Butterfly Tootsies

Spur of the moment distraction idea for Alexandria was to make some butterflies in the morning before heading over to Grandma's house.  This was really quick and easy; also came out rather cute!!

Things you'll need:
 - paper
 - two or more different color paints
 - black marker
 - brush or anything to apply paint to feet!
 - tiny feet & fingerprints

First things first, grab a foot and paint the bottom.  You could get creative with this step and paint it various different colors so that the butterfly's wings are more colorful, but for today I stuck with a solid color.  Apply paint and stamp on the paper so that the footprints are on the opposite side than where they normally would be.  Wash, dry, repeat with opposite foot!  A trick I use is to always have Alexandria stand on the non-painted foot while I hold the foot with paint up in the air.  That way she has her weight on the other foot and I can more easily place the painted one onto the paper.

Final paint step (yes, I said this was easy!) is to grab a finger or two, dip them in paint and then have them create prints up the middle to make the butterfly's body.  A thumbprint works great for the head or you can just paint a larger circle with a finger like we did.

Wait for the paint to dry and then you can add the finishing touches.  Two dots for the eyes, a little smile and two antennae!  Quick, but cute butterfly memories!

You're What Ties Our Family Together

For Father's Day, I helped the girls with a craft that we could give Daddy.  I used an idea that I got from my friend Beth's son's art work from his daycare that I saw (and photographed) while I was out visiting her.

Things you'll need:
 - any color paper you choose
 - paints
 - paint brushes (or anything to apply the paint to hand)
 - scissors
 - marker to write with

First up is to sketch the outline of a tie.  I just did this by eye (imperfection is the best part of home-made memories) and used the picture I took of the craft as a guideline.  Make it as big or as small as you'd like or as you need so that you can still fit a hand print or two (or more!) on the tie.  After you have the outline, use the scissors to cut it out. 

Next up are the hand prints.  You can do these whatever way you'd like; you just have to be mindful making sure they're positioned so that you'll be able to see a lot of each hand, ensure all will fit on the tie, and of the colors so that they will overlap and not disappear.  I picked purple and blue for the girls so that they'd both show up well.

Next is to add some finishing touches.  I added a 'DAD' to the tie knot, some edging to add some color to the cut out tie, and a super cute phrase 'You're what ties our family together'.  Here's the finished product amongst our very full refrigerator door!