It has been a while since I published a craft tutorial on my blog, so it seems fitting to be sharing these Project Life baby milestone cards first!  Finding time to do anything creative is really hard with a newborn baby. Let’s face it, getting anything done can feel like a massive achievement in those first few weeks and months! When Little One was born in 2016, I felt a real need to be doing something creative quite early on. But I didn’t want to make something huge or anything that was too complicated (my baby brain would never have coped!). So I decided to make some simple milestone cards to mark each month and her achievements.

When I say ‘simple’, this first set wasn’t actually as simple as I’d hoped in the long run! Although I really loved making them and how they turned out, I found them quite time consuming to make. I used mini rubber stamps to stamp the text and cut out numbers from scrapbook paper for each card, which looks lovely but took time. I used to make them month by month, and often found myself making them last minute to be able to take the monthly milestone picture! So when Littlest One arrived, I knew that I wanted to make a set for him too, but they needed to be a bit easier to make so that I could try to make more of them in advance. I looked through my paper supplies and realised that Project Life baby milestone cards would be the answer – the cards are lovely quality with cute designs, but there is still scope to personalise them. Yay! 

In this tutorial, I’m making the 4 month card because I had made the first 3 already without taking any photos! I have just included the cards for monthly milestones here, but there are some suggestions for other cards to include at the end of the post. Do let me know any other ideas you have in the comments!

Materials

12 Project Life cards – I’ve used the 4×6″ cards 

Coloured papers in a variety of colours

White paper

Double-sided tape (or glue if you prefer)

Fine pen

Scissors

Craft knife and cutting mat

Number templates (click to download)

Step 1

Choose which Project Life cards you would like to use for each month and match a coloured paper for the numbers. I decided to use a contrasting colour for the numbers on each card, but you can coordinate however you like – you could use the same colour for the numbers on all of the cards, for example.

step 2

Cut out the number templates and trace around them onto the coloured paper with a pencil. Carefully cut them out, using the craft knife for any tricky bits in the middle of the numbers.

step 3

Take the white paper and a fine pen and write the words ‘Today I am’. Cut out a rectangle around the words – I did this freehand but you could measure it if you prefer. Repeat with the words ‘months old’. Position the number(s) and text on the Project Life card and then stick in place with double-sided tape or glue.

step 4

Repeat with the remaining numbers and cards that you have chosen. 

I’m so pleased with how these cards turned out – they were much simpler than my first attempt! And this time around I’ve made the cards ahead of time which is great.

Additional Project Life baby milestone cards ideas

These milestone cards can be personalised to fit your baby, and because the cards are ready-printed, you can make them so easily and quickly as your baby learns new things! Here are a few more ideas:

Today I…

Smiled for the first time

Learnt how to roll over

Sat up on my own

Slept in my own room for the first time

Got my first tooth

Ate some solid food

Started crawling 

Took my first steps

Said my first word

I really love that these cards can be made and personalised to suit your baby. It’s a lovely way to document their progress and to make something that is really personal to them and to you. You could use the reverse of the cards to make notes about what they love to do on the back, just as a special way to keep a record of the little milestones and everyday things too.

Show me your project life baby milestone cards!

If you make these cards for your little one, I would absolutely LOVE to see them! You can tag me @hellohoorayblog on Instagram, or find me on Facebook or Twitter if you prefer.

If you want to find out more about Project Life, see my posts from the archives about getting started and Project Life storage too. You can also visit the Project Life website for an overview of available products.