Handprint Ornaments

This is so easy - I hadn't been able to find the materials before Christmas, so it's a bit late.

You need:


~ Crayola Model Magic, original or glitter. I would suggest using white. One package per child.
~ A drinking straw.
~ Ribbon - about 6" per ornament.
~ Wax paper.
~ Flat surface such as a tray or cutting board.
~ Cornstarch.
~ Glitter glue, optional
~ Permanent marker, pain marker, or some other writing implement, optional.

Work some of your Model Magic into a ball, as smooth as possible. Then, on a bit of waxed paper, squish it into a pancake, maybe 1/2" thin up to 3/4" - it needs to be slightly bigger than the hand you intend to impress. I use the side of a cup to roll it flat.

If your Model Magic isn't very pliable, you can add a little water to it.

Take the hand in question and dust it in cornstarch - you may or may not need this depending on how sticky the hand is and how sticky the Model Magic is. I found that without it, I couldn't peel off the hand without damaging the image.

Place the hand on the Model Magic pancake and tell the child not to push - YOU push all the little fingers and hand parts down firmly. I have found that when the kids do it, they wiggle around a bit, leaving a less than desirable image.

Peel off the hand carefully and use your drinking straw to make a hole in it where you will thread the ribbon once dry.

Model Magic can be decorated when dry, painted on, glitter-glued on, markered on and so forth. Last year I put glitter around the outside of the white ornament. This year, due to some sort of a white Model Magic shortage, I bought the white glitter kind, so in the interest of simplicity, I will just be adding the ribbon and each child's name and age on the back with the year.

You'll need to let the handprint dry for 24-48 hours, but it is very lightweight when dry, which is fabulous.