How to make a baby footprint. Do-it-yourself casts of children's arms and legs are frozen childhood memories. Self-hardening plastic product

Our children are the most precious thing in this world. Everything that is connected with the baby, I want to fix in my memory for a long time. This will help us imprint of salt dough, which is able to forever capture the hand or foot of a baby at a tender age. It will constantly remind you of hours and minutes dear to your heart. In addition, such a print will be an excellent gift for grandparents, and in the future it will be possible to demonstrate it to an already grown-up child.

Recipe number 1 - for simple crafts

• 200 g = (1 cup) flour
• 200 g \u003d (0.5 cup) salt (fine, not stone).
• 125 ml water

Please note that salt is heavier than flour, so they are the same in weight, and in terms of volume, salt takes about half as much.

For thin relief figures, add to your choice:

• 15-20 g (tablespoon) PVA glue or starch (tablespoon)
• wallpaper glue (previously mix it with a little water

Recipe number 2 - Strong dough for large products

• 200 g flour
• 400 g salt
• 125 ml water

Recipe number 3 - Dough for fine work

• 300 g flour
• 200 g salt
• 4 tbsp glycerin (available at the pharmacy)
• 2 tbsp glue for simple wallpaper + 125-150 ml of water pre-mix.

For kneading, it is better to use a mixer - this will simplify the task, and the dough will turn out better.

Universal recipe for salt dough

• 2 cups of flour (you can add dry starch to the flour without leaving the norm of two cups. For example, 1.5 cups of flour + 1/2 cup starch. With the addition of starch, the dough will become more elastic. Fine details are especially good from this dough e.g. flower petals);
• 1 glass of salt;
• 1 incomplete glass of water, approximately 180 g, you can add 2 tables. spoons of PVA glue. Instead of water, you can cook a starch paste.

Mix all ingredients.

Knead the dough until the mass becomes homogeneous and elastic, if the dough turns out to be watery, then you can knead it further, adding a little flour until it becomes elastic.

Water can be replaced with starch jelly, then the mass will be much more plastic.

Kissel is done like this:

Dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 1/2 cup cold water. Heat 1 cup of water in a small saucepan until boiling. Pour the starch solution into the boiling water, stirring. When the contents of the pan thicken and become transparent, turn off the heat. Let the jelly cool and pour it into the flour and salt mixture instead of water.

Salt Dough Coloring Methods

Salt dough can be tinted with food coloring, watercolor or gouache. You can also color while preparing the dough, introducing the dye during kneading, and already the finished product itself - on the surface.

An excellent chocolate color is obtained by adding cocoa. You can experiment with other natural dyes - soot, beet juice, carrots, ocher, etc. You can brown the salt dough product in the oven for a natural color.
When tinting, keep in mind that after drying, the color will become less saturated, but if you cover the craft with varnish, it will become brighter again.

What varnish can be used? Acrylic and artistic is very good. It is also possible to use a conventional water-based building material for breathable surfaces, i.e. for parquet or wood.

Features and methods of preparing puff pastry

There are a few things you can't do with salt dough. So, for example, you can’t add pancake flour (or flour with any other additives) to salted dough, since the figures will rise as a good dough for pies and crack when dried.

Also, you can not add iodized salt - large inclusions do not dissolve, subsequently the dough is not homogeneous - into a grain. Likewise, you can not add rock salt without first dissolving.

About water. In the test, it is best to use very cold water; be sure to add in parts of 50 ml after each addition, knead (due to the fact that different amounts of water may be needed for different flours).

Salt is first mixed with flour, and only then water is poured into the finished mass.

Salt dough is stored in a plastic bag or a tightly sealed container. It is better to take out salt dough from a plastic bag in small pieces, since lumps of dough quickly become covered with a crust and when rolled out or molded, these dry crusts spoil the look.

And one more thing: if the figures are thick (more than 7 mm), then after the first stage, you need to remove the excess dough from the back.

The dough may be too soft. Then proceed as follows: mix a tablespoon of flour with a tablespoon of salt at the bottom of a bowl. Press the ball of dough into this mixture and then knead it. Do this until the dough becomes more dense.

