Handprint Christmas Tree Kitchen Towel {easy DIY gift}

In today’s post: This sweet handprint Christmas tree towel makes a great gift for grandparents!

Every time I work on a handprint post I just about want to cry because my babies are all so big. My oldest started college this year (how??) and my youngest is about to turn nine. All those cliches about the days being long but the years being short are TRUE.

It makes me wish I’d finished that cross stitch project that was supposed to have my twin babies’ footprints on it. Sixteen years ago. 😭

Alright, back to today’s post. In case your babies aren’t all grown up yet and you’re smarter than me and are making cute things to remember their little handprints by, try making one of these: Handprint Christmas Tree Kitchen Towel

When I was envisioning this project, I really thought I’d be able to fit 5 or 6 of my daughter’s handprints on a kitchen towel to make a tree. But no, she’s practically a grown up and soon enough I’m going to be all alone in an empty house with no kids to drive me crazy because they refuse to eat breakfast and get ready for school.

What’s the deal with that, anyway? How come kids never want to eat breakfast? Or is that just my kids? I mean my teenagers definitely want to eat breakfast. They want second breakfast and elevenses and fourth meal and snacks all day long…

But, back to the point. This is a cute, inexpensive little Christmas project you can make to give to grandparents or keep for yourself.

Christmas Tree Handprint Towel Supplies

To make this project you will need:

• White kitchen towel
• Green acrylic craft paint plus other colors for a star and ornaments
• Cheap foam paintbrush
• Textile medium (optional, helps prevent paint from cracking)
• Printable star template

When I’m painting on fabric, I often mix acrylic craft paint with Textile Medium. This is totally optional, but it does help the paint to not be as stiff when it dries. If you are going to use textile medium, mix about 1 part textile medium to 2 parts paint (no need to be exact).

Christmas Tree Handprint Towel Instructions

Lay your towel down on a table, folded the way you will hang it (I just folded it in fourths).

Paint your child’s hand with green paint. Put the paint on quite thick; the hand should feel very wet in order to get a good handprint.

Working quickly, lay the hand down on the middle of the towel and press firmly to transfer a handprint.

NOTE: if your child has small hands, you can do three rows of handprints for the tree if you wish. If you do this, place the first handprint a little higher up on the towel. You can practice on a sheet of paper first.

Repeat this process to create two more handprints in a Christmas tree shape. Allow the handprints to dry slightly before adding the star, about 10 minutes.

Download and print the star template on a sheet of card stock or other heavy weight paper. Use an exacto knife to cut the star out to create a stencil.

Lay the star stencil on the towel, above the top of the tree, and hold it in place. Do not slide it around as it could smear the green paint.

Have your child dip her finger in yellow paint and then tap it on the towel the fill in the star. Use a tapping motion so the paint doesn’t bleed around the edges.

Remove the stencil.

Finally, let your child decorate the tree with “ornaments” made from fingerprints in different colors of paint.

Once the paint is completely dry, you can heat set the Christmas tree with an iron. Place a thin cloth over the towel and iron over the tree for about 30 seconds, moving the iron around. It’s also a good idea to wait about a week before you wash the towel.

NOTE: You’ll be able to wash the towel and none of the paint should come off. However, the paint may fade with repeated washing, so it’s best if this towel is used for decoration only.