Mistle Toes Ornaments {Dare to DIY 2014 – Give Homemade }

Last weekend we kinda killed it with festive activities. I found a shopping center that has all of my favorite big box stores to shop at and we knocked out all gifts on our winter wishes list from NewYorkCares.org. We got a tree from Home Depot where we were recognized by workers (I guess we’ve been there a few times lately). And I finished decorating the house inside and out. If felt good to get so many tasks done since I had several days of commuting into Manhattan for meetings for work this week, and we are having a few friends over this weekend for a little holiday dinner. And through it all, I even found time to make some handmade gifts for the grandparents. Spoiler Alert Grandmas: stop reading if you want to be surprised on Christmas morning!

I recall a few years ago a friend telling me one of the best things about having kids was that you had automatic gifts for the grandparents at every holiday – just give them something baby related and they will be happy. So here ya go Grandmas, they aren’t perfect, but they are made with baby love!

For this project you will need:

Ornaments (I found these flat-ish plastic ones at Michaels for $2.99 each)

Craft Paint (I did a little research on this – some sites said acrylic on skin isn’t great in general, but tempura or washable paint would flake off of the ornament. I did a little skin test on myself and had wet paper towels ready to clean him up within seconds of putting the paint on him. The sites that said acrylic wasn’t a great idea were mostly talking about face painting where the paint would stay on for hours so I felt ok with it since it was literally on his skin for less than a minute. Do your own research to determine what you feel comfortable with. If you have tempura paint, maybe a sealant spray on top would help with flaking)

Flat Paintbrush

Paint Pens

Wet paper towels or washcloths

Sleeping Baby

If a sleeping baby is not available, Extra Patience and Quick Hands

What was good about the acrylic paint on the plastic ornament is that it was forgiving for a few seconds. I got two ornaments done before he woke up and then it was a little bit trickier to get a good smudge on the last ornaments so I was able to wipe the paint off and try again. Working quickly is key here on many levels. My kids does not like to get “got” so holding his foot was a challenge, even for a few seconds.

I threw in some crinkle paper since the ornaments were see through, and if I get around to it, I might even tie a bow to the tops of these. The possibilities are endless.

“Mistle Toes” was an easy play on words and great given his age and size of foot – but I’m really looking forward to making these cute finger snowmen in a few years when he is a bit bigger, which is the project that was my original inspiration and got the ol’ gears turning.

I’m linking up on Maybe Matilda today! Go check out the fun!

So what was the over/under for me coming back and joining in a second linky party?? Will I make it to the final party??? Don’t fall off the edge of your seats, people.

December 11, 2014/3 Comments/by Kayla

Rachel // Maybe Matilda says:

December 13, 2014 at 3:19 am

Absolutely adorable! Can't believe the little dude slept through that–I was not blessed with heavy sleepers :-/ I've been wondering what to get my in-laws for Christmas this year, and this post has me thinking kid-related Christmas decor might be perfect!