I wanted to do something cute for my mom for Valentine’s Day using the kids’ foot and hand prints. She helped out so much with Dylan when we were in the hospital with Reagan so it is the absolute least I can do 🙂

I saw a cute card craft using a hand print to make a heart. It seemed very simple, but as I started, it was not so simple. Don’t worry, I am here to simplify it for you with my DIY Valentine’s Day canvas! It took me 4 tries. And I made it more difficult for myself because I used paper with words on it. Arg.

Valentine’s Day Canvas Supplies

• 12×12 Valentine’s day paper
• 12×12 canvas panel
• Coordinating ribbon
• Glue stick
• Pencil
• Marker

Find your cute Valentine’s Day paper. I got this one out of the “4 Seasons” paper pack at Hobby Lobby. (This one – I didn’t use this exact one, but I have it – I am obsessed with these. When paper is 50% off, snag this up! It’s great for holiday projects). Don’t be a dummy like me and pick something that has a right side up. I’ll show you why later…

Anyway, fold the paper in half so that the back of the paper is on the outside. Fold it tall (I think we used to call this the hot dog fold as opposed to the taco fold?).

 

While it’s still folded, take your child’s hand (apparently in a death grip like I had) and place it onto the paper. Make sure the thumb and pointer finger are going off the paper. The shape their thumb and pointer fingers make should create a half of a heart, like when you used to make a heart with folded paper and write your boyfriend’s name in it 😉

Side note: OMG LITTLE CHUBBY HANDS ARE THE CUTEST THINGS EVER!!

So when his thumb curve away, I didn’t trace it there, I just pulled the line straight out to the edge.

Here’s what it looks like cut out. When I opened it, I didn’t like the ridgedness (ridgetity?) of the pointer finger so I rounded it out while it was still closed.

 

Open it up and you have a cute hand print heart! But if you’re a dummy like me, it’s upside down with the writing. BOOOO. (This was one of my mix ups, so I didn’t use it. But I did have to use it to trace a new one because D was so over me tracing his hand. I don’t blame him).

 

Now, you can leave it like that or glue it into a card. But I went a step further for you guys! I then traced my daughter’s feet (didn’t take pictures of it because my husband held her and I had to use 2 hands to trace them.) and turned them into a heart as well. Look at those perfect tracing skills! :::sarcasm::::

Flip those over and put them together to make a heart!

Now it’s time to assemble your DIY Valentine’s Day canvas,

I bought some canvas panels and I covered it in paper mod podge and placed them on there. If you wanted to do another layer over, you can, but I don’t have good luck with mod podge over paper :/.

Then I attached some ribbon to the back with hot glue to hang it. Gwamma loves it!

 

Side note, I always hated doing hand and foot print crafts when I taught preschool because what did it accomplish? The teachers usually ended up having to finish the project so all the kid did was supply the hand. But our hand print project at home inspired D to do this:

 

Be still, my heart!

Happy crafting!