*This post was originally written for my old blog, and was dated September 28, 2017. It was one of my favorite posts and we have done this exact craft or one very similar each year since. Foil printed fall art for kids quickly became a favorite in our house. If you like this one, come back in December for a foil printed winter craft!*
Chris took the little boys with him to Peyton’s football practice tonight, so Josie and I had a little one on one time. I literally never get alone time with JoJo so the minute the guys were out the door, Josie and I got started on our mommy-daughter time.
We painted first, which she was pretty excited about. She isn’t a HUGE fan of painting, but she is a huge fan of making a mess and gets excited when she sees me get it all out. The goal of our artwork tonight was to create fall artwork using foil as our “brush”.
Fall Art For Kids – a Simple Fall Craft
I gave Josie a small sheet of foil and told her to crumple it up. It was a fun sensory part of our craft and she loved it. I let her crumple mine up, too.
I quickly painted the tree trunk before I let her begin painting. She’s a bit too little to paint her own trunk and I wanted her to sort of understand where to put her painted “leaves”.
Once the trunk was painted, I showed her how to create the leaves and let her go to town. She loved it and had so much fun with this one.
When we were done painting, we baked some cookies. I used my go-to cookie recipe that I’ve been using for years (click here to try it yourself!). Josie really likes dumping the ingredients in the bowl and eating the chocolate chips when mama’s not looking.
The guys were excited that we surprised them with cookies, and Josie & I had a blast bonding. It was such a good night.
I’d love to see some of your guys’ fall art creations! Share them in the comments so we can try them, too!
**I originally wrote this Fall Handprint Crafts post for my old blog, which I do not post to anymore. I decided to move it over here when I realized it was still being shared.**
Years ago, I worked as an infant/toddler teacher. I taught one-year-old toddlers, which was so much fun. Between my classroom of Wonderful One’s and my own babies at home, I did lots of simple crafts that could be used as keepsakes for years to come.
Handprint crafts are always my favorite because, let’s face it, what parent doesn’t want to see their tiny toddler’s handprint when that tiny toddler grows to become a not-so-tiny child, teen, adult, etc.? I know that my little’s won’t be little for long, and I want every memory possible of how little they once were.
Without further ado, here are a few of my favorite simple handprint crafts for fall.
Simple Fall Handprint Crafts
1. Frankenstein handprint craft
For this cute little Frankenstein, you’ll just paint 4 of the child’s fingers black (do not pain the thumb), and the rest of the hand (not the thumb) green. Then, place their hands flat on the paper. Once the paint is dry, use a sharpie or other black marker to draw the face and the lines.
2. Handprint pumpkin with fingerprint stem
For this fall handprint craft, you will paint your little one’s hand orange and place it flat on a white piece of paper. Then, paint their pointer finger green and place that flat on the same sheet of white paper. While you wait for the paint to dry, cut an orange pumpkin shape and a green stem shape out of construction paper.
Once the paint is dry, you’ll cut around the handprint and around the fingerprint. Have your little one help you glue the handprint to the pumpkin shape and the fingerprint stem to the green paper, and then glue the stem to the pumpkin.
3. Handprint leaves
I love, love, love this one!! You’ll paint the child’s hand 3 separate times, once for a yellow handprint, one for red, and once for orange. You’ll put all 3 handprints on the same page, wait for them to dry, and then draw “stems” through the handprint leaves.
This one was so much fun and the kids really loved it. You’ll paint your child’s hand black (excluding the thumb) and put it flat on the paper but sideways. Then, you’ll do the same with the other hand, overlapping the palms of the hand. Once the paint is dry, add a white smile and googly eyes. You can even add a spider web to the craft, too.
Side Notes on Fall HandPrint Crafts
*If you don’t know what kind of paint to use, here is the link to what I use!
*Always remember to write the child’s name and the date somewhere on the craft (this could be on the back).
***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***
Final Thoughts on Simple Fall Handprint Crafts
You could really turn any Halloween or fall-themed idea into a fall handprint craft of some kind. You just have to be creative and use your imagination (or Pinterest, of course).
