A Handmade Christmas: Fingerprint Ornament

Guest post by Becca from The Gardner’s Dirt

Those ten little fingers that you counted so carefully as soon as they were born grow so fast! Create a one-of-a-kind handmade necklace or Christmas ornament that preserves the impression of those tiny fingerprints.

Materials you’ll need

• air-dry clay
• rolling pin
• clay cutting tool or other sharp object
• acrylic paint
• clear acrylic spray (gloss or matte)
• ribbon or jewelry wire

Instructions

1. Roll out your clay to about 1/4 inch thick.

1. Make imprints in the clay with those cute little fingers  Be careful not to push all the way through the clay.

   

2. We stamped the initial of the child inside their fingerprint. Now I’ll be able to remember which fingerprint one belonged to who. Other stamps can be used to decorate as well. I loved my friend’s idea of stamping their name or message around the outside of the pendant
3. Using a clay cutting tool or other sharp object, like a pin or the end of a paper clip, cut out around the fingerprint in the shape of your choice.  For this example, we chose a circle. When I made one with my four children, we did the impressions in a straight line and cut a skinny rectangle around it.  If you are making it into a Christmas ornament, cookie cutters are an easy way to cut out your shape.

   

4. Make a small hole through your pendant using your sharp tool or coffee straw.

   

5. Let the clay dry completely.
6. Paint your pendant however you like!  I filled in the stamped areas with one color, wiped off the excess, and let dry. Then taking a second color, I dipped my finger into the paint, dabbed off the excess, and softly wiped over the stamped area. 
7. Allow paint to dry.
8. Spray entire pendant with a coat or two of clear acrylic spray and let dry.  This gives it a nice, shiny finish.
   
9. Finally, add ribbon for hanging your Christmas ornament or string your pendant onto jewelry wire to make a necklace.  This is where you could really add some flair if you wanted:  beads, decorative wire, colorful stones! And, voila! A beautiful present full of meaning.

Becca G. is the mother of four very imaginative and energetic kiddos. Check out their creative adventures at The Gardner’s Dirt. Their favorite projects involve giving new life to old or reclaimed materials, especially t-shirts.