We used paper that was a little thicker than construction paper, but not as thick as cardstock.Ħ. ![]() If you use regular printer paper, the paint will bleed and the pages will get very wet and probably curl up quite a bit. I don’t think anything was stained in the process - so they really ARE washable. We used Crayola finger paints that Nora got for her birthday and they worked really well. I would assume that anyone attempting any painting project with kids would use washable paint - but just in case, I thought I should mention it as one of my tips! I also made sure Simon and James were somewhat confined while I painted (either in their high chair or in the swing). I would paint, press, and immediately wipe the extra paint off. Nora was fine with sitting still and holding her hands until I had a washcloth ready to wipe her up - but anyone younger than Nora might have issues sitting still (and if they can’t sit still, you’ll have a BIG mess on your hands.)įor Simon and James, I had a wet rag ready and waiting before I even started painting their feet and hands. Have water and rags ready to go before you start painting. I did James’ footprints next, and Simon’s feet + hands last as he was the most difficult to get to sit still!ģ. This cut down on wasted paint and lots of time spent washing off her hands and feet. I went through every month and did all the red, then blue, then green, etc. I looked over my list of designs from step 1, and started with one color. ![]() I worked with Nora first (when the boys were napping). Instead, I’d suggest working with ONE child at a time, and focusing on one or two colors at a time. If you’re like me, you’ll naturally just want to do one month at a time - but this is a really bad idea (especially if you have small children!) Work with one child and one or two colors at a time. I wrote down what design I wanted for each month, and then what colors I would use for that design.Ģ. Also, Life Your Way has a bunch of cute ideas. I just searched for “handprint calendar ideas” on Pinterest and instantly found hundreds of ideas. However, there were a few things that seemed to help the process go a bit smoother - maybe they’ll help you if you decide to make a handprint calendar too □ I had NO idea what I was getting myself into - and honestly, there were moments when I wanted to trash the whole projects because it was turning into a huge mess and the kids weren’t cooperating. If you’d like to attempt the whole calendar deal, here are a few of my tips □ My Tips To Simplify The Process: ![]() If your kids love to paint, this could just be a fun indoor project during cold weather months. I’ve seen a bunch of “free calendar” deals popping up here and there as well, so you might even be able to get a great deal!Īlso, you can certainly still do some fun handprint and footprint crafts even if you don’t turn them into a calendar. I know it’s already past the Christmas gift-giving time - but there is still plenty of time left to order a 2016 calendar (either for yourself or for a family member). I also think I’ll laminate the original paintings so they last for a while (they are just so stinkin’ cute!) Nora had SOOOOOOOO much fun working on this calendar, and I’m glad I ordered an extra one to keep at our house. It’s definitely not perfect… but I was really happy with how it turned out, especially considering how squirmy Simon and James were! I did include a collage of pictures on the front cover, but the monthly photos were replaced with cute handprint and footprint artwork. ![]() I figured that we all had plenty of photos of the kids… it might be fun to do handprints and footprints for a change… and I was so surprised that Nora didn’t speak a word of our special project to any of the 4 grandparents (she sees them all regularly). It was a labor of love (and a huge mess at times) but we had lots of fun and I’m so glad we did it. We made calendars for each set of grandparents - and instead of using pictures, we created 12 different handprint and footprint paintings for each of the 12 months. Throughout the month of November, the kids and I worked on an “extra special Christmas present project” that we couldn’t share until after all our Christmas gifts had been given.
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