You can sculpt or cut out figures immediately on a baking sheet. The baking sheet should first be moistened with water, in which case bubbles will not form between the product and the surface of the baking sheet, therefore, the surface of the product will be even and stable.

Everything that falls off is just wonderful and, most importantly, it is not noticeably glued with PVA glue.

Swelling or crackling of salt dough crafts occurs in three cases:

1. If the flour is incorrectly selected. For greater strength, you can add rye flour to the dough (the color will be warmer and there should be no crackling, for example, a glass of ordinary + a glass of rye, 1 to 1); 50 gr. starch also give the dough elasticity and prevent cracking. You can also add PVA glue, since it also gives plasticity and prevents the dough from rising.

2. If drying is not done correctly.

3. If crackling occurs after painting, this means that the product is not completely dry (the product continues to dry and the air needs to go somewhere), so the surface of the paint or varnish is cracking. Do not rush to paint or varnish the product, so that later you do not regret and do not redo it.

How to dry salt dough

Drying is best in the air in natural conditions, but it takes a long time (complete drying can take a week or more, especially if the humidity during drying is high, as salt draws moisture), so you can dry it in the oven, following a few rules:

• The oven must be at the minimum temperature;
  It’s good if drying comes with the oven lid ajar;
• You can not put products in a hot oven immediately, heating should occur gradually. As well as pulling the product out of the oven, it is better if it cools down gradually instead of with the oven;
• It is ideal to dry in several stages: an hour dried on one side, turned the craft over, dries on the reverse side;
• The drying time of a salt dough product depends on the thickness of the product itself. And also from the applied manufacturing recipe. So, dough containing butter, cream, etc. dries much longer than dough without oil-containing additives;
• In order to avoid cracking of the product, it is possible to dry it in three to four stages, in the oven at the very minimum and always with the lid open for about an hour and a half, then a break for two or three hours, or all night, the craft dries itself, and then again turn on the oven to minimum with the lid open.
• With natural and oven drying, the craft must be rotated at each stage of drying, i.e. an hour dries with the front side, rests, at the next stage it is turned over and dries already with the reverse side.

As soon as you have a baby, be sure to make prints of children's hands and feet with your own hands! Time flies very quickly and the imprint of the baby's hand will no longer be repeated! Try to make a panel with prints in the very first days of the baby's life, because the kids sleep much better at first, and there is a little more free time.

It is best to make prints of the baby's hands in a dream, and then wipe your hands with wet wipes. The easiest way to make prints of the arms and legs of the baby is with paint. The “useful” of all, that is, completely harmless to the baby’s delicate skin, is to make prints on salt dough.

Salt dough recipe for prints:
Salt dough for prints is made in the most primitive way! Take the finest grinding salt and mix with flour 1 to 1, for example, a glass of flour to a glass of salt. And add a little water, kneading a cool dough. If overfilled, add flour. Then you can take a plastic container, place a cake of dough there, make an imprint, if necessary, cut a circle around it and put it in a dry place. Bake, as it is said in many master classes on casts of handles and legs from salt dough, no need! The dough will change its shape and the print will deform. After a few days, the print can be covered with acrylic paint and varnish on any surface (varnish is sold in hardware stores).

How to make prints from plaster with your own hands
I made these with my eldest daughter, but I didn’t really like the result, because they are quite heavy and then there is nowhere to put them. To make plaster prints of the arms and legs of a child, buy plaster at a hardware store (20 rubles a pack), dilute according to the instructions on the package. Pour into a beautifully shaped container - a round cup, for example, previously covered with cling film. Touch with your finger - after a few minutes, when the plaster begins to harden and becomes more dense, make an imprint with the hand and foot of the child, smeared with sunflower oil or a very greasy cream. Take it out of the mold. Ideally, use silicone molds.

And now I'm sharing my experience How to make volumetric casts of the arms and legs of the baby at home!

