This craft combines the changeful nature of children’s size and appearance and the tradition of the annual Christmas ornament. Children’s hand print size serves as a marker for their growth over the years. Handprint plaques are beautiful but expensive and impractical for hanging as tree ornaments. Unique pictures of children become treasured ornaments when combined in creative ways and brought out again and again each year.
Supplies:
- A recent photo
- Craft glue and scissors
- Craft foam sheets in Christmas colors
- Glitter or add-on decorations
Christmas Handprint Ornament Using Craft Foam
This project begins with tracing an outline around the hand of each child. Children can usually then be distracted during the next step involving scissors with a challenge to create their own hand patterns. Once this paper handprint has been trimmed it will serve as a pattern for cutting out the thicker craft foam. It is helpful to draw the hand outline directly onto the foam because the foam tends to bend away from the pattern when cutting. Once the hand is cut out of foam a hole can be cut or punched where the wrist would be and a hanging string or hook attached.
Easy Decoration for Kids Christmas Ornament
Once an appropriate picture has been chosen and trimmed to fit into the palm area of the foam hand cutout, the picture can be affixed with craft glue in the center area. Then the fun really begins. A thin layer of glue can be painted across the entire surface of the hand and glitter sprinkled randomly. Or, a thin line of glue drawn around the photo as a frame can be carefully sprinkled with glitter. Other foam or scrapbooking add-ons such as snowmen, trees, or Santas can be glued around the photo.
Linked Handprints Create Fun Keepsake Ornament
For another fun twist, a bouquet of hands can be made by making photo hands for each family member and bundling them together to hang as a group. Such a cluster of ornaments might make a lovely gift for family or friends.
Baby’s First Christmas Ornament Using Hand and Foot Prints
If a family has recently grown to include a baby with a cute baby hands and feet a fun ornament can be made out of a strand of two hand outlines and two feet outlines. Once the outlines are cut out of the craft foam and tiny photos attached, the pieces can be linked with attractive string. A few decorative beads strung between each piece and ornament hooks attached at either end will finish this attractive and festive remembrance for baby’s first Christmas.
Christine Silva - Christine is a Stay-at-Home-Mother of three children under the age of 6 working feverishly to maintain the appearance of order, calm, and ...
