Thanks so much for picking up your custom handprint calendar at Hola Sunshine Designs this holiday season!
I’ve put together a list of my favorite craft supplies for making my handprint calendars with my kids. I hope it’s helpful to you!
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Ink Pads
Large ink pads are the easiest way to stamp handprints or footprints.
There’s hardly any mess, the washable ink will come right off with a wet wipe, and it dries quickly so you can continue adding handprints to the next page.
Make sure any ink pads you use for handprint crafts are non-toxic. I used this 8-pack of ink pads for my kids’ handprint calendar:
Paint
Make sure your paint is non-toxic.
Using paint is a great idea if you want to mix the colors to get just the right shade. The bonus is that my sons LOVE how the paintbrush tickles.
A word of caution: Finger Paint does not have great coverage.
Below are my recommendations for kid-friendly paint that pops on the page:
Washable Crayola Paints (6 Colors)
Washable Crayola Paints (6 Colors + 6 Glitter Paints)
Kids’ Paint Set (10 Colors + Mess-Free Brushes)
Paint Brushes
I like using foam brushes for handprint art because it’s easier to apply a thin layer to my kids’ hands. Plus, it doesn’t leave any streaky lines on the finished calendar.
Wet Wipes
For quick cleanup, keep a box of wet wipes within reach.
You can quickly wipe off your child’s hands or feet so they’re clean enough to transport to the sink or bathtub. This way, you won’t get ink or paint all over your clothes (or theirs) on your way to the bathroom!
I always use Water Wipes because they have the least amount of ingredients I’ve seen. (Available at Costco too!)
Tip: Pull one or two wipes out of the package before you start so you won’t have to dig around for them with paint on your hands. (We all know how hard they are to separate!)
Handprint Calendar Instructions
Apply a thin layer of paint/ink to your child’s hand and firmly stamp their handprints onto the calendar, pressing from palm to fingertip.
Let each page dry completely before moving on to the next month.
I like to slide a piece of computer paper between each page of the calendar before turning to the next page- just in case there are any spots that aren’t dry yet. Once we’re done adding handprints to each page, I slide all the paper out and wrap up our gift!
Again, the Amazon ink pads dry very quickly! We were able to make our entire handprint calendar in under 20 minutes. By I had the boys’ hands washed, the page we had just stamped was dry and we were ready to stamp the next one!
If you have any questions, please email me at lisa@holalittleone.com. I’m happy to help!
