Marking the New Year

I actually made this project a while ago. I wanted to capture the sweet smallness of BabyGirl's little hands at 3 months old. I had received this frame as a gift and loved all the bright colors. Any sort of frame will do, but something smallish will really show off the hand or footprints of your little one. This one is for a 4 x4 inch photo.

First, I removed the plastic that served to protect the photo. Next, I rolled out a polymer clay, like Sculpey (I got mine at Michael's), into a thin sheet that will fit between the frame and the supportive back. I used some scraps of the clay to thicken the center so that there would be enough thickness to get a good handprint. Have your child put their hand or foot on the center of the clay and press down. It was a bit hard with a 3 month old, but with a little gentle help from me, we were able to get a good print.
Next, you'll want to bake the clay according to the package directions. I believe this was 10 minutes for each 1/4 inch of thickness. Once the clay baked and cooled, I used scissors to trim the edges, which had stretched a bit, to once again fit the frame.
Finally, I put the cooled clay into the frame, latched the cardboard backing and had a treasured keepsake of BabyGirl's littlest days.

This would be a fun project to repeat each year, either on a birthday or for the New Year. I think its a great indoor arts and craft project for those cold and dreary January days. You can experiment with the colors and textures, create your own frame decorations to glue to a wooden craft frame, or use lace or other textured materials to create background patterns. The possibility and fun really is endless.

Enjoy!