Looking for a meaningful gift this Mother’s Day? Well look no further! You can use your baby’s actual footprint to make this extra special gift for grandma! And yourself. I won’t judge. I made myself one too! Okay two. But I couldn’t help it… you can easily make a bunch of these at once so it’s impossible not to make yourself one while you’re at it! And they are so quick to make, it will probably take you longer to read through this tutorial than it will take you to make them! It’s personalized. It’s inexpensive. It’s quick. And it’s easy!These are made using Shrinky Dinks plastic, which will shrink down to a third of it’s original size and become nine times thicker when it’s baked in an oven. So keep that in mind when you’re deciding how big of a foot you’re willing to wear around your neck! ;) My daughter is actually a toddler now at almost 14-months-old, and her actual print measured about 4 1/4" in length. After it was baked, it shrunk down to almost 1 3/4" in length. Plus a little more for the border. If your little one isn’t so little anymore and you think a necklace might be too big, make a keychain instead!

::Update:: Since writing this post, I’ve seen these made for babies as young as a month old and they are cuuute!There are so many different options with this project! You can use different plastic {clear, white, or frosted}, different paint colors, and different necklace chains {or key chains}. You can do handprints too!

Here’s how to make one {or two, or three} of your very own!

You will need:

• Shrinky Dinks- I used Crystal Clear {found in a craft store or online}
• Necklace chain
• Jewelry jump rings
• Non-toxic acrylic craft paint
• Mod Podge- Gloss
• 1/8” hole punch- I used the Martha Stewart Screw Punch but any punch should work
• Jewelry pliers
• Scissors
• Brush/sponge/finger

1. Put a layer of non-toxic acrylic craft paint on the bottom of your baby’s foot. Stamp a bunch of prints on a sheet of Shrinky Dinks. We just kept stamping until the prints no longer showed well, and the lighter ones turned out better. The prints will get a lot darker after baking and you can see more detail when there isn’t a lot of paint.

You can also clean up any little smudges with a Q-tip at this point if you need to. Make sure your kiddo doesn’t run off while you’re doing this because she just might rip off her diaper and pee on the floor. Oopsie. :)2. Cut out the footprint leaving a small border around the edges. Make sure to round the edges because if you leave any square points, they will be very sharp once you bake it. Also be sure to leave a little more room along the top of the toes so you can punch a hole for the jump ring.3. Punch a hole {1/8” size} above the toes at the center of the foot. Don’t forget this step or it’s a fail! You can’t punch the hole after it’s baked.4. Now you’re ready to bake! Follow the directions on your Shrinky Dinks package. It doesn’t take long so keep an eye on it! Put your full size print in the oven, and in 1-3 minutes {I didn't actually time it, I just watched it curl up and flatten out again, and then counted to 30 before removing it} you’ll have a tiny plastic version of your baby’s footprint!

*Important* Don’t skip the part of the directions that tell you to press down on the footprint {with folded paper} after baking. If you want your print to be nice and flat, don’t forget this step!5. Put a layer of Mod Podge {I used gloss} on your baked plastic to protect the footprint and keep it from scratching. Let it dry.6. Almost done! Use your jewelry pliers to open a jump ring and put it through the hole you punched above the toes. Put it on the necklace and close the ring with your pliers.Ta-da! Now admire your work and don’t feel bad when you decide to keep it for yourself. Guilty! Make an extra one… just in case. ;)

I love my sweet little footprint necklace and so does my mom and mother-in-law! I know I’ll be making a lot more of these!*UPDATE* Here are some tips I want to share with you after answering some comments and emails to hopefully answer some questions you may have. If you still have a question or run into a problem, just leave a comment or send me an email and I’ll be glad to help!

Tips:

• Use only the materials suggested in the Shrinky Dinks directions for applying your print to the plastic. Others may rub off or smear. Craft paint = good. Ink = bad.
• Less paint on the foot makes for a lighter print, which will show more detail after baking. The prints will darken after shrinking.
• Q-tips work great for cleaning up any little smudges before baking.
• Be sure to round all edges when cutting your footprint out. Any square edges will be very sharp after baking!
• Resist the urge to pull your footprints out of the oven when they start to curl up and the ends look like they are melting together! I admit, I panicked when I first saw them roll up, but I have yet to have one actually stick together. They will flatten back out if you leave them in the oven a bit longer. Or at least they should {I don’t want you to burn the place down waiting for them!}. I don’t actually time mine, I just sit on the floor and peek in my oven until I see them flatten back out and stop moving. Then I count to 30 and remove them.
• Your footprint will be flat IF you follow the baking directions properly. You MUST press down on the footprint as it explains in the Shrinky Dinks directions or you take the chance of it turning out a little wavy and not being completely flat.
• Some have been interested in making these from old baby prints. I have not actually tried it, but have suggested trying Printable Shrinky Dinks. I would try scanning the prints and printing them out on this plastic {while following all the directions on the package} and then following the rest of the steps above. Although you may want to try spray sealant instead of Mod Podge to avoid smearing the ink. If you try it, I would love to know how it turns out or if you have any tips!

I hope you enjoy this necklace! If you make one, please oh please email me a picture or post it on my Facebook page! It makes my heart happy! :)