What do you think? Which ones are your favorite? Leave a comment and let me know!
I like to make holidays memorable for my kids. One way I do it is by doing holiday-themed crafts and activities in the days leading up to the holiday. My kids love it, I get keepsakes, and it offers an opportunity to discuss what the holiday means. 4th of July activities and crafts make the holiday more fun and exciting. Plus, there are plenty of ideas to choose from.
The 4th of July is always busy for us. We have a cookout the day of the holiday and another party the weekend after. It’s hard to talk about the meaning of the holiday with so much going on. Luckily, our craft time gives us that needed time to connect.
4th of July Activities and Crafts
This year we’ve done two crafts already, including:
4th of July Ripped Paper Wreath Kids Craft
These ripped paper wreaths were fun and easy. We used white paper, cut it into a circle (or close enough), and cut a round hole in the middle. Then, the kids ripped blue and red paper to glue on. I cut out stars to put on at the end. We hung the finished wreaths on the kids’ bedroom doors.
Handprint Firework Craft
This one is my favorite one we have made so far this year. It’s so cute, and I love handprint keepsakes. I painted their hands red before helping them put their hand flat on white paper. Then, using blue and red paint (separately so it doesn’t turn purple), they used their fingers to make the “fireworks” part. Super simple.
Other 4th of July Crafts and Activities
There are three other crafts I want to do with them before the 4th of July and one scavenger hunt.
Kids Blowers Patriotic Craft Idea
These patriotic kids blowers from Natural Beach Living are so cute. The kids can use them during fireworks displays to add more festivity.
Footprint Rocket Pop
I love this Footprint Rocket Pop craft from Tippytoe Crafts. It’s another keepsake for Mama and a craft the kids will love. It could be a general summertime craft, but with the red, white, and blue, it gives me patriotic vibes.
Painted Rocks
We want to paint some rocks like these Painted Rocks for the 4th of July created by Thrifty Nifty Things. I don’t know if this is popular everywhere, but where I’m from, people paint rocks and hide them for others to find. When you find a rock, you’re supposed to post a picture on the dedicated Facebook site and say where you found it. Then, you re-hide it in a new location. I want to paint them this weekend and hide them in the couple of days before the 4th of July. My kids LOVE hiding and finding rocks around town, so it’s perfect for them.
4th of July Scavenger Hunt
I fell in love with this 4th of July Scavenger Hunt Printable from Women With Intention on Pinterest. I’m bummed that the link didn’t work, and the website no longer exists, so I can’t download it directly from who created it. Later tonight I’ll make a scavenger hunt printable to use at home on the 4th of July and maybe a second one for the larger party the weekend after.
Recap: 4th of July Activities and Crafts
How do you teach your kids about holidays? Are you doing any fun crafts or activities with them for the 4th of July? Tell me about it in the comments!
My nephew graduated from high school last month and his mom asked me to make the card box for his graduation party.
It sounds so hard and like quite a process, but it really wasn’t!! It was actually really easy.
I bought all the material at JoAnn’s.
Materials:
(3) Paper Mache Boxes of different sizes that can be stacked together.
(1) 9″x9″x4-1/2″ Paper Mache Box
(1) 8″x8″x4″ Paper Mache Box
1 1/2″ ribbon, enough to go around all 3 boxes. The one I bought was 21 ft.
3/8 in. black ribbon
3/8 in. ribbon (same color as the 1 1/2″ ribbon)
Paint and brushes
Pocket Knife
Hot glue gun and glue
White sticker letters (or any color you choose)
A small graduation decoration
These are the boxes I used.
Directions
Paint all the boxes. I chose to paint the 3 larger boxes black, the bigger or the two smaller boxes red, and the smallest box black. You can do whatever is best for your theme or colors.
Stack the boxes and use a pencil to mark where the next box will sit. On the next step, you’re going to need to know how much space to leave for gluing.
Using a pocket knife, cut holes in the top/bottom of the bigger boxes. This is so that the cards can fall all the way through to the bottom. The bottom box should only have a hole in the top (and not the entire thing! You still need part of the box there for stacking and gluing). The middle box has to have the bottom AND the top of the box cut out (leave enough space for glue and stacking). The top box should only have the bottom cut out. I used a pocket knife because the boxes were too thick for a box cutter to cut through.
