Christmas Keepsakes Mamas Will Love

As moms, we have a tendency to want time to stand still. We want to hang on to those sweet moments at every stage of life for our littles. Everyone tells you time will fly by and it totally does!

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No matter how hard we try to savor each moment…they are fleeting. When Risden was first born, right away I made salt dough ornaments and did impressions of his feet and hands. I tied a big ribbon around them and just knew I had ornaments to cherish for a lifetime!

[amazon_link asins=’B01MSJ6FUR,B07HJGF55R,B072V7ZXSQ,B077J7DDRT,B00P9TXTNC,B00QPDU1EQ,B002TGZ6YI,B0759W6317,B00OHNTEIU’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’d5cb6c65-fa56-11e8-8c64-6f7f1eaf96da’]

Those ornaments lasted through his first Christmas. The next year was a different story. I was decorating the tree and got so excited when I found those sweet prints the box. As I was putting the footprint on the tree, it slipped off the branch and BROKE!

I was so distraught. Seriously, all because of a broken ornament. But it was just so special! Seeing that little foot reminded me of those early days, that go by too fast and can be hard to remember as the years pass.

Naturally I began to cry.

At this point, I have a 22 month old and a 4 month old. My oldest is growing like a weed and I haven’t even made newborn footprints of Rachel – (Sorry Rae-Rae…second child probs and being a 2U2 mom is difficult). 

This broken ornament made me realize even more why I wanted to capture what I can of my babies. At the same time, I knew I wasn’t going to be baking impression ornaments every year; clearly I’m not good at it. I had to find something that would work for me! It would need to be something I would look forward to it each year and something I cannot break!

That Christmas, while doing a little Facebook scroll, I saw some handprint canvases my cousin made with her kiddos as gifts for the grandparents. Such a cute idea – except – I wanted these for me!

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This began my Pinterest search and the start of our hand/footprint canvas tradition. The first year was “Mistletoes,” followed by “Reindeer,” and last year was “Nativity.” (My favorite so far.)

You do need to set aside a little time to accomplish this but it’s so worth it and most importantly… it’s fun!

First, you will want to determine what scene you want to go with to know what paint and canvas size you need. Take a look on Pinterest for some ideas… I’ve already pinned some for you on our very own Poms2Moms’ Christmas board.  If you have toddlers it’s fun to let them decide what they would like to do… (plus you will get better cooperation)!

This is what you’ll need:

• [amazon_textlink asin=’B07BYWS5XW’ text=’Washable Paint‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’5e3c0d66-fa58-11e8-ad9a-731ea05b34d4′]
• [amazon_textlink asin=’B003UHJDAS’ text=’Foam Paint Brushes‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’7608e32c-fa58-11e8-881a-63c3ec7dce90′]
• [amazon_textlink asin=’B01FCHZOII’ text=’Canvases‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’910378c4-fa58-11e8-87ed-af8582d25e63′] (any shape/size…it depends on what scene you go with!)
• [amazon_textlink asin=’B00004W3Y4′ text=’Do-A-Dot Markers ‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’a2e4cdf7-fa58-11e8-9def-67a7cc254728′](used in the “Mistletoes” and Reindeer art)
• [amazon_textlink asin=’B07CWJY7WT’ text=’Baby Wipes‘ template=’ProductLink’ store=’poms2moms-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’b1bbf096-fa58-11e8-b0ff-d3aebc6afab6′]
• Plastic Table Cloth
• Sharpies
• Pen

I set out my table cloth and open the canvases. (Having an extra canvas on hand is great if your child’s fingers accidentally get the wiggles.) Then, I put the paint colors in paper plates and I use one foam brush for each color. I have the wipes opened and a trash can close by for fast clean up! When we are ready for prints, I paint the kids hands/feet with the foam brush. They hold still while I push down every toe and finger making sure we get the best print possible.

I wait for them to dry and then if the pictures need any extras… like outlines or antlers, I will add those using sharpies. I also like to write the name and date by each print with a pen.

I look forward to hanging these each year! Eventually, I’ll have my own little Christmas gallery wall.

Check out what we did for 2018:

I would love to hear what your favorite Christmas keepsakes are! Please share in comments!

Have a very Merry Christmas!