Handprints

Here's the fall handprint wreath we just finished. It's hanging near our kitchen table, in an empty spot that's been just crying for a nice piece of family artwork:

It wasn't hard, but it was surprisingly time-consuming! I started with an 18 x 18 canvas, and painted it beige. Then I let each child pick which color they wanted their handprints to be. By some miracle, there was no fighting over colors. Thank you, Jesus.

But the handprints ended up being translucent. So I had to re-paint over them to make the colors opaque. And, naturally, Sweet Pea decided that she wanted nothing to do with the entire project. So what's a loving, compassionate mommy to do? Force her to make her handprints, of course -- unclenching her little fists and mashing her hands into the paint while she screams and rages. Mommy of the Year, right here.

Anyway, there are eight handprints from each child. We did two round of prints (with me re-painting after each one) and once it was all dry, I made a fluffy brown bow and hot-glued it on.

The Type-A part of me is really frustrated that the general shape of the wreath is not a perfect circle. But I love that we've captured their tiny hands in this moment. I've written the year and the colors on the back of the canvas so I can reflect on our precious family every fall when I hang it up. 

Can you tell whose prints are whose?