31 Awesome Things in 31 Days: Thing #23—Make Footprint Art for Hollie's Grandmas

Hollie wasn't sure what to do think about having her foot painted. She was really nervous and curled up her little toes at first, but then she hesitantly asked for "more" after we cheered on her first footprint.

Spoiler Warning to all Grandmas: This post reveals an art project that will be sent your way in the next two weeks (we have to wait a few days to wait for the paint to dry). So, you know, you can totally read this, but if you want to wait and be surprised you might want to close your eyes for the pictures or something.

Oh, but if my mom is still reading, the above picture is also awesome. David found a smoothie cup perfect for toddlers at Target with a twisty straw inside that Hollie can't perpetually pull out and shove back in (her favorite pastime with straws). We've been using my new blender you gave me like a fiend, and this is Hollie drinking down straight blackberries, strawberries, banana, apple juice, plain yogurt, and honey. She loves smoothies. Thanks so much for my awesome new blender!

We live pretty far from our families, and it seems like Hollie is growing like a weed. I know this is hard for Hollie's grandmas, who only see her once every few months. Hollie also has two great-grandmas who she sees even less. So we decided it might be nice for Holls to make a cutesy footprint art present for each of her grandmas and great-grandmas.

The timing for this project was tricky. We had to do it just before Hollie's bath, which is also at sort of a sleepy time of day, and Hollie does not like to wait for her bubble bath. We had one shot for each plate—no chances for a redo. 

I had seen this idea here, and we decided to make the art a little more permanent by baking them onto plates. It also made the painting a little trickier, as those of you who have painted on ceramics before well know, but it also made the footprints show up even better, I think. Plus, don't all moms and grandmas love decorative plates?

I was sort of surprised at how big Holls's footprints were—I think I still think of her as a baby, and this experiment was sort of a shock to my system that my little baby is actually a sturdy-footed toddler.

After Hollie went to bed, David and I went to work baking cookies for some friends who just had a new baby this weekend, mopping the floor (more on this momentarily), doing laundry, cleaning the bathroom, and turning Hollie's footprints into robins.

David is really an artist when he isn't a writer, teacher, and rhetorician. I love doing arts and crafts projects with him, because I know this is a side of David that always gets set aside in the daily grind. I'm not kidding: David is unbelievably talented. I feel like it's one of his best and most attractive secret talents.

Our finished birdies. I love how each one has its own little character. They might not be super fancy, but hopefully Hollie's grandmas will find a little place for these plates, so Hollie doesn't seem quite so far away.

Painting with David was really fun. He made me do two of the plates, even though I far more trusted him to do all four. I was a little nervous at first that maybe these wouldn't pan out or be worth the $15 or so that we spent on paint and plates. But as the little birds started to form, it was hard not to be endeared by these little guys. And I am a bit of a sucker for things like making permanent imprints of baby footprints. It really didn't take long and it didn't take a lot of money (especially considering we made four of these).

It was a pretty awesome Sunday altogether. Dave and I were both busy during church, and Hollie only cried once during nursery (we always ask) when one of the little boys kept trying to hug her (this seems to happen whenever Hollie is around little boys her age—it's bizarre. She hates it). I did some reading for my qualifying exams, we all took naps, the floor is liberally doused with peppermint oil and water as Getting-Rid-of-Our-Mouse-Friend Tactic #4, and we feel like we can go to bed with good consciences tonight. It's not often that we wake up Monday morning so well put together. It feels good.

So it is on this pleasant Sunday evening (almost Monday morning at this point) that I declare Thing #23: Make cutesy-wootsy footprint art for Hollie's grandmas and great-grandmas ACCOMPLISHED.

(I'll let y'all know if the peppermint oil works with our mouse problem. We're getting pretty desperate at this point. Desperate enough to try hippie remedies.)

(Update: Just after I posted this, I saw our little mouse friend run through the kitchen, hopefully on his way out. I will choke you with peppermint fumes, Sir Mouse. Get out of my house!)