Anything to do around the holidays always seems to have a special place in my heart. Maybe it’s the tunes that are playing on the radio or the bright lights around our neighborhood or the fact that we now have a toddler that we get to share our special Christmas traditions with. But my favorite part about the upcoming holidays is the spirit of giving.
Last year I made this Christmas Tree Footprint painting using Adam’s toes when he was only seven months old and gifted the prints in a frame to our parents and close family members. They absolutely loved it! The footprint is an adorable keepsake that grandparents will cherish for many years to come.
Depending on how many Christmas Tree Footprint paintings you want to make this Do It Yourself gift should take anywhere between 1-2 hours to complete.
Here are the supplies you will need:
Cardstock paper (recommended)
Green paint
Paint brush
Scissors
Crayons or Markers
Fine Sharpie Marker (optional)
Cute picture frame
Baby wipes or paper towel (for clean up purposes)
Start by setting up your footprint painting station. Babies typically do not like the cold, wet paint on their toes so you want this step to be as quick as possible with minimal paint getting everywhere. I recommend having an extra set of helping hands if possible. My husband was able to assist me with this year’s print as painting toes on a toddler seems to be a lot more challenging this year.
Ensure the cardstock paper is in position, on a flat surface.
Dip the paint brush in green paint and apply onto the baby’s foot.
Press baby’s foot firmly onto the paper on a left diagonal direction in the center of the page. Re-apply more green paint and press baby’s foot in the right direction diagonally to create somewhat of a triangle.
Repeat this step on all the pieces of paper you have set out depending on how many prints you are making.
Let the green baby footprints dry completely before moving on to the next step. You could always use a blow dryer to let them dry quicker.
Once dry, with either a brown crayon or marker add the base of the Christmas tree trunk. I used Melissa and Doug triangle crayons for ours.
Now with a yellow crayon or marker add a star to the top of the print.
Once you have your star in position, with whatever colours you would like to use add little circles throughout the green footprints as they represent the Christmas ornaments on the tree. You could also add a garland if you would like too.
Once the decorations have been added to the tree you can also add a little note or saying for each set of prints. For this example, I first traced my letters below the tree with a pencil and then outlined them with a fine Sharpie marker.
Once the writing is completed, frame your little ones footprints and surprise a loved one with this adorable Christmas gift idea.