How cute are these crafty trees?

After spotting this idea on Pinterest from U Create Crafts, it was my “must do” Christmas craft keepsake project last year. My older daughter was sadly, rapidly approaching a ridiculous age to participate in such projects, while my younger daughter was 18 months old; the perfect age for such a project (or so I thought). Thankfully, my 9 year old still enjoys crafts and is willing to do anything to enjoy time with her mom and little sister.

This was to be another simple project that turned out to be anything but. I purchased inexpensive canvases from Michaels (on sale, of course) and decided I could use the plethora of paints I already had on hand. Kids would be thrilled to finger paint and mom would get her keepsake. Easy peazy.

We sat down at the table to practice where their little hands should go, in order to be properly spaced and to actually end up looking like a tree. Time to pour the paint…

I’m truly sorry I don’t have photographic evidence of this flubfest.

My 18 month old was scared of the paint. Scared. As she saw the paint pour onto a paper plate, she started squirming, then crying and eventually hit a level of potentially needing a strait jacket. I kid you not.

Not being the kind of mom that encourages that sort of insanity, I showed her how pretty the paint was by swirling it with my fingers and making thumbprints of my own.

She screamed louder. Snot reared it’s ugly head. Lots of it.

I realized this was, for lack of better words, going to suuuuck. My vision of a lovely Christmas memory was being usurped by a screaming toddler who came close to needing an exorcism once I finally put her tiny little hand in the paint.

Toddler 1. Mom 0.

I had to call it a day, wash her up (after she grabbed every part of my clothing, putting those little handprints on everything BUT the canvas) and calm her down. I’m thinking she must hate the color green, right? I mean what the jingle bells?!?!

I went in for round 2 the following day. I mentally prepared myself and dove in head first. I grabbed her little hand and went as fast as humanly possible. Aaand the screaming (and snot) ensued. By the 4th or 5th handprint, she finally realized this was supposed to be FUN (duh!) and started to actually giggle and appreciate her talent. Holy Christmas.

That ridiculous episode aside, I couldn’t be more smitten with this bit of art. I will hang these every year with pride and always be reminded how both of my sweet girls, even if for a small window of time, were simultaneously still captivated by the magic of Christmas. And were both still my little girls.

What crafty keepsake moments are you most fond of?