It so happened that I made prints of the children's hands of my children from salt dough when the youngest son was born. Then she left them to harden on the windowsill and safely forgot about them for several months. When I remembered my desire to make voluminous hands for babies, the size of the hands of the kids was not at all the same! But she took out the blanks from the dough and ... found that they were almost spoiled - some became soft, some completely softened, some still somehow held on with their last strength (here it is - minus the salt dough!). It was necessary to urgently save the situation. And I remembered that I had the cheapest self-hardening plastic, bought for training in sculpting doll heads, lying around for half a year.

Here it is in the photo, the pack was a kilogram (365 re), there are enough prints for 10. I bought in the Gostinka (St. Petersburg), in the department on the first floor with brushes, paints, etc. Those who live in another city will be able to order self-hardening plastic on the Internet or buy in large cities in stores with goods for artists. Doll-making stores will have better plastic and four times the price. Also in the photo - in the same department I bought the cheapest acrylic paints for any surface (92 rubles for the entire set. It will last 10 years if my daughter doesn’t get it).

And now about how to make a three-dimensional cast of a baby's legs and arms from plastic.

First, make prints from salt dough and leave them to harden. In general, you can varnish them, wash them after work and then give them as a keepsake to grandparents. I read on the Internet that I advise you to make the basis for casts from the same plastic. But, firstly, it is not very soft, and secondly, it does not smell very pleasant, so I didn’t want to touch the child’s skin with it.

She drained the oil, kneaded the plastic pancake and imprinted it in the print. That is, she pressed it well with her fingers so that it took the form of a child's hand. So that it would not break later, I added pieces of plastic to the washed one. I do not have a very smooth surface, since this plastic also lay in my not very well closed pack for more than nine months, so it was not very plastic and crumbled. Your print should repeat all the smallest folds of the baby's arms and legs.

I took out the imprint, after the oil it is removed easily.

Since my dough was already softened, I removed the crumbs with a cotton swab with oil. If you have a fresh print, and even varnished, you don’t need to do this.

I cut it out with an ordinary knife, left it to dry on a flat surface for several days.

Even the smallest can be involved in covering children's casts of arms and legs with paint, they will be happy to help!

Then I covered the plastic casts with two more layers of gold paint.

It is not necessary to varnish acrylic on any surface. Then all that remains is to make a beautiful panel! You can stick not only casts of arms and legs, but also photographs of children, some memorabilia, first socks and a pacifier ...

Ideally, glue with a hot gun (a small one in hardware stores, for example, I saw about 150 rubles in the Ob). You can use glue moment. For the background, take a very thick cardboard, but it is better to paint the thick base of the frame itself.

I still don’t know what kind of panel I want, I made a rough sketch for you. But, of course, I want to use paper, frames, etc. - in general, there is still a lot of work, but the result is worth it! And if you want to make three-dimensional casts of the child’s arms and legs as a keepsake that will remain intact until your very old age, it is best to use a deep frame for three-dimensional panels, in which the distance from the substrate to the glass is about 3 cm.

Successful creativity!
Even more master classes for children, with children and for yourself - in the Creativity section!
And delicious master classes in the rubric

Baby molds from puff pastry

This method is considered the cheapest, but it should immediately be noted that the material is short-lived. The dough can crumble after a few months, and the high humidity in the room will ruin it even faster. Of course, you can extend the life of the cast by varnishing it, but it will still serve you only a few years longer.

Making plaster molds

You can immortalize the arm and leg of your baby in the form of a cast using ordinary plaster, as in the photo. But this method is not ideal either. For example, if your baby suffers from allergies, you can not use ordinary building plaster. In addition, the casts are too bulky and heavy, and there is simply nowhere to put them later. However, we will tell you how to make it yourself.

First, we dilute the gypsum with water as indicated in the instructions. We take a form (for example, a round cup or a small saucepan), cover it with cling film and pour the gypsum.

When the mixture begins to solidify, we make an imprint. It is better to lubricate the baby's leg or arm in advance with fat cream or sunflower oil. When the mold is completely hardened, you can easily remove the pen from the mold.

Casts of children's hands and feet made of plastic

This