Notice I didn’t paint the bottom of the boxes. No one will see that part.
Hot glue the boxes together, stacking them like a pyramid.
Wrap the thicker ribbon around the 3 big boxes and hot glue it on the back of the box. I chose to put mine a little closer to the bottom instead of the center of each box but you can do it however you want. I hot glued on the back because when I noticed that you could see the hot glue through the ribbon.
Wrap the thin ribbon around the smaller boxes, gift wrap style. I used black ribbon on the red box and red ribbon on the black box. I hot glued it to the bottom of the box.
If you choose to use one, glue or tape a tassel to the top of the box. If you don’t have one you can make your own from the leftover thin ribbon. Make sure the smaller boxes will cover where it has been glued or taped.
Hot glue the 2 smaller boxes to the back lefthand corner of the top. I did mine a little crooked to change up the shape a bit. This is totally up to you, though. Do it however you like it best!
Add graduation decoration next to the 2 small boxes. I couldn’t get the decoration to stand up on its own so I put a small dab of hot glue and put the decoration toward the front of the dab so the glue wouldn’t show.
Cut a slit in the top of the box. Make sure it’s big enough to fit cards into. I used a birthday card of my son’s to make sure it was the right size, then I made it a little bigger just in case. I used the pocket knife for this, too. Be careful!!
Add the letters. My nephew’s mom wanted his first and last name on the box, so I did his first name on the top box and his last name on the bottom box. On the very top of the card box, I put the abbreviation of the school he graduated from.
Add any other embellishments. The middle box definitely needed some embellishment so I used a sticker that our local school district passes out and stuck it to cardstock to make it thicker and more durable. I cut around the sticker so the cardstock wouldn’t show then I hot glued it onto the box.
Touch up any paint. Throughout the process, I dinged the boxes up a little. When I was completely finished, I went back and used a small brush to touch it up.
**I put a black box over my nephew’s last name – that obviously isn’t there in real life.
If you are anything like me, you prefer your kids to create artwork from things you already have at home. This means coming up with creative, easy activities that use up materials you have no other purpose for.
This time, I had leftover streamers that I would never use. I always save the un-opened streamers just in case I need them for the next birthday party, but I usually throw away the rolls that have already been opened.
I decided not to waste them this time and used them for crafts instead.
I grabbed the streamers, some old newspapers, scissors, glue, and paper and let the toddlers go to town making a collage.
Liam is still too little to use glue and scissors so I just gave him some streamers to play with while we did the craft and he was able to get in some no-mess sensory play, too. It was a win-win.
This activity was actually really fun even though it was super simple! The toddlers explored the newspaper while we did it, and asked questions about some of the pictures. I always love a good learning experience.
What are some easy crafts you like to do with your littles? Tell me about them in the comments! 🙂
Yesterday was my husband’s birthday. It was not exciting at all… he got his gift early (last) week, which was a circular saw and the rest of his gifts won’t be here until tomorrow because I’m a crappy wife and ordered them late. He went to work, after work he rushed home to grab Sylas and Josie and then rushed to Nevaeh’s choir concert, while Liam and I went to my nephew’s high school graduation.
After the choir concert, Chris rushed back to our side of town to pick Peyton up from the school when he got back from his Macinack field trip. By the time we all got home, it was 9 pm and we hadn’t done anything fun all day. Sylas asked about 10 times when we were going to the park for daddy’s birthday because we always have Sylas’ parties at the park. LOL.
I knew ahead of time that Chris’ birthday wouldn’t be very “special”, so the littles and I took some time to make him a couple of homemade gifts.
***This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.***
I helped the kids make him some handprint crafts. Josie made a birthday cupcake using her hand, and then the flames on her “candles” are made from her fingerprints.
Sylas and Liam made little monsters. Sylas used his hand (minus the middle finger) to make his monster, and then I added the eye and mouth myself. Liam made a monster using his foot, and then I added the smile and eyes. I helped Liam make polka dots on his monster, too.
