Santa and Reindeer Hand Prints

Today I'm sharing a Christmas handprint craft that is very flexible.  You can use pretty much whatever supplies you have on hand and kids can help with everything but attaching the jingle bells with hot glue.

 Here is what I used:

• 9x12 canvas board (Sturdy cardboard or a regular canvas would work great too.)
• Blue fabric
• Brown fabric paint
• Black and red pipe cleaners
• Google eyes
• Small sheet of red craft foam
• White felt (you only need a little)
• Pom poms (one white and one red)
• Jingle bells
• Ribbon
• Liquid Stitch
• Glue gun

I started by covering my canvas board in fabric.  I had some fabric that I thought would be perfect for a night sky but it was already cut into squares.  I decided the squares would give this a fun patchwork effect.  Um. I was wrong.  Also, I should have stretched the fabric around to the back.  I know.  Duh.  I had to go back and add some fabric around the edges.  Luckily, you can learn from my mistakes and use one piece of fabric that you stretch around to the back for a nicer finished edge.

Next I cajoled my son and stepdaughter into making handprints onto the fabric.  Nobody was feeling cooperative so this involved bribery with ice cream.  Even ice cream couldn't get my two year to participate.  Maybe next year.

I added google eyes to all the fingertips. Santa's hat and Rudolph's nose are made of red craft foam.  Santa's beard is made of white felt.

The antlers are just bent pipe cleaners and the other reindeer's noses were made with a paint pen.

The reigns are a red pipe cleaner and the jingle bells are attached with hot glue. With my paint pen I added "Christmas 2011".