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Sunday, January 6

Footprint Ornament

More late Christmas projects - woot! ;) This one was an idea from a friend for making a footprint ornament for Baby B. It's nice and easy, just the way I like it.


We started out with some polymer clay (originally $1.99 but after a 40% off coupon only $1.20). I picked a plain white because I thought it would look good with my decorations. My friend said she did two feet with green clay and used some red clay to add little berries so it looked like a holly sprig. Super cute!


I used my rolling pin to roll it out. Baby B's feet are bigger than I thought, so I had to roll it kind of thin. Next time I'll buy two packs!


Then I got Baby B to step on it. He was a very willing participant, but we had a hard time making a good imprint because the clay is pretty stiff. I had to push his foot down to leave a mark.


Once we got a print, I used a paring knife to trim the edges down and make a nice shape.


I used my fingertip to round off the cut edges so it would be smoother. And I used a straw to poke a hole in the heel for hanging.


Next was baking. There actually weren't any directions on the package (weird?) so I asked my good friend Google and came up with 10 - 20 minutes at 275 degrees. I started with 10 minutes and that was perfect for my footprint, but a few smaller things I'd cut out of my left-over clay came out brown around the edges so cut the time down if you're doing smaller pieces.


After it cooled I wrote Baby B's name & the date on the back with a sharpie, strung it on a piece of raffia, and hung that baby on the tree.


I'm a little undecided about the polymer. It was hard to get more than a faint print (I know with salt dough I could get a much more defined imprint) but the print I got is SO detailed, you can see every little wrinkle in his toes (which wouldn't show up with salt dough). So maybe I'll do it again, maybe I won't. :) All I know is I'm really happy to have another reminder of how little Baby B's feet are. I know I'll love it when he's all grown up.

Let's talk! Any favorite polymer projects? Or a fun way to make memories with your kids? Or a favorite keepsake you have from a child who's all grow-ed up?

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