Sylas and Josie also did some free art time and they both chose to make pictures for daddy. They’re so sweet and I’m trying to help them understand that they should try and make daddy feel special on his birthday like he does for them on theirs.
Josie’s artwork for daddy, it’s two different spaceships.
One of Sylas’
Sylas’ other one… this one is a tall tower, a dragon, and rain.
So then MY DIY project for Chris was a date night jar. We struggle with finding things to do when we are stuck at home and I always want to bond more than we do during a normal week.
We ALWAYS talk about having more date nights but with the kids, it’s really hard to find the time.
I decided to create a “Date Night” jar, full of things we can either do at home or (with a little planning ahead) find a babysitter for a couple of hours while we do something quick but fun.
I used a mason jar (I buy mine on Amazon) to hold the date night ideas. Then, I made a tag for a label, used a hole punch to make a hole in the tag, and slipped it onto twine before tying the twine around the neck of the bottle.
When we are wondering what we should do to have some fun, we just draw a date from the jar and go with the first one we pulled out. The ones that require a babysitter or a little planning ahead, I marked with a different color so that we know to avoid those ones when we know we are stuck at home.
No more sitting around wasting time on our phones or cleaning when we want to bond and spend time together… now we have plenty of ideas. 🙂
Are there any free/cheap date nights you would add to this list? Let me know in the comments. 🙂
My toddlers are obsessed with the big bad wolf right now, Josie especially. Her favorite is The 3 Little Pigs but she’s also really enjoying Little Red Riding Hood.
We read the books pretty often and I also found a couple YouTube videos of each story that the kids really like.
They agree on the same Little Red Riding Hood video, so that’s good. I don’t have to sit through two different versions of the same cartoon.
Anyway, Josie asked to make a wolf with paint and of course, I said yes. I never pass up on an opportunity for crafts. I sometimes regret that afterward when there’s a mess to clean up but it’s worth it.
She used brown paint on a paper plate for the wolf’s head and then I helped her cut out construction paper in the shape of a snout, teeth, eyes, ears, and nose.
She glued all the shapes together and put them on the paper plate.
It turned out sooooo cute!! I love it and so does she.
She’s been walking about the house with it in front of her face and growling. She thinks it’s hilarious.
Share your most recent crafts with me in the comments! I’d love to take a look. 🙂
My 10-year-old came rushing through the door after school a couple weeks ago excited to tell me about his newest school project. The kids in his class each had to choose an animal and create a 3-D figure of it. He already knew what animal he wanted to create and, after a little research on different materials he could use, he decided on a paper mache diamondback rattlesnake.
Peyton is amazed by snakes, especially diamondback rattlesnakes. He loves to watch YouTube vlogs about them and can list so many random snake facts, so I am not at all surprised he chose to create one.
When he decided to create the paper mache diamondback rattlesnake, I was beyond excited myself because I love paper mache and literally hadn’t done it since I was in middle school art class (using the balloon method, where I created a pig with fins and painted it sparkly purple and pink).
Honestly, I wasn’t very experienced in paper mache other than the few times I had done it before, and a paper mache diamondback rattlesnake was much bigger and more detailed than anything I had ever made.
Materials Needed to Make a Paper Mache Diamondback Rattlesnake
A stack of books, a tall cup, or something of similar height
This post contains affiliate links. It costs you nothing extra, but I may receive a small commission.
Getting Started on the Paper Mache Diamondback Rattlesnake
We needed a base to start with, of course, so we used paper towel rolls and toilet paper rolls to make the shape of a diamondback rattlesnake. I showed Peyton how to cut the tubes width-wise (but not all the way through) so that we could curve the tubes into the shape he wanted, being careful not to cut all the way through.
When we got a few cardboard tubes of each size cut, he began creating the shape he wanted for his diamondback rattlesnake. He used tape (generously) to hold the tubes together and to keep the curves he wanted, and then we stuffed the tubes with paper towels as we went along so that they wouldn’t collapse when we started adding the paper mache.
