I think capturing our children's handprints and footprints at various ages and stages make the best gifts, especially for mothers and grandmothers! These crafts are affordable, fairly simple, and are sure to become a treasured keepsake!
What You Need:
- Wooden Step Stool
- Primer
- Any color paint (for the stool)
- Kid-safe paint in a contrasting color (for the footprints)
- Shellac
What You Do:
1.) Prime the stool. Especially if you bought the stool new, primer is a must! Our stool soaked up two coats. The kids even got in on this action. They loved it! However, this paint does not come off easily and they still have some remnants on them after a bath, so beware!
2.) Paint the stool. We left the kids out of this step because we didn’t want them to end up looking like Smurfs and wanted them to have a nice smooth surface to put their prints on.
3.) Paint their feet. We chose an acrylic paint because it's easier to wash off. We painted their feet with a paintbrush rather than having them dip their feet into a tray — easier and less mess! We did a test print on paper first and discovered we put too much paint on so we scraped some off and it was perfect! In this case, less is more.
4.) Add details or writing. Match the feet to the child, include the date, or add decorative flair.
5.) Shellac the stool. We bought a spray shellac to help protect the footprints for years to come. It didn't make the stool too slippery and gave it a beautiful finish!
