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You are here: Home / Seasonal / Christmas / Christmas Canvas Keepsake

November 24, 2018 · Leave a Comment

Christmas Canvas Keepsake

Christmas Canvas Keepsake

Here’s a fabulous way to unleash the children’s creative flair and make a wonderful keepsake to hang on the wall throughout the festive season for years to come. A great way to contain the mess of painting with kids is to use a paddling pool. Have a bucket of water to hand or a bubbly bath to dunk them into afterwards and oodles of fun can be had.

We decided we wanted to make something we could treasure for years to come and this Christmas tree will look fab on the wall. Even the tree baubles are made with their fingerprints so we can remember how small they were as they grow.

Here’s what you will need:

  • A paddling pool
  • A canvas (We used an old floral one which I painted white to use again!)
  • Paintbrushes
  • Masking tape
  • Paint (We used a mix of some acrylic we had leftover in a pot and poster paint)

Instructions

I started by using the masking tape to cover the bits of the canvas that didn’t need painting. Our design was to be a Christmas tree but other ideas could be a ‘Merry Christmas’ slogan, a snowman in a snowstorm of fingerprint snowflakes or even a reindeer using handprints for the antler.

I stuck on white circle stickers to be baubles on the Christmas tree. (Obviously, the stickers could be any colour as you’ll be peeling them off later anyway!)

Christmas Canvas Keepsake

Next, I set up the paddling pool in the kitchen to contain the painting mess. I used an old towel to put the canvas on so it wouldn’t slide down too easily.

I gave the kids the bowls of paint and some chunky paintbrushes but was fully aware that they’d end up abandoning them and using their hands instead.

Christmas Canvas Keepsake

Our happy toddlers got to work painting the green Christmas tree. The masking tape meant it didn’t matter about them being too accurate.

Christmas Canvas Keepsake

Check out our other Christmas activities to do with the kids.

Christmas Canvas Keepsake

This pair love painting!

Christmas canvas keepsake

Once the canvas was fully covered, I set it aside to dry.

Christmas Canvas Keepsake

I let the paint dry and got these two kiddies in the bath. When they were clean and dry the paint on the canvas was ready too.

Before it was completely dry, and still a little bit tacky, I carefully removed the masking tape to reveal the Christmas tree. I also peeled off the circle stickers to be the white baubles.

I then left the canvas to be fully dry before we set about adding our Christmas baubles by doing fingerprints.

Be sure to check out our Christmas Traditions.

Christmas Canvas Keepsake

As this was a special treat for Boo, she sat at the table and added her painted fingerprint dots for Christmas tree decorations. She used lots of different colours and I helped by turning the canvas around when she wanted to reach the other side.

Christmas Canvas Keepsake

Look how wonderful it turned out! I think it’s clear how happy she was the final result.

This was a lovely activity that has given us a new ‘masterpiece’ to hang on the wall.

Christmas Canvas Keepsake

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Filed Under: Christmas Tagged With: Boo, christmas, keepsake, painting

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Family Days Tried and Tested provides inspiration to make everyday family life fun. It includes simple craft activities to do at home plus lots of reasons to play outside. Family Days Tried and Tested is all about frugal fun, honesty and lots of laughs.

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🐍 So pleased to see the churchyard slow worms c 🐍 So pleased to see the churchyard slow worms coming out of hibernation over the past week. 
I found a few whilst re starting the mammoth task of working the churchyard over the summer months this week - the two large ones in the photos, we picked them up and moved them along whilst caring for the grass around the bottom of gravestones - it’s their favourite spots to hang out. 

You may also remember back in October when I stumbled over a mound which I was clearing of broken glass jars, slates etc - kind of a dump area which I initially assumed was a plot under the undergrowth. It turned out to be a rich home for slow worms and I found at least five baby slow worms cwtched up in the buried jars and under the slates (around two inches long), once I’d established it was such a rich habitat I stopped my clearance efforts, added some additional slates and left the area (apart from clearing the broken glass)..I’m sure it was a hibernation hive. 

Today I returned to that spot and lifted one of the five additional slates I’d placed and found around 10/15 slow worms snuggled up together, at least three big ones (7/8inches) and lots of smaller (3/4inches), it was a lovely suprise, I only lifted one slate as if there was anymore under the other slates I didn’t want to disturb them. 

I’d mowed around the area in the week as a fist cut of the churchyard, you can see in the photo how long the grass has become. 
I called the children over to take a look at the nest and we covered it back up before circling the site with rocks to prevent others from disturbing them, I’ve made a simple sign out of a wood slice (which was supposed to be for my pots and pans in the kitchen to stand on😂) and hopefully they’ll continue to thrive.

Slow worms are native to the U.K. and can live for around 20 - 30 years. (They’ve been known to live for 54 years in captivity!) They are often mistaken for snakes but are actually legless lizards. 🐍
The are a ‘priority’ and ‘protected’ species in the U.K. 

It fills us with joy that they continue to be so apparent and comfy in the churchyard. #slowworm #churchyard #protectedspecies
☀️ The glow of the morning rising sun looking ☀️ The glow of the morning rising sun looking gorgeous behind the altar window today.
🦋💐🧺🚗 Yesterday I got a reduced butterf 🦋💐🧺🚗
Yesterday I got a reduced butterfly birthday cake at the supermarket so I took it as an opportunity to have a car boot picnic with Boo.
It wasn’t anyone’s birthday and there is never an excuse needed to eat cake. 
We put the back seats down in the back of the car  and transformed it into a garden with fake flowers, a green sheet and butterflies we’d painted. I made a butterfly to decorate a bottle of squash and drew butterflies on some paper cups. 
We then drove to the ocean and spent an hour together eating cakes, drawing in the sand and jumping in the breaking waves on the shore. 
Simple fun that started with a reduced cake👌 and a lovely time had by the both of us 🥰 ...time and £1:80 well spent.
Friday night chilling on the sofa 🥰 It’s bee Friday night chilling on the sofa 🥰

It’s been a really fab week away from the church but it’s wonderful to be back. I think we needed the past week to regroup and prepare for whats coming.

Commence the pod...
💪 we’ve got this...

& if we haven’t then the beach is down the road.
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