Beachy Keen Handprints

On a beach trip two summers ago, I decided to try an idea I found in Family Fun magazine.

Click here for their tutorial.

Of course, theirs was way "prettier" than ours, but hey, for a 2 & 3 year old, they turned out pretty good!

In a small card board box, I put 4 premeasured bags of plaster of paris and a measuring cup. I was so glad I had the box, because I hadn't thought about how I was going to get the handprints back home...they can be a little fragile, but nothing E6000 can't put back together! We started by making handprints in the sand. Be sure the prints are deep enough to hold the plaster. Then we added some seashells that we found on the beach. Next, we mixed the plaster with sea water and poured them into our molds. I put bent paperclips on top of the molds so I could easily mount the handprints later.

It doesn't take long for them to set up. We went for a walk & they were ready when we got back. I picked them up, put them in my box, and left them there for a couple of months.

The Family Fun example has them mounted on sticks on driftwood. Very cute, but not practical in my house of toddlers. I found a barnwood frame at Hobby Lobby for 1/2 off. I sprayed the back with spray adhesive, put a beautiful sea blue linen down, added some small nails and mounted the handprints. The info about the trip is written on the back of the frame.