I’m a big fan of craft projects in general, and I’d seen all those adorable baby footprint pins—butterflies, suns, flowers, you name it—but I had a rough time the last time I’d tried to make something cute with my kid’s feet.
I was an exhausted new mom with grand ideas of making gifts for all Peeper’s relatives. I had bought a big carton of plaster of paris, disposable bowls and straws. I set everything up. I had planned it perfectly: Peeper was as well rested as she’d get, so I was ready.
The result was a disaster. We got plaster all over the kitchen and mashed circles that looked more like a relief map than a Christmas decoration. Peeper was dunked in the bath immediately, and the extended Ryan Gregory clan got nothing under the tree from us. (Wah-wahhhhh.)
For Mother’s Day, a friend helped me recover from my fear of baby print crafts. The results were adorable—cute enough to make in triplicate. (One for each grandma and one for me, of course!) Instructions below
I’m going to scan one and make a greeting card of it, too.
These would make a great gift anytime. If you make one, take a picture and send a link. I’d love to see it! And comment below if you have any pointers on getting foot- or handprints. (I belatedly saw this link with tips.) As you can see, I have a bit to learn on that front.
Baby footprint tulip art
1. Squeeze red acrylic paint onto a plate and spread it out a bit. Dunk your baby’s foot in the paint and stamp it once or twice on a piece of cardboard to get rid of excess paint.
2. Holding the canvas steady (or better yet, getting someone else to hold it still), lower your baby’s foot onto the canvas. Roll it a bit back and forth to ensure you stamp the whole foot.
3. Repeat the process with the other foot, stamping them with the heels and balls of the feet touching and even overlapping a bit. Let the stamps dry.
4. Squeeze out some green acrylic paint. Put some on a brush and dip the brush in water. (This will give a pretty watercolor effect.) Paint a stem and leaf.
5. Swoon.
6. Sign the masterpiece on behalf of your little one. I wrote Peeper’s name and “Mother’s Day May 2014” on the side of the canvas.
You’ll be happy you did it when Peeper is grown up. My sister and I did red handprints in nursery school, and Mom still has them even though my sister and I are 50 and 48, respectively. We also did handprints in plaster, which were painted gold and mounted in shadowboxes, then turned into bookends. Mom still has those, too. My sister and I may have to fight over them at some point. 🙂
I’m pretty sure my parents have handprint projects from us, too. They’re irreplaceable.
Ok, now that is adorable. What a great gift idea for grandmas!
Grandma #1 loved hers; Grandma #2 hasn’t yet received hers. (Um, I need to get to the post office.)
Such a creative and personal gift! I love gifts like this with little ones. You did a great job!
Thank you! That means even more coming from you. 🙂
These are so cute!
Oow! Great idea! I did casts of my first’s hand and footprints with this really lightweight foam stuff, that was super easy to use, but the end result is not as nice as a heavier material. Paint prints seem a lot more simple. Never thought of that!
Love love! I have Edie’s tulip on the counter so it’s the first thing I see when I come in from the bedroom to the kitchen. Whomp! I’m filled with Edie joy!
This is a really beautiful picture! You could even do multiple footprints and create a whole bunch of flowers, and use the fingertips as the leaves.
What a great idea! Thanks!
This is a really beautiful picture! You could even do multiple footprints and create a whole bunch of flowers, and use the fingertips as the leaves.
What a great idea! Thanks!