DIY Handprint Plate · The Girl in the Red Shoes

I started a new tradition this year and I LOVE it. A fun and sweet handprint plate. I plan to make one every Christmas so we can document how fast those little hands grow. I was surprised at how easy this was to make. Why didn’t I do this sooner?

Here’s what you’ll need:

White ceramic plate (I got my from the dollar store). You do not need a fancy plate for this!

Enamel Acrylic Paint (this is the exact paint I used)

Paint Marker that works on glass (this is the exact one I used)

First, use a paint brush to put the paint on your child’s hand. Then have them press down firmly and quickly on the plate. The good thing is that if you mess up, you can just wipe the paint off while it’s still wet and try again.

TIP: If you are doing multiple handprints on the plate like I did, let each handprint dry before moving on to the next child. That way, they don’t accidentally smudge the previous child’s handprint.

I ended up “stamping” Hudson’s hand three times and both of the girl’s two times.

Let your paint dry.

Then, use your paint marker to write whatever you like on the plate! I wrote their names by each print and the year. Then Merry Christmas….but I debated for the longest time about writing “Cookies for Santa.” I’ll probably do that next year!

Let everything dry overnight.

Then, put your plate in the oven and set it to 300 degrees. DO NOT pre-heat your oven (you don’t want your plate to crack from the heat…instead you want it to warm up gradually). Bake at 300 for 35 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool. That’s it!