Handmade gifts have always meant the world to me, but since becoming a mother, I now cherish them so much more. There’s something about creating gifts with your child’s tiny hand or footprint that seriously make my heart melt. With Father’s Day approaching, I started brainstorming gift ideas that Nori could make for her dad that were simple, yet unique. I spent some time searching through Pinterest and landed on this DIY by Grey House Harbor. After reading through the steps, I knew I had to recreate it for Nori’s dad.
Below are step-by-step directions on how to create this beautiful gift for the amazing father’s, grandfathers, uncles, and father figures in your life. Please note, this tutorial is not just limited to Father’s Day. Feel free to refer back to it during Christmas or even Mother’s Day next year.
Happy Crafting!
- Shrinky Dinks Crystal Clear Plastic
- Acrylic Paint (It’s important that the finish is GLOSS. Matte will not stick to the Shrinky Dinks material)
- 10 mm Jump Rings
- 24 mm Split Rings
- Sponge Paint Brushes
- Parchment Paper
- Hole Puncher
- Gloss Mod Podge
- Craft Pliers (Optional)
- Rubbing Alcohol (Optional – this is only needed if you make a mistake and need to start over)
- Oven
- Permanent Marker
1. Pre-heat oven to 325°F.
2. Paint your child’s entire hand or foot so that it’s well covered, but not over saturated with paint.
3. Slowly place their hand or foot onto the Shrinky Dinks plastic. Apply pressure to their fingers and palm to assist with the imprint. Once you’ve achieved a print, slowly lift their hand from the plastic. This step was the most challenging for me and may take a few attempts. If you’re not satisfied with the imprint, using a paper towel and rubbing alcohol, wipe away the paint and try again. It took me about six attempts before I got a decent set of hand and footprints. I was so focused on accuracy that I unfortunately forgot to snap a photo of this step. Set the plastic aside and allow paint to fully dry.
4. Once the paint has dried, cut each handprint out. When cutting between the fingers, be sure to not make them too thin. If too much space is cut between the fingers, the final result will no longer appear like hands.
5. Flip the handprints over and sign the back. I opted to write Nori’s name + age, but you also include the year. If your child is older, feel free to let them sign their name themselves!
6. Punch a hole at the top of the ring finger. Be sure to complete this step before you bake the plastic. Once the baking process is complete, you will not be able to add a punched hole.
7. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking pan. Lay the handprints paint side up, sharpie side down. Place the baking pan in the oven.
8. As the shrinking process occurs, you will notice the hands shrivel up – this is completely normal. Once the process is complete, the hands will return back to their normal shape, only now much smaller.
9. The normal baking time averages around 3 minutes. Some of the handprints took slightly longer than others. An easy way to tell if your handprints are done is when they completely stop moving and have returned to a flat state. Occasionally, the shrinking process may be complete, but the handprint is not flat. A tip that was provided in the original tutorial is to remove the handprint from the oven and immediately press it with a spatula to help flatten it. In the image below, the baking was complete, but the handprint was not flat. The spatula tip solved this problem!
10. Remove the handprints from the oven and allow them to completely cool. You will notice that the plastic is now 9 times thicker and the handprints have shrunken to 1/3 their original size. Add a thin layer of mod podge to the painted areas to help prevent chipping. Set aside to dry.
11. Using a set of pliers, attach a jump ring inside the punched hole and then add the split ring (keyring). Alternatively, you can use your hands to pry open the jump ring. I didn’t have pliers on hand and the jump rings were fairly easy to open without one.
That’s it! Have fun gifting these adorable handprints to your loved ones. Be sure to make an extra one for yourself to always have and cherish.
As always – if you decide to try this DIY out, be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
Xo,
Brooke
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