Mod Podged Hand trees

Last weeks theme for SYTYC was kids crafts. I was shocked to win again. I thought Kristen had it in the bag, but I guess I made a late come back for the 3 point win. I loved this project. I feel so much joy every time I walk past them.

I have to be honest. I love my kids. I love crafts. But I hate kid's crafts. The thing that I hate about them is that five minutes after they have created something, I want to throw it away. I just don't like the clutter.

I knew I had to come up with something I would treasure instead of trash. My kids and I created these beautiful hand trees.

They are personalized with trunks made from their arm and hand. I really enjoyed spending one on one time with each kid as we put these together.

Mod Podge is the perfect medium for kids crafts. You can't mess it up. Since it dries clear you can't see all the mistakes and spills. My kids kept commenting on how much the loved "painting".

Here is how we made them:

What I used:

-Wood Picture Boards -I got mine at Tai Pan Trading Co., they were damaged and 75% off. You could also use a canvas.

- burlap

-scrap fabric

-scissors

- Mod Podge- I used matte, but I think anything you have is fine.

-Permanent marker - to sign name at the end

These are the boards I used. I needed more surface area so I used the back side as my front.

Some of the Fabrics I used: I liked using a heavier fabric, but anything would work. Make sure you have lots of variety. You want the fabrics to work together while still having as many different colors as possible. You don't want all the fabrics to blend together. I used eight different fabrics.

Step 1: I removed the hanger and stickers from the back of my board. I saved the hanger and placed it on the other side when it was time to hang my pictures.
Step 2: I covered the entire board with Mod Podge and layed a piece of burlap, bigger than the board, over the top. Then I used my sharp sewing scissors to cut away the excess burlap till it was straight and flush with the board. If you are using a canvas I would try wrapping the canvas and stapling it to the back instead.
Step 3: Cutting the leaves and hands out. I did all the cutting. I didn't trust my kids with my sharp sewing scissors. I was afraid someone would lose a finger. If your kids are older you might want to let them do this part.

I cut three different sizes of leaves for each pattern.

Tracing and cutting the hands before starting with the Mod Podge, make things easier when everything is covered with goo.

Step 4: Glue everything down.

I helped glue the first four leaves down so my kids had an idea of which direction the leaves should go. Then they took over. They painted the Mod Podge onto the backs of the leaves then placed them were they wanted. I reminded them to cover all the empty spots and to use all the different colors.

Step 5: Once all your leaves are on. They plastered the back of the trunk with Mod Podge and placed it on the picture with the hand in the center of the leaves. You might need to trim some of the trunk so that it is flush with the bottom of the board.

Now they can finish it off by painting over the entire tree with the Mod Podge. It dries clear so don't worry if it looks a little messy.

The leaves dry stiff and look cute if they start to come off the board.

Worthy of being hung in a prominent place my kids are more than happy to show off their handy work. Each tree is different just like my kids.