These two little cuties made their hand prints in plaster yesterday!

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I purchased unfinished wood frames.  The one without the glass and wide frame was under $3.00 at Wal-Mart. The shadow box frame was $3.99 at Hobby Lobby.

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The shadow box frame with glass had a frame (‘tray’) inside but it was in pieces.  I put a little glue in the joints and secured with a rubberband.  I didn’t get a picture but I also fastened a rubberband around the top and bottom at each end to keep the plaster from seeping out through the back.

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The girls used acrylic paint to paint the frames.

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Mix up some Plaster of Paris following the package instructions. Be sure to mix the plaster in a disposable container and don’t put any extra plaster down the drain. Allow the plaster to sit (a couple of minutes) until it is the consistency of a milk shake and then pour into the frame.  If I was doing this for a large group I would probably still only mix up enough plaster for two to three children at time.  I mixed up a full Solo plastic cup of plaster for these two frames.  Pour  the plaster  directly in the center of the frame from Wal-Mart.(The cardboard back on the Wal-mart frame was very flimsy so I cut a piece of corrorgated cardboard box and slipped in into place BEFORE pouring the plaster. The other frame I poured the plaster into the ‘tray’ part.)

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When the plaster is the consistency of a  thick shake or not quite set pudding make the hand print.

 

The Plaster of Paris must be completely dry before placing the glass on the tray for the shadow box frame. If not dry it will cause condensation to form on the glass.  I did briefly put it all together to make sure the tray still fit and then took it back apart.

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There you go! The project went really fast, my friend and I have a wonderful keepsake and the girls were so proud of their creations!


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Comments

  1. I bought some plaster of Paris and it said not to let it touch your skin. Is there a special kind of p of p I should use?

  2. This is such a fantastic idea – the kids will love it because it is messy (yay!) and receivers will love it for the treasured memories. Great gift idea for grandparents and Dad’s on father day as well.

    Thank you for the inspiration!

  3. we do stepping stone handprints every yr with the kids I love the frame Idea I think we’ll get this together for my mom this yr. thanks for the awesome idea

  4. Love it!! Another fantastic project – can’t wait to try it out with my own little artists. This would be a terrific gift for grandmas.

  5. What glorious models! Too cute and they did a beautiful job of painting the frames! What a keepsake! xo

  6. This is a great idea! I love that you let the girls decorate the frames too.

  7. Oh I love this! I’ve never seen them done with a cute frame before…. love!

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