Guest Post: How to Make a DIY Month-by-Month Pregnancy Poster

Hey guys! While I am chilling at home with the new babe, the blog will be a little quiet. But the lovely (and patient) Annie has a guest post for you to tide you over. :) Love this idea! 

Thanks so much for the guest post Annie! 



How to Make a DIY Month by Month Pregnancy Poster

There are few events in life as exciting, stressful, fun, unknown, and creative (literally) for a woman than being pregnant. It’s a time for looking forward, looking back, and really questioning one’s own self. 

I’ve heard it said that time flies when you’re having fun, but I think it’s also true that time flies once you have kids. One minute they’re in your belly and the next they’re graduating high school, then college, and getting married. Soon enough they’ll have kids of their own, and you’ll ask yourself, “Where did my little one go?”

Because time really does fly I’d like to share some inspiration on how to make a memory poster so you can cherish now (and later) the birth of your child. 

What You Need to Complete this DIY

Before I start any project I like to know what I am up against and what it will require so I know I can complete it. For this DIY you will need:

An expectant mother or pregnant belly!

A digital camera.

Minimal photography and computer design skills.

Access to a wide format printer or a printing service.

Nine months (kidding, but really..)

Taking the Pictures

Pick a location that’s comfortable and offers good natural light, as you’ll be here often. The focus of these pictures will be you, so choose a place that doesn’t have a distracting background. I’d recommend wearing the same clothing in every picture so you can see vividly the changes your body takes as the baby develops. If you’re not too picky you can wear sweats and a t-shirt, if you’d like something a little more eloquent try a loose fitting dress. Here are a few things to remember when taking photos:

Take a picture on the same day once or twice a week for the entirety of your pregnancy.

Take the pictures at the same time each day (for lighting purposes).

Try to pose the same way in each picture.

Making the Poster

Once you have all your photos taken it’s time to piece the poster together. The easiest way to do this is with your computer and a graphics editing program like Adobe Photoshop, or a program like GIMP (available for free at: http://www.gimp.org/). Regardless of which program you use you can accomplish a simple look by placing the photos in order from oldest to newest.

Here is an example of how to lay the photos out for use on a poster:

Photo Copyright © Ashley.

Ordering the Poster

Once you’ve taken your pictures and arranged them on the computer it’s time to order the poster! In the past I’ve used Vistaprint.ca for my printing and have found their services satisfactory, but feel to look around if you’d like. If you have a little extra money to spare you can order a poster for every image in your collage and create a keepsake to show your child when they’re older. 

The thing I love about this project is that it allows those of us with minimal artistic skills (like myself) or those with a more perfected touch to be as creative as they’d like to be. I hope you enjoyed this DIY tutorial!

About the Author:

Annie Harrington is a small business owner, writer, and amateur photographer. In her free time she enjoys writing about DIY projects and other crafts parents can do with their children.