Reindeer Foot – Personalized Christmas Gift

Every year my daughter and I get crafty and make handmade gifts for all of the grandparents. It is my way of teaching my girls that not all gifts need to be store bought, and the sentiment behind a homemade gift is extra special.

The gift we made last year went over so well that I wanted to share my easy tutorial with you. If you are anything like me and you are still scrambling to find the perfect item to make, this is a great and easy option.

I found all of the items at my local Hobby Lobby, this time of year I am there often.

YOU WILL NEED THE FOLLOWING ITEMS:

Wood Slice or you can buy a small canvas (I recommend using a Hobby Lobby 40% coupon on this item, available on their app.)

A roll of festive ribbon

Brown metallic paint

Small sponge brush

Small package of googley-eyes

Small package of gold bells

Small package of red puffy craft balls

Small package of sparkly gold pipe cleaners

Small package of tree garland pipe cleaners

*You will also need a hot-glue gun to attach all of the items and a sharpie to personalize it at the end.

I make 9 gifts every year for all of our great-grandparents and grandparents, and of course I make one extra for our home. You have to purchase the wood slice or canvas base for each project, but you will only need one package of all of the other items. It ends up being a really inexpensive, yet very meaningful gift to make. Win-Win.

First you make the foot print. I used a small sponge brush to rub the paint onto Paisley’s foot, this helps to keep the process clean and assures that their foot is evenly coated.

Then you are ready to gently place their foot on the canvas or wood slice. I recommend placing it towards the bottom, so that you have room for the antlers and decor up towards the top. Let it sit and dry for about an hour, it drys even faster if you leave it outside.

Time to create the Reindeer. Once the footprint is dry it is time to decorate. With a hot-glue gun, glue a red puffy craft ball on the heel to make Rudolph’s red nose. Then on the outside of each of the toes, glue the gold antlers on. I just twisted and created antlers out of the sparkly-gold pipe cleaners. I only glued the base down so that the antlers can stick out and have a 3D effect. Underneath the toes add the two googley-eyes and you have created the cutest Reindeer Foot!

Add some festive decor. I bought plaid ribbon and tied a big bow. With the garland pipe-cleaners I created a circular wreath and added golden bells. You can get creative here and try different looks, have fun with it! On the canvas option below, I made more of a sweeping garland look, instead of a wreath. I attached all of these items with the hot-glue gun.

Last and final touch. Personalize it! I signed Paisley’s name and the year on the bottom with a sharpie. I love the personalized touch and being able to look back and remember when it was made and how old she was.

*Bonus. I bought a very inexpensive frame stand for the wood slice to sit in. This will make it easy for the grandparents to display their special Reindeer Foot every Christmas.