DIY: The Christmas Tree Skirt Made Up Of Handprints & Memories

Christmas is a time for keeping traditions alive and making new memories. My son’s first Christmas was last year when he was just 3 months old and I really wish I would have made this tree skirt then, but alas Spoonful launched in April 2012 and I hadn’t come across their idea until recently.

The idea that surrounds this DIY is inspired by the Kuklis family of Cozad, Nebraska. The original uses white cotton fabric, but Spoonful opts to use red velvet. I was going to make a skirt from scratch, however after visiting my local fabric store, they informed me they didn’t sell 60-inch-wide red velvet. The largest width was 45 inches. What to do, what to do?

How To Make Your Own Memory Tree Skirt

This is our first year doing the handprint tree skirt, but the beauty of it is you are never really finished. Each and every year, take a section and create a fresh new set of prints!

What You Will Need

1 piece of white felt
Fabric glue
1 paper or Styrofoam plate
Paintbrush
Gold glitter paint
Acrylic fabric paint in gold

A Baby

Oh you will definitely need a baby, toddler or child for this ;). Also, a tree skirt. Make sure the tree skirt has plenty of solid space for your prints. We opted for a red velvet version.

Paint On A Plate

Squeeze some paint on a styrofoam or paper plate.

Paint & Press

Paint your baby’s palm with gold paint. You may have to redo this step a few times depending on your baby’s age as toddlers tend to open and close their hands ;).

Be sure to press their hands down straight away as the paint tends to dry fast!

Optional: Fill In The Handprints

If you would like to, you can fill in the handprints with a paintbrush as they may appear faded, depending on how firmly you press down and how much paint you use.

Label The Prints

Write your child’s name next to their handprint in glitter paint and let it dry completely.

Cut An Ornament Out Of White Felt

Draw a Christmas ornament freehand on a piece of white felt and cut it out. You can also find templates for ornaments online, which you can cut out and trace if you prefer.

Decorate Your Ornament

Using glitter paint or fabric pens, decorate your ornament and let it dry completely.

Voila!

Glue your ornament on the skirt using fabric glue, let it dry and you are done!

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Then it hit me – why not use my original tree skirt? 

If your current skirt has a solid base without any patterns, you should be good to go. I used our red velvet skirt which has holly decorations scattered across and to be honest it was just perfect! It also saved me quite a bit of time and effort as I didn’t have to make my own skirt!