Vampire Writer: Holiday Handprints!

Though inspired by readily available hand casting kits, I'm too cheap and ill-versed in such a medium to make a grandiose attempt at that kind of keepsake. Instead, I resorted to the simplest way to make some holiday child mementos: cardboard and paint.

The idea is quaint and sound – Christmas ornaments with my three year old great niece's hand print on them, four for each female relative. I always keep a few pieces of cardboard on hand (which became quite savvy to soak up after a water heater leak!) and cut a strip into squares. Using a glue stick it was easy to smoothly apply a holiday print fabric found in a Goodwill grab bag to the front side of the cardboard. The back I left clear for my niece's name and the date, because of course. Fortunately, there was just enough of this white and green wreath print to fit the three squares and one larger rectangle intended as an oversize, gift tag style ornament. Next came the hole punch for a rustic tie at the top, but some of these went through cleanly and others did not, leaving some corners delicate or in need of touch ups because I turned the squares to be upright, diamond style. Another shape like a heart or not exactly punching holes on the diamond point might have been better placement, but it was too late to turn back now! I knotted the twine securely before tying on several dollar store bells each. I thought about sprigs of greenery or festive florals, however that seemed a top heavy distraction when the forthcoming hand print was to be the focus. Instead, pipe cleaner curls in holiday red and green and recycled ribbon saved from other gift baskets became hot glued bows.

With the prep and decoration done, now it was time for the hand prints, with yellow as our chosen paint because it is my niece's current favorite color. (In these snapshots, you'll notice she is wearing my paint smock – a retired nightgown that I cut apart to draft its pattern before sewing it back together. Have I edited the six months worth of vlogs where I turned said pattern into a wearable nightgown mock up, satin nightgown, brown dress, and housecoat? No.) Trying to keep things from being too messy with a three year old, I poured the acrylic onto a paper plate and used a small roller on her hand, testing a few prints on some recycled packing paper scraps – which of course I saved and stuck on my corkboard as my holiday hand print! It took a few tries to make sure there was enough coverage and not a lot of globs between fingers, but then there was nothing to do but slap her little hand on the fabric and give it a moment press. I am so very tempted to try and do this with the pets, but with my temperamental cats I know better!

The oversize tag where I wrote the to and from for the jumbo present that my niece also wrapped unfortunately isn't my favorite. Purple was the only marker that showed on the fabric, and though it compliments the yellow, it looks too fuzzy to me. In hindsight, a darker fabric may not show through the cardboard so much and might have really let the subsequent yellow paint and any print pop. The cardboard for these ornaments will probably bend, and I wouldn't put them near hot holiday lights. Certainly, the found materials are cheap, but the captured moment is priceless. None of the receiving family members were worried about finite crafting, especially thanks to my exceptional wrapping and ribbon curled gifts presented by said niece. She drove in her Pumpkin Car, played with her Cardboard Castle – wondering why it didn't have a door? – and tried on some of the costumes in the Victorian Guest Room's costume closet. She said they were too big and I gave her an old Simplicity pattern catalog to mark all the costumes she wanted to make. I guess I need to get cracking now!

Granted this holiday write up is belated. I had originally intended to do this for Mother's Day 2023 just before the turbulence of the year really hit when one of the mothers who previous received my Memento Mori Sewing and deserved a hand print of her own unfortunately passed. As my own health declined, August birthdays also came and went so instead these hand prints became my only handmade gift for Christmas. It's nothing new, but fortunately, this one day, free, timeless idea can be for any occasion – birthdays, valentines, an egg print for Easter or leaves in the fall.