Keepsake Craft: Baking Soda Clay Handprint Ornaments

Now to make the handprint ornament! First, you need to create a round of clay that is about 1 centimetre thick (any thicker and they tend to crack more easily) and large enough to fit your child's hand. You can do this using a rolling pin and a circular cookie cutter, but I like the natural edges that occur when a ball of clay is flattened with a flat object such as a plate.

Whichever way you do it, one thing I'd recommend is surrounding the clay round in parchment or wax paper as it can stick to your kitchen tools and make it difficult to pull away without damaging the circle's smooth surface.

Next, help your child centre their hand on the clay circle and press it down firmly.

The resulting handprint should be nice and easy to see. (Aren't the little palm lines adorable?) If the print doesn't work out as well as you want it to on the first try, you can always try again. If needed, wet your hand a little bit before rolling your next ball to give the clay some extra moisture.

When your handprint is as you want it to be, use a straw to create the two holes that will later be used for hanging the ornament — just be sure to not put them too close to the edges! Then it's time to let your keepsake dry. We normally let ours dry for a couple of days, flipping it here and there, but sometimes it takes a little longer.

Now time for the best part: decorating! While sometimes we paint them and sometimes we leave them plain white, this time around we decided to use glitter to decorate our keepsake. I think opting to coat just the outside edges in glitter really allows the details of the handprint to shine, but you could do it either way. Simply brush the glue onto a section of the ornament, sprinkle on some glitter, shake off the excess, and continue the process until the job is done.

It's not a necessary step, but when the keepsake is fully dry, you can spray it with a clear sealant or coat it in Mod Podge if you wish. Doing so will ensure that the glitter lasts for years to come.

Then all you have to do is thread your ribbon through the holes and tie the ends together, and your creation is ready to be admired!

This recipe will make 2 or 3 handprint keepsakes, depending on the size of your little ones' hands of course.