Things I Can't Say

Tips and Tales from an Introverted Mom

I Pretend to Be Crafty

I loved doing projects with my students when I was an elementary and middle school teacher.

But, I was AWFUL at coming up with ideas- but, that’s what the internet is for. Oh, and Mailbox magazine- my personal fav when I was teaching.

I’m in awe of those of you who create such fabulous things and have etsy shops.

Me? I have to steal ideas from my boys’ preschool teachers for even the simplest project. They came home with these projects last week:

Bear’s footprints
Monkey’s handprints

And I thought- HEY! We could totally do that at home for a Mother’s Day gift. Because the grandmothers are hard to buy for. There’s nothing they really need and they won’t say what they want….plus, I don’t have a money tree out back to be able to get them something super-expensive.

So, we try to come up with something that the kids can make for the grandmas.

Those of you who are actually crafty are probably laughing at this post- but remember that there are those of us who are craft-challenged. 😉

I decided to try a version of the footprint butterflies. Because I forgot about the handprint one…though now that I think about it, it’s actually easier to control little feet than it is little hands.

Anyway, I got 3 12×16 canvases at Michaels at 40% off for $5.39 each: one for each of the grandmas and one for me.

And then, because I had no idea where our paint and paintbrushes were because we just moved this weekend and there are boxes everywhere, I bought a 6 pack of tempera paint for $4.99 and then a set of brushes for $5.99(knowing we could use these for other projects- but you want a fat one to paint your kids’ feet).

Painted one of my boys’ right foot first and put it down on the LEFT side of the canvas. Repeated for each canvas. Baby wipes cleaned up the paint very easily. Then, painted the left foot and put it down on the RIGHT side of the footprint that was already there.

Again, you crafty people are probably snickering, but for clueless crafters like me, I had to double-check that I was getting this right.

Oh, and you could probably test this on paper first, but I went straight for the canvas. But, it turned out fine.

Then, I painted a body in the middle- just green circles. Used a fine tip sharpie to draw the antennae.

No pics of the process because it was just me and the boys with their feet painted- no free hands for a camera, unless I wanted painted footprints all over the driveway. They probably would have come off pretty easily, but I didn’t want to take that chance.

Here’s one of the finished products: (not really sure why it’s so dark)

So, that’s what the grandmothers are getting for Mother’s Day! If you have any ideas of what else I could do to make it look better, please share. And let me know what you are doing for Mother’s Day presents!  You know, so my uncrafty self can steal your idea next year. 😉

Thank goodness for preschool teachers and their creative ideas and patience with painting the feet of a class of 3 and 4 year olds! You still have today and tomorrow for Teacher Appreciation Week, if you haven’t done anything to thank your child’s teacher yet!

I’m linking this to:

Kids

Today and tomorrow are the last two days for Bob 93.3’s Baby Contest. No registration required to vote. Please help Mason win! One vote per computer every 24 hours. Thank you so much! Vote HERE

Comments

  1. Adorable, Shell! My son did some variation of the handprint thing and made a turkey out of his handprint for Thanksgiving. I'm sorta crafty. I just never made enough time to do these kinds of things when my kids were littler. Sigh. Trying not to take more time to enjoy them now.

  2. Awesome! Thanks for a great idea for Asher to do for the grandma's! Oh, and painting with 3-4 year olds? I taught preschool one year and Yep, that takes some patience, but oh so funny!

  4. Umm..soo…I'm totally not creative and am stealing your idea..that is so flipping cute!

  5. SUCH cute ideas… 🙂
    Is it bad that I hate doing crafts? I just can't stand the mess that it makes. Blahhh… yes yes yes, I am a bad bad bad mother!

  6. These are so fun! Also I like the post below this one too….I wear the same old same old all the time

  7. You know I'm ripping that off for all my inlawas and what not and taking all credit for it myself right??? Thanks for the idea babe! Thanks to the kid's teachers too.

    Glad that the salmon is your newest culinary masterpiece, hope you're taking full credit for it! Off to vote for Mason.

    You unpacked yet?

    Alex

  8. CUTE!!

    We always get MIL a pedicure for Mother's Day as well as getting together for lunch or brunch or dinner or whatever. Normally, my mom chooses to have a day with me. We go to lunch and then either shopping or to a movie…my treat. It's a great getaway for me too.

    I found the cutest little baskets of azaleas for Buddy's teachers. They were only $9 each and super cute. I hope they like them.

  12. That is adorable, you brave soul…painting three boys feet all by yourself…I can only imagine how that would of turned out here. LOL

    I don't have a crafty bone in my body and it sux big time. I went with giving grandmas our most recent portraits of the family and kids. Yep, that's how I got out of crafts.

