A Handmade Christmas: Children's Art

I can not take credit for the following ideas, but I'm happy to share nonetheless. While we don't have children, we know many people who do, so hopefully these ideas will jump start your creativity and if they're old enough, even get your children involved in making gifts with you.

Children's artwork and projects can make wonderful gifts for family, especially the grandparents and aunts and uncles. We all know that grandparents love everything about their grandkids (even at 27, I know this goes well beyond childhood, but we'll stick with the childhood theme for now.)

This first idea is from my cousins (hi Erick and Jenny!). The other day I received a note in the mail and opened it to find a colored drawing that their daughter, Elise, made for me. She's 3, so obviously Jenny helped with writing the note to me, but Elise signed her own name. (Thank you Elise for my artwork!) The note mentioned how much fun we had at the beach this summer and was such an adorable surprise to receive in the mail. As it turns out, Elise colored pictures for much of the family and Jenny was sweet enough to mail them to all of us. I think this could be a wonderful idea for Christmas as well. Whether your children are 3 or 13, you could put together a scrapbook of artwork, make a collage, frame a special drawing, or simply send it along with the family Christmas card. The kids can help pick which pieces to send and it's a great way to share the 100s (so I'm told) of things they bring home from preschool and elementary school.

If your children are not of preschool age yet, I have another idea. I saw this one on a blog I read and have to pass it on. This mother is quite the artist. She creates drawings and other designs using her daughter's hand and footprints. It's an artistic way to capture a moment in time. Her hands and feet will never be this little again and the design options are limitless. These are specifically for Halloween and the fall, but you could easily use the idea for Christmas.

Here she used footprints to make ghosts on a pumpkin with the saying "Trick or Treat. Smell My Feet." And pilgrims and wheat stalks for fall and Thanksgiving decor.

And here she used handprints to make a wreath.

And one last idea from Etsy...custom silhouettes of your children. There are several shops if you search "custom silhouette" but this one stood out because she has a one week turnaround once she receives your pictures and oh, she's in Greenville too! A lot of the shops use stock images similar to clip art for the silhouettes, but this artist does it from your personal images. Read all the info on her listing for the details, but her shop can be found here and the custom silhouette item listing here.

And if your creativity is escaping you for the moment, framed photographs of the kiddos are always a much appreciated gift. If you're interested in using a photo of your family or your child on a custom Christmas card this year, don't forget Fostering Creativity.