By now, y’all should know that I love a good kids’ handprint/footprint craft! I just love capturing their smallness in a cute way that I can display (and nostalgically look back on as they grow in the coming years). And this Christmas handprint and footprint craft does not disappoint!
Inspiration & Supplies
My sweet friend who knows about this love affair inspired me with this photo. I’m not sure of it’s source, since it’s on several pages on Pinterest. But how cute is that? Let’s do it!
Supplies:
- 16″ x 20″ white canvas for two children (size up or down depending on # of children)
- Green, brown, red, and flesh-colored craft paint
- Foam brush to paint children’s hands and feet
- Detailed paint brush for painting Santa
- Fine and medium tipped black Sharpie markers
- Coordinating ribbon
- Staple gun
Steps to Create Christmas Handprint & Footprint Art
Using craft paint colors I already had, I made a green footprint. Make sure to use your child’s RIGHT FOOT, so Santa can sit down in the arch of his/her foot and so the bottom of the sleigh is flat. You also want to use his/her RIGHT HAND for the handprints, so the thumbs are the reindeer heads.
I am not an artist by any means, and I can barely draw a person. But this Santa is really easy to make, so please don’t be intimidated.
Here’s a close up of the Santa. I drew his beard and hat trim first with a fine point black Sharpie marker. Then using a small paintbrush and red paint, I painted his shirt and hat. I drew on the fuzzy ball at the end of his hat and the white trim on his sleeves, and I used a flesh-colored paint to paint his face and hands. Black sharpie eyes were the finishing touch.
For the reindeer, I used a medium-tipped Sharpie so the details would show up well.
For the other details like the bottom of the sled and the reins, I first drew them in pencil, then went over them with a medium-tipped Sharpie. I used a ruler to make the bottom of the sled nice and straight, and I also added each child’s name and year underneath their sleigh.
How to “Frame” the Christmas Handprint Art
To make the canvas look finished, I added a ribbon border around the edges.
Just staple the edges of the ribbon on the backside of the canvas, pulling the ribbon tightly so it won’t sag.
I helped my friend with the canvas for her son as well, and since I had less room around the edges, I used a narrower green grosgrain ribbon for the border.
What a fun Christmas craft and decoration for years to come!
P.S. Check out this precious annual Christmas video tradition.
