Tag: footprints

Carrot Kid Craft

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Last year, Veronika loved having her feet painted orange for an adorable springtime craft. This year we painted them green instead! Capture a few green footprints and they become the green fronds at the top of this carrot memento, just in time for the Easter bunny to nibble on.

To start, I sat Veronika down in front of a big sheet of paper and painted the soles of each foot green. Make sure you have wipes ready at your side so you don’t wind up with green footprints all over the floor!

I tested out two methods for the best print, either bringing the paper to her foot and pressing firmly, or having her walk across it. The former definitely made clearer prints! I cut out the best two and set them aside to dry.

Meanwhile, we made the rest of the carrot: cut a paper plate into a triangle shape and invite your toddler to tear orange construction paper into small pieces. Glue down the orange pieces until the plate is covered.

Glue the footprint fronds to the top and the carrot is ready!

Footprint T-shirt

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Big brother Travis is off at camp, and Veronika misses him! Here was a fun way to have her do something special for him while he was gone, plus fit in some arts & crafts.

We used an old tie-dyed t-shirt for this project, but you can also purchase a plain white t-shirt from the dollar store.

I sat Veronika on a chair and painted the sole of her foot with fabric paint. No doubt your toddler will giggle at how this tickles! Press firmly onto the shirt.

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You can make as many prints as you like, whether just one front and center, all over the shirt, or anything in between. We thought it looked cute with three footprints marching across the shirt, each in a different color, like a little trail walking somewhere.

Veronika proudly added a few extra dots of fabric paint with a paintbrush, and then we set it aside to dry.

Carrot Footprints

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This cute little craft feels just right for springtime, particularly close to Easter as we’re thinking about bunnies! The resulting footprints make a sweet memento, too.

I sat Veronika down and painted the bottom of one foot orange with washable paint. She loved the way this felt, eagerly saying “foot” and imitating me with a second clean paintbrush.

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Firmly press your child’s foot to paper. Wipe clean, then repeat with the other foot. I thought the orange paint might show up on orange construction paper as the background, but in retrospect I would have done this on white cardstock.

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As it was, I ended up cutting out the orange paper, drawing pen around the footprints to make them clearer, and then gluing them down to to white cardstock.

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For the fronds of the carrots, cut strips of green construction paper and tape them to the back so little fronds stick up.

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If you want the fronds to be sturdier, consider cutting up green paint chip samples! Still, these turned out to be quite adorable.

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Footprint Plaque

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I’ve already made a beautiful keepsake of Veronika’s footprints with paint, and today we tried a version made with clay! I had leftover air-dry clay from a project with Travis, so it was the perfect opportunity for Veronika to play with this material.

Roll out a large piece of clay with a rolling pin until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Be sure to let your little one watch, even though they are too young to help with the process!

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Use a bowl and knife to cut out a circle large enough for both your baby’s footprints.

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Here’s the hard part: hold your baby carefully and press one foot into the clay at a time. This might be a bit uncomfortable for them, and indeed poor Veronika let out a little cry! So you’ll notice that her prints are not very deep or pronounced, but at least I was able to capture the size and shape.

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Punch two holes in the top using a straw, then lay the plaque flat to dry.

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Once dry, thread a pretty ribbon through the holes, and you’ll have a beautiful plaque to display.

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Don’t forget the name and date!

Simple Hand- and Footprints

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I tried making a handprint for Veronika when she was just home from the hospital, and quickly realized why my attempt was so difficult – newborns keep those fists curled up tight!

At two months old, you should be able to capture the size of those tiny fingers, now that your little one is keeping his or her fingers open. Veronika seemed to love the process behind this, her first little art project.

You can make the prints on almost any surface you choose. I used a small canvas from the craft store and a blank tea mug. Regular watercolor paper would work just fine, too! Make sure you are set up with all your supplies before you begin. You’ll need a safe, water-based paint, a paintbrush, and a pack of wipes ready to go for cleanup!

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I started with the feet, since that would involve less mess, tickling Veronika’s toes with the brush and then pressing gently against the canvas and the mug.

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We cleaned her foot off, then applied a coat of paint to one little hand. It was still a bit difficult to press her finger flat, and do so without her moving it side to side, so the hand prints were a bit smeared.

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But we still captured the adorable tiny size of her hands and feet at this age.

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This is sure to become a precious memento. Don’t forget to add baby’s name and date!

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Seaside Stepping Stone

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Happy Memorial Day! We’re officially kicking off summer, beaches, and all things seashore with this craft, care of High Five magazine. The resulting hand- or footprints would make a beautiful hostess gift if you’re visiting friends or relatives by the ocean this year. Happy summer!

To start, roll air-dry clay flat with a rolling pin. The instructions suggested placing a bowl upside down on top of the clay to cut it into a perfect circle, but I didn’t have a bowl the right size. We decided we liked the rather imperfect result of ours anyway.

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Have your child step into the clay hard enough to leave a foot imprint (or, alternatively, press in a hand).

Decorate around the print with pretty sea-inspired bits, like seashells, or ocean-hued jewels and beads.

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The seashells were a huge hit, and Travis loved sorting through them and selecting his favorites.

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Let the clay dry completely before placing the stepping stone on the path to the ocean or beach!

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Footprint Butterflies

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Painting doesn’t get messier – or more fun! – than this.

We needed a harbinger of spring with a sleety snowstorm outside, and I thought butterflies would be perfect. First, Travis and I selected blue and green paints, and swirled them together on a paper plate. I was hoping this would give the butterfly a patterned look like in nature, though mostly it just meant we had a lovely turquoise.

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I thought Travis might be squeamish about stepping right in the paint and planned to apply it to his feet with a paintbrush – but he surprised me!

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He let me hold the plate to his foot and mush it around (“It’s cold!”) and then was patient as I pressed his foot down on poster board, angling his toes slightly out, for one butterfly wing. Repeat on the other side.

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We made two butterflies on our poster board, but after that, things would have gotten too muddled. He was having so much fun though that I laid out additional sheets of paper for him to slip and slide and stomp on – make sure to hold your little one’s hand.

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Finally, our butterfly wings were dry; I added in bodies and antennae and Travis drew a few scribbles of his own.

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Send to a loved one as a happy spring card!