By Whitney Lewis
As a mom I can completely appreciate how fast little ones grow. For that reason I love hand and footprint crafts and (in case you haven’t seen any other posts I’ve written!) I LOVE Halloween. Here I’ve combined these two things to make a Boo-tiful Halloween decoration! This is a super quick and easy craft and even if you feel un-crafty you can make an adorable piece to display each year. This can also be made with any amount of kids- 1, 4, or 7, doesn’t matter.
The supplies list is short & sweet. I used all scraps and leftover supplies from home projects plus some craft paint I had on hand. If you happen to have this stuff laying around, this craft could be cost-free!
Supplies needed:
Wood – my boards are roughly 8″ x 14″ (bonus- they were made from scrap wood!)
Paint- house paint, craft paint, whatever you have, just paint
Paint brushes
Your child’s foot
Spray Sealant
Optional- printed letter B in font of choice
1. First things first- how big of a board do you need? I used a large piece of partial board I had left over from a home project. I placed my largest foot first to see how wide I needed & made a mark for that. Then I placed the smaller foot on to judge how much more space, keeping in mind I needed to add the ‘b’ for boo. Do this for each child so there is one footprint per person. If you only have one child, stamp their foot twice. I did this project with all my daycare kiddos too, so I had a several boards to cut, but most of them ended up around the same size – all with two footprints – 8″x14″. Once you have your board marked, cut it to size.
2. Next is painting! I painted the background of the sign and the edges with black house paint… Again leftover from a home project! Once that dried I started again with the largest foot, painted it with white craft paint & stamped it at the end of the board, toes facing down. Continue with each child’s foot and let dry.
3. Draw the ‘B’. I chose a very basic B for all the boards. You could make a template from Word by printing it out in the style of choice, cut it out & trace around it, or just freehand it!
4. Painting… Again! This is the fun part. I used green, purple and orange and painted the letter B and accessories on the footprint ghosts. Boys were given either a top hat, bow tie or necktie and girls have bows. I stuck with the three traditional Halloween colors for all the accents but you could add any colors you want. A helpful hint- for painting the faces, polka dots, hats, etc use the handle end of the paintbrush!
5. Lastly, use a sealant on your project. This will keep the footprints from chipping or peeling off over the years and give it a glossy finish! I used Rust-oleum Crystal Clear Enamel, which again was leftover from a home project!
That’s it, your done! Step back, admire your work and enjoy looking at those tiny footprint for many years to come!
Whitney Lewis moved to Champaign with her husband nine years ago from small town Danville. She is a home daycare owner/provider and mother to two amazing little boys, 4 and 1. She enjoys crafting, reading, photography & party planning on a budget! There’s no such thing as a do-nothing weekend because she’s always on the hunt for a new project, craft, or fun activity with the kids. Life is busy but never boring!!