Invitation templates / Christening invitations
A Picture Book for Baby: a christening invitation template
The invitation is a mid-century picture book painted in flat, bright gouache: the cover scene slides together layer by layer, and every page of the day is its own spread, with pull-tabs, flaps and a wheel to turn.
The design
One storybook, painted in opaque gouache on cream paper: flat bright shapes in a handful of colours, dry-brush edges, the grain of the paper showing through, type set big like a 1950s picture book and printed slightly off-register. The cover is a little town by a river, a chapel, lollipop trees and a duck; it slides together plane by plane like a tunnel book, and the child's name is painted across the sky. Each part of the day is a spread. On the chapel page a paper pull-tab slides the front wall aside to show the font and the candles inside. The godparents live in a row of painted houses: lift each door flap and they wave from the doorway. Turn the wheel (a volvelle) on the dress page and the little guests in the street change into each of the colours. Tap the duck and it paddles off in rings; the cat in the nursery stretches. As you scroll the order of the day, a mother duck leads her ducklings along the river path from stop to stop. At the party a pop-up cake and bunting stand up off the page, and the photographs hang from a washing line that swings when touched. A reply ends the book: The End pops up and the ducklings take a bow.
Colours and type
A Picture Book for Baby comes in 4 colourways: Tomato & teal, Oatmeal & olive, Rose & mustard and Duck-egg & sun, with 2 type pairings: Picture-book poster and Hand-lettered. The colours and type change in the editor at any time; the layout stays its own.
Who it suits
Made for christening / baptism, baby dedication and naming day, in the Playful & illustrated style.
What is included
An invitation website with the church and the celebration after, the godparents, your photos, a song if you want one, and the RSVP with the number of adults and children coming. You write your own words and add your photos in the live editor, send every guest a personal link by email or any messaging app, and follow the replies as they come in. Free for up to 20 guests, with the full design.
More christening templates
- Painted Tiles: A wall of hand-painted blue-and-white tiles: the panel is set tile by tile, the name goes in last, and guests turn crooked tiles, fire the glaze and repaint the frieze.
- Christening Bells: Two polished brass handbells tied with satin ribbon on white linen: tap one to ring it and the name appears, then polish the tarnish off the brass to reveal the engraving.
- The Christening Cake: A three-tier christening cake in white fondant and sugar roses on a porcelain stand: turn it with a finger, watch the name piped onto a sugar plaque, and cut a slice at the close.
- Written by Hand: A calligrapher's desk: the child's name is written live in pointed-pen copperplate, and the guest changes the nib, blots the ink, tests the colours and tries the pen.
- The Certificate: An engraved baptismal certificate on a leather writing desk: press the brass stamp into the molten wax to seal it, and watch the godparents sign in ink.
- Blind Dove: A thick white cotton card with a dove pressed in without ink: the light rakes across as you scroll, and the dove rises out of the white.
- The Favour Table: The bomboniere table on the christening morning, seen from above: one satin ribbon unspools down the table as you read, threading every favour and tag of the day, and ends tied to your own.
- Fresco Under Plaster: An old chapel wall: a fresco of a May sky and olive trees comes out from under the whitewash, patch by patch, with the child's name painted in the band beneath.
All christening invitation templates