Peyton wanted the head to be higher than the body, so we used a paper towel roll to create the area that ascended up to the head. This was the hardest part because we couldn’t figure out how to get it to stay up without propping it on books. We tried pipe cleaners, paper clips, and extra tape, but nothing worked and the head kept sagging. All of those items did help a little, but it still wasn’t staying where we wanted it. I’ll explain how we dealt with this a little later.
Making the Diamondback Rattlesnake Head, Tail, and Rattle
After getting the shape down the way he wanted, we started brainstorming how to make a diamondback rattlesnake head, tail, and rattle.
We decided to keep using the cardboard tubes, but this time we cut a slit lengthwise, only about 2 or 3 inches down, and only on one side so that we could overlap the cardboard tube, making the opening at one end more narrow. This is how we planned on making the tail and the rattle.
To make the head, he drew the head shape on cardboard and cut it out. Then, we folded up 3 paper towels and then cut those to the same shape as the head and taped them to the bottom of the cardboard head shape. This made the head nice and thick without cutting a bunch of cardboard.
Keep in mind: the paper towel doesn’t have to be cut perfectly, the paper mache will smooth out any uneven edges.
Once all of this was in place, we started on the paper mache.
Paper Mache Recipe – Paper Mache Diamondback Rattlesnake
There are a few different ways to make paper mache, but I used the flour, water, and cooking method. The measurements were 1/4 cup flour and 1 1/4 cup water. I also added a tablespoon of salt to keep bugs and mold away.
If you don’t want to make it, you can always buy it on Amazon. I’ve used this kind in the past (my first time making it from scratch was for this paper mache Diamondback Rattlesnake), and I absolutely loved it.
I brought the mixture to a slow boil on the stove and then set the timer for 3 minutes. It was a little chunky and I worried about that, but it went on super smooth and dried completely.
While the paper mache mixture was cooling, Peyton ripped pieces of newspaper into long strips. These strips were to dip in the mixture and stick to the snake base.
How to Apply the Paper Mache
When the paper mache is ready and cool, dip pieces of newspaper in it until they are completely covered. Remove any access paper mache, and apply in a single layer on your project.
The first layer of paper mache took the longest time to dry, about 8 hours or so. We only did one layer and then let it dry completely. Layers 2 and 3 we did at the same time, and those took about 6 hours to dry. We did 4 layers total, give or take a little in areas that didn’t need as much or areas that needed just a little more.
How to Form and Hold the Paper Mache Shape
We used a cup to prop the head on while it was drying since we couldn’t get it to stay in place with anything else. I was hoping for the best here, and it actually worked. After the first layer dried, the head stayed up on its own! However, when it wasn’t supported we could see the cardboard tube bending in the wrong directions underneath the paper mache and newspaper, so I left the cup in place to avoid tearing and breaking. After the 3rd layer dried, the head stayed up on its own with no problem at all!!
I also used a cup to hold the rattle in an upward position while it dried. It kept wanting to lay down, but the cup did the trick there, too. It’s all about getting the paper mache animal to dry in the exact position you want it to permanently be in.
The crease (pictured) is where the snake was bending without support under its head. After a couple more layers and drying completely, the head had no trouble staying up.
I was worried about it not being strong enough, so I had Peyton add a 4th layer using white paper. This final layer only took about 4 hours to dry. The plain white paper was helpful when it was time to start painting because there wasn’t any print to cover up.
Making Eyes For a Paper Mache Diamondback Rattlesnake
After Peyton finished the 4th layer, we made the eyes. Peyton had the idea to use a teal-ish colored playdoh mixed with a bit of black paint. Once it was completely mixed, he rolled the playdoh into eye shapes. We used the chunky part of the paper mache (the chunks were handy, after all!) to hold the eyes on. Then we ripped small squares of newspaper to cover part of the eyes and make them blend into the head.
Painting a Paper Mache Diamondback Rattlesnake
When the paper mache was completely dry, Peyton began the painting. I didn’t help him with this part except to get the underneath areas that would be visible.
He mixed colors to create the base color and painted the whole snake that brownish/tanish color. He used that same color, added more white, and did the lower part of the snake with the lighter color. This is because a Diamondback rattlesnake gets lighter in color near the bottom.
