date, address and RSVP contact information by writing it legibly inside the card. Save time by using a rubber stamp that features the words "time," "date," "location" and "RSVP" along with lines that allow you to simply fill in the blanks. If the festivities will run into your 1-year-old's nap time, add an ending time for the party to prevent guests from lingering.