DIY Painted Hand-print Ornament for Mother’s Day

Okay, I’m going to start off by saying that I had the best intentions to show you three perfect do-it-yourself hand-print ornaments for Mother’s Day. But that did NOT happen! As we all know, life isn’t perfect and instead of three ornaments, I have one messy, adorable hand-print ornament that makes me smile. What happened? Well, you’ll have to read on to find out!

I’m a new mom. I have a very happy, beautiful, adorable (someone stop me or I’ll keep going) amazing 4-month-old baby girl named Ellie (her picture above).These past 4 months have been the most challenging, yet rewarding, of my life. Being a first-time mom has been such a learning experience, and since having her, I view life very differently, a good differently. I’m sure many of you moms out there can attest to that. Last year I was pregnant with my little Ellie and now I get to hold her in my arms this Mother’s Day. For me, that is the best gift I could ask for.

But … it’s always nice for mom (or grandma) to have a little something that says “I Love You,” and there’s no better Gift With Personal-ity® than an ornament with your child’s unique hand print on it! Our kids are only little for so long; having a keepsake with their hand print on it is a way to remember and cherish a special time in their lives.

When I told our fellow blog writer Aileen that I was going to put my daughter’s hand print on an ornament, she remembered that her step-son (who was 4 at the time) had done a hand-print ornament back in 2007.  The next day, she showed me the ornament he did, which was so tiny! Aileen’s step-son is now 14 and his hand is way bigger than hers. (Check out the photo below of her hand over his hand print.) She took a picture of him holding the ornament to show just how much he has grown in 10 years! It’s truly incredible.

It’s great that Aileen has a little keepsake of her step-son. Something she will always have to remember how tiny he once was and when his hand used to fit in hers. That’s exactly what I was looking for with my little one.

I was also telling a member of the Bronner family, Maria, about my hand-print idea, and she mentioned that when she was younger (around 4 years old), she did her hand print on a piece of paper for her parents (see below).

Her mom returned the hand print back to Maria when she got older. Just shows you how this kind of keepsake can come full circle! Her hand print included the caption “Here is something to remind you, when I’ve grown up very tall, that once I was quite little and my hand was very small.”

Bronner’s has such a wide selection of ornaments that can be used for a project like this. We sell shatterproof ornaments which are great if you’re looking for something that will never break on you. I decided on our glass ornament sets, I just had to find the color I liked. Our amethyst spangle glass ornaments just popped right out at me. I also grabbed some clear ornaments, those are always perfect for painted projects.

I did say I would explain what went wrong since I originally had three different ornament ideas and ended up with just one. I’m going to blame Pinterest for giving me high expectations of a craft that looked super easy but for me was not! My first idea came from a picture I saw of a glittered hand print on a clear ornament. It was exquisite but was it achievable? Not for this girl! #PinterestFail anyone? That was me … all the way!

Ellie was fast asleep while I painted her hand with non-toxic, clear glue. Even with the help of my husband, her hand slipped all over the ornament. She also had her hand clenched in a fist and just wouldn’t budge! I had to peel each finger up and paint glue on them individually but if I wasn’t quick enough the glue would start to dry up and peel. I tried this idea on 3 ornaments but then decided it wasn’t working! My wonderful results below.

But, I’m not a quitter! I tried again with the clear ornaments, this time with a red non-toxic acrylic paint. This was my second idea. To make a heart out of her hands. Almost got it … not so much.

I moved onto our shatterproof ornaments (ran out of clear ornaments to use!). Her hand slid too much as I was lifting it off the ornament, causing the hand print to have very long fingers, almost alien-like … my inner self was yelling “Noooooooo!”

I bet at this point you’re thinking, “Erin, just stop. You have tried your best,” but I was determined to get at least one ornament with her hand print on it! I moved onto my third and last idea. Just a simple white hand print on an ornament. After three attempts, I finally got one, little, messy but beautiful hand print.

A sense of relief came over me! Finally … I got one! My husband looked at all the ornaments we did, then looked at me, and we both started laughing. It was in that moment I realized that my blog post wasn’t going to just be about a do-it-yourself project, but about this wonderful and hilarious memory. Isn’t that what Mother’s Day should be about? Creating an unforgettable memory. I’ll tell you what, I definitely got one with this project. On top of that, I have a keepsake of my daughter that will last forever.

DIY Painted Hand-print Ornament

What you need:

• Glass Ornaments (You will want more than one!)
• Acrylic non-toxic paint (any color)
• Paint brush
• Paint marker (fine)

I recommend an extra set of hands to help you with this project and if you have a small child to have them asleep during the process.

1. Paint your child’s hand with white acrylic paint.
2. Have one person hold the ornament while you place your child’s hand on the glass. Place their palm first, then fingers.
3. Press down on each finger to make sure you get the paint on the ornament.
4. Slowly lift your child’s hand from the ornament.
5. Let dry for an hour.
6. Write name and date on the ornament with paint maker, let dry for 5 minutes.

Not so much into crafts? We have some great Mother’s Day gifts available in-store and online. Check out our blog post from last year for DIY Mother’s Day flowers.

As a mom, what would be the best Mother’s Day gift that you could receive? Let us know in the comments below.

Decoratively yours,
– Erin Kuch
(Bronner’s Blog Team)