Next, he used black and white to make diamonds on the back and to put slits in the eyes.
Final Thoughts on Paper Mache Diamondback Rattlesnake
He did such a good job!! I’m so proud of him for working so hard on this project. At school, he has to display it for the class and give a two-minute speech. The speech is about the diamondback rattlesnake habitat, what they eat, where and when they sleep, and a fun fact.
This could be a fun project at home for your big kids! Peyton plans on displaying his in his bedroom when he brings it back home. It’ll keep them learning and being creative, and will definitely fight boredom!
Which paper mache animal do you think your child would choose to make? Let me know in the comments!
Every year I ask my mom, “what do you want for Mother’s Day?” and every year she says, “oh nothing. Maybe just a hanging basket of flowers.” And every single year I get frustrated because that is what she gets from EVERYONE! Does she really need 7 hanging baskets with flowers? No, absolutely not. But… she loves them and she is stubborn so I follow suit and get her yet another hanging basket.
I am also stubborn, though, and I refuse for that to be the only thing we show up with on Mother’s Day. This year, I kept it simple. My babies love to create artwork and give it as gifts so that’s what we did!! The babies are happy that they got to paint, I’m happy that we will be taking something more than just a hanging basket, and my mom will be happy that she got homemade crafts from her grandbabies.
To get started, I just gave the babies some blank paper and paint and let them go to town creating whatever they wanted. Once their paint dried, I turned those random paintings into something more.
These are the crafts we made for my mom this year. Sylas painted the vase with the flowers. To make this, he did free paint for the vase and when it was dry, I sketched a vase shape onto the back of it, making sure to get the coolest pattern and the least amount of blank spots from his painting and cut it out.
Next, I cut a sponge into the shape of a flower and JoJo and Sylas took turns dipping the sponge into the paint before placing the sponge on the paper. When they were finished, I added the green stems and the yellow in the center of the flowers and glued the vase on. I LOVE the way it turned out.
The Mother’s Day Handprint Flowers were even easier. I simply used paint for the babies handprints (Liam was not participating very well so his doesn’t look much like a handprint) and yellow hearts for the center of the flower, and Sylas helped me add the green stems and leaves.
The Mother’s Day Heart Card was Josie’s free paint craft. Once hers was done, I cut it into a heart and glued it to a piece of construction paper. On the inside, all of the babies “signed” their name.
Who says you have to go all out to make a mama (or a grandma) happy on Mother’s Day?!
I’m a sucker for handprint artwork. I love looking back on the tiny little handprints made into some cute design. My kids have been interested in frogs lately, so we made handprint frogs!
They painted their own hand green. I let them do this part themselves because let’s face it, kids love to paint themselves so why not let them when there is a fair chance?
I helped them press their hand onto the paper so that we could get the whole hand print the first time. Sylas insisted that he do that part himself, too, so I mostly let him. I just pushed the tips of his fingers down to make sure we got the whole thing.
Once we got the handprints, I let the kids free paint while I added the little details that they are still too little to do themselves.
I added green circles with paint for where the eyes are, a green oval for where the mouth area is, and a smiley face. Then I cut out circles with white paper for the eyes. The circles for each frog were different sizes since the frogs were all different sizes. I wanted to make sure the eyes weren’t way too big or way too small for them. Then I used a sharpie to make the black part of the eye. You could also use googly eyes but I don’t have any on hand (surprising, but it happens) so I used paper.
Once the paint dried, Sylas and Josie (with my help) cut the tongue, curled it, glued it on with a glue stick, and added the eyes. We curled them by wrapping them around a pencil. I curled the tongue for Liam’s frog.
Aren’t they the cutest? I made the oval on Liam’s a little too wide so I might have to re-do his later, but I still love it!
Have your littles made any cute crafts lately? Tell me about them in the comments and leave a link if you’ve blogged about it! I’d love to see them.
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Josie’s artwork for daddy, it’s two different spaceships.
One of Sylas’
Sylas’ other one… this one is a tall tower, a dragon, and rain.
