Super easy DIY baby shower gift: Fingerprint tree [tutorial!]

This DIY baby shower craft is an easy, personal gift your loved one will treasure forever. Here’s how to make a fingerprint tree for guests to “sign.”

A while back, a dear friend from high school had a baby shower in anticipation of welcoming her first child. She and her husband live in Chicago and there was no way I could zip over for the party, but I wanted to send something special for their baby shower. I didn’t want to just get something off the registry; I wanted to make something by hand (but that was easy and didn’t take up hours of time). Enter: the fingerprint tree, a gorgeous, thoughtful and easy-to-make DIY baby shower gift!

The fingerprint tree doubled as a gift and a guest book that baby shower guests could “sign” with their fingerprints. To me, the tree shows this little baby that her family came together to celebrate her even before she was born.

That’s the best thing about this DIY baby shower gift: The fingerprint tree lets this new baby know that she is being born into a world filled with people who loved her—people who would always be there to support and encourage her.

The baby shower craft is super easy—basically all you need is paper, ink and a sharp X-Acto knife. I drew the tree I used, but you could also print an image from the Internet and cut that out (or trace it onto nicer stock).

Here, then, are instructions to make a DIY fingerprint tree for the next baby shower you attend!

DIY Baby Shower Fingerprint Tree

This DIY fingerprint craft is a wonderful activity for a baby shower and a thoughtful, personal gift. What’s more, it’s a super-easy craft. Here’s how to make it.

Supplies

• Heavy stock white or cream-colored paper. I used a 9×12 sheet.
• Decorative paper that contrasts the base paper. I used a 12×12 sheet of cork, which I found in the scrapbooking section of the craft store.
• Sharp X-Acto or precision knife.
• Spray adhesive.
• Archival ink stamp pad. I used green, of course, for the leaves.

Instructions

1. On the wrong side (back) of heavy stock paper, draw or trace the shape of your tree. Make sure you have enough branches to allow everyone to stamp their fingerprints! Note: If your branches cross (like mine did in a place or two), you’ll end up with “floating” pieces of paper you’ll have to glue down individually.
2. With a very sharp X-Acto knife, cut out the inside of the tree—i.e. the bark.
3. Cover a work surface with newspaper. Spray the wrong side of the paper—the side you won’t see—with spray adhesive. Place the glue side onto the decorative paper you’ve chosen, making sure the decorative paper shows through all the cut-outs.
4. Let the adhesive dry, following the product’s instructions.
5. If needed, trim the excess decorative paper so the two pieces are flush.
6. At the baby shower, display the fingerprint tree alongside the stamp pad. Instruct guests to leave a fingerprint on a branch.
7. If you like, write a message to the parents or baby on the paper. (The message I included reads, “This love grows deep.”)

If you make a fingerprint tree for your or a friend’s baby shower, please post a link to it! I’d love to see how it turns out!

Looking for another DIY baby shower gift? My printable for a pregnancy journal would make a lovely, personal gift for a mother-to-be.