I actually created these books for Valentine's Day, but these would be perfect for any mommas or grandmothers in your life who adore the hand and foot prints of your little one(s)!
The black books themselves were something I snagged from the $1 Spot in Target. It was an impulse purchase I'm so glad I made! I got an 8 pack of these for $3! So many books to make! I then used craft materials I had on hand - paint, paper heart doilies, chalkboard markers, tissue paper, etc.
Anyways, here are a few things I learned along the way. These will make your life easier - trust me!
1. Plan out the number of hand/foot prints you will need. This will make it go quickly which is always beneficial with short attention spans! I distracted my kiddos with their own painting materials and made the prints while they sat in their chairs making pictures!
2. Have wipes or a wet washcloth handy in case your kids decide to try to jump out of their chairs and leave paint on the floor! Ask me how I know...
3. Use washable paint and strip down to as little clothing as you can tolerate - my kids paint in their undies. When the kids were super small I would take them to our walk-in shower and let them paint there so I could immediately rinse off ALL the paint. Now we settle for painting outside on a disposable tablecloth or at the table with newspaper on top.
Ready to begin? Perfect!
The cover was created by Elise. We did this separately, and then I added it onto the front. I made a heart shape for her which she then filled in using stick glue and balled up tissue paper pieces. Super easy and so cute!
For the inside of the book, I used a blog for inspiration, but I can't seem to find the link! I searched Pinterest though, and there are TONS of handprint and footprint crafts!! I basically combined these individual ideas to make one big book of LOVE. We added pictures I printed at Walgreens, paintings the kids made while I was doing their prints, and love notes throughout the book for the recipient.
I started with the monkeys - painting each little foot brown and stamping it in the book. In retrospect, construction paper to be cut out later would have made life much easier. Not having to wait for pages to dry between prints makes for happier kids as I discovered! I made three books so each kid made 3 footprints per picture so that each book included 1 from each child. Next came the race cars created with little blue feet.
Followed by red feet for "love bugs" and then multicolored hands for our flowers. I let Elise & Ben help with this one, and the swirls of pinks and purples turned out really cute!
I laid the paper out around our kitchen to dry while I cleaned up the kids, table, and their artwork. Cue a long break for my kids, and I continued the rest while everyone napped.
Once all the paint was dry, I cut around the outline of the prints and glued them in the books. I then decorated each foot/hand to go along with that page's theme complete with a corny love catch phrase. Pictures interspersed in between the prints and some hand written heartfelt notes make for a tear jerking present any mom (or dad!) is sure to love!
It takes some time to complete, and I honestly did it in three different stages, but the result and reactions were SO worth it. Hope this project sparks some creativity! If you recreate or even use my idea as a jumping off point please let me know! I would love to see pictures or hear how it went.
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