  15. Oh I love it and think these are fabulous! I need to get cracking on my Mother's Mother's Day gift!
    I think it's awesome all the things we can do with children's hands and footprints!

  17. That's really cute. I don't know what Mom or Grandma wouldn't love getting those! 🙂

  19. I think you did a great job!

    If you want to add a little something extra, you could try stapling a ribbon as a means to hang it up, it brings out the colors in the butterflies, too, which is a bonus.

  20. I love when other people are as out there as I am about crafts…I always get them wrong!

    You could use their thumbs to make little polka dots all over the canvas…it might fill in some of the ominous white space!

  21. SHell, I am right there with you. I am the opposite of crafty. I suck. So I admire you for even attempting this b/c it's so much more than I'd do.

    I had a guy do silhouettes of my kiddos. I then went to Hobby Lobby and got frames to put them in. Viola. ANd tons more expensive than your project, which is so much cuter and more meaningful b/c it's handmade with love!

  23. Awww. What great keepsakes.

    I miss those days of sweet little prints.

    With teenagers, all you want are clean rooms.

    Happy Mother's Day!

  24. Those are so cute. I love butterflies. The hand prints and foot prints are perfect! LOVE this idea. I don't do crafty either.

  25. So cute Shell! Good job. 🙂 The grandmothers will LOVE it. Happy Mothers Day to you too.

  26. What a great idea! I am totally a dumb dumb when it comes to crafts. I am very uncreative, plus the mess makes me anxious! That's why I went to Bath & Body works and bought my mom and MIL some soap. Whoopie right? Oh well, maybe next year I can do something crafty.

  28. Cute! What a wonderful idea! I bet the grandmothers are going to be smiling!

  30. That is super cute and I really need to start stock-piling ideas like this for the summer!!

  31. Found you through Mommy Loves Stilettos…I picked a great day to stop by because I love this project! I know what I'll be getting my mom for Mother's Day now. If I post the finished product on my blog, I'll be sure to link over to you with a thank you and a shout out 🙂

  32. What a wonderful idea, they are sooo cute! I love your new look it is too cute and so you

  33. I haven't even read your post yet! I saw the adorable new look and had to comment on that instead! So adorable Shell! I love the look! Amber did a great job!

  34. Those are great! I might have to steal it one day and might sponge paint the background light blue to look like the sky.

    Awesome though! G-ma's will adore them!

  35. love this craft! i to wish i was crafty as those etsy people out there.

    love the new layout too!

  37. That is adorable! I'm not crafty either and I would totally steal your idea but it's staggering to think of what size canvas I would have to get for Josiah's size 16 foot! 😉 Besides it's probably not so cute once they're that old!

    You new blog design is gorgeous, dahling! Truly I love it! And if you're happy at Blogger I wouldn't change a thing! Especially since going from 700+ followers to 0 would be a little tough to take emotionally! I had enough trouble with it and I only fell from 108 … or something like that!

  38. So cute! I wish I would take the time to do this kinda stuff with Raven! I don't like cleaning up messes. 😉

    Love the new look!

  39. Those are awesome.

    If you are interested I highlight art that kids make on my blog, "Kids Make the Darndest Things." You could link up if you want. 🙂

  40. Wow, great ideas! Look at you being all crafty:)

    This probably makes me a bad person, but I just noticed your new blog design and it looks AMAZING!!!

  41. First off I love the new blog look makes me wanna buy some new flippy floppies!

    I think your project turned out great! I wish I could sew…I suck!

  42. Very cute! You could add little dashes behind the butterflies so that it looks like they are flying. It does look cute without that too. A few years back I did this on paper for the grandmas and used Brads baby foot and turned it into a tulip and Em's hand into a cute little flower…I still have it hanging up in our bedroom!

    We made linen ones for Thanksgiving one year…used their hands and made them into turkeys…wrote Happy Thanksgiving and they still are pulled out every year and used as part of the centerpiece!

  43. I am also craft-challenged. I think you did greeeaaat!!!! Hey, you had a blog makeover. I loves it and I'm grabbing your new button to update my blogroll. *muah*

  44. LOVE the new blog! I am SO going to have to steal this idea, or at least a version of this idea for the grandma's! I was STILL wondering what to get them. me=slacker

  45. Love them you crafty woman you!

    And I am drooling in love with your new blog design! I loooove it!!

    xo

  46. I used to love Mailbox magazine!!

    A few years ago I borrowed an idea from a friend to make handprint flower pillows. Very cute and easy!

    Love the new look!!!

  48. So cute!! I might steal your stolen idea…lol

    Love the new design…makes me feel some sun on my face…

  50. Very cute idea! I pretend to be crafy as well.. sometimes I get good results. I love it, either way. I could spend so much money in Michael's.