Here is a really simple way to gift your loved ones a personalized token of your affection and to commemorate just how tiny your little one's hands and feet are at this particular age! If you’re looking for a personalized card you can gift to your spouse, mother, grandmother, in-laws, etc. look no further. Here is my favorite mess-free gift you can make, a personalized card with your little one's hands or feet as the star of the show!
Here’s what you’ll need:
I used this 72 count of assorted colorful card stock from amazon, but you can use anything you already have at home. Construction paper, computer paper, and even tissue paper can be used! I like this set because it is a bit thicker than regular paper.
** These will only work for tiny hands and feet. My 19-month old's hands barely fit ***
Make sure whatever you buy has “inkless” in the name. These are great because your child’s hand/foot won't go directly into the ink. The ink is on the backside of the pad, which is in contact with the paper. This is truly a mess free project! Don't worry, if you do accidentally put your child's foot directly into the ink you will be able to get most of the ink off with a baby wipe, and the rest will go away with a bath.
In replacement of the ink pads, you can do the following: buy washable paint, paint it onto your toddler/childs hands, OR instead of a true print, you can trace your child's hand. This is especially great fit older kids (4+).
*** I did let me 19m.o. use these markers, and she drew right on her face. It washed off pretty well with a baby wipe, and the rest came off with a bath ***
These are great because they have both a fine-point end for small details, and one shaped like a brush. Be careful because these can bleed through thinner paper, so make sure to put something down before you use them.
I love these cards because they are fully customizable. You can create any design or image you want and can make them for multiple different occasions. For example, for Valentine’s Day you can use two feet to make a heart like I did here:
For Mother’s Day, I’m gifting these to my kid’s grandmothers and great grandmothers and chose to do a flower design.
Directions:
#1 Choose your design.
I first sketched my layout on a piece of paper to play with the design.
** Remember, this is just a rough sketch to help make sure everything fits on the page. **
#2 Add your kid’s prints!
Bonus, you can personalize them even further by adding in a "signature" from your child. If you notice the little scribble next to the print on the left, that was my 19-month old's design! I did not have my 5mo. do this because it just seemed a little silly, but you do whatever you think is best!
#3 Create your masterpiece.
MAKE SURE YOUR PRINTS ARE FULLY DRY! THEN, add in any additional artwork/drawings. Here are some optional things to add:
Name & Date: Add children's names and the year (this is only necessary if there will be multiple kids on the card) under their print.
Stems/Grass/additional Florals: Add the stems and additional flowers. I googled some hand drawn flowers and copied a few that I thought were easy to replicate. It still looked a little sparce, so I later went back in and added some small grass patches.
Note: I went with "Thank you for helping us grow" and "We love you a bunch love Lily & Daniel". I thought this went nicely with the floral theme!
#4 Add in your recipient's name.
I wanted to make sure my mom and mother-in-law got the two best ones, and so I saved the names for last! I actually did the notes, stems, and additional flowers before I added in the recipient names. You may notice that some of the above don't have the grass patches added, this is because I added them in later. That is what I love about this project you can continue to customize them as you go along. Some of the notes were written with the finer tip of the markers, when I tried it out with the paint brush tip instead, I realized how much bolder and better the message was visually and so I went back in and added more ink. The results were awesome!
These were our final products. I am so happy with how they came out, and I know everyone will cherish these for years to come! Are you going to try them? What design will you use? Let me know in the comments!
If you’re not feeling super crafty, check out my upcoming blog "Mother's Day: Free Download Personalized Card". This post includes a free downloadable template that is fully customizable. You can type in the name of the recipient (Mom, Grandma, Mema, etc.), and the name(s) of the child/children (Lily & Daniel, Michael, Baby Jo Jo, etc.). There are 4 different options to choose from, and step by step instructions!
DISCLAIMER: These are my personal opinions, and none of the products listed are sponsored.
Full Product Name/Link
NEENAH Creative Collection Classics Specialty Cardstock Starter Kit, 8.5 X 11 Inches, 72 Count Assortment (46407-02)
Outus 18 Pieces Baby Inkless Handprint and Footprint Kit 6 Safe Hand and Foot Ink Pad Clean Touch Dog Paw Print Stamp Kit and 12 Card for Newborn Registry Family Keepsake Baby Gift (Small)
Dual Markers Brush Pen, Colored Pen Fine Point Art Marker & Brush Highlighter Pen for Adult Coloring Hand Lettering Writing Planner Art Supplier(36 Colors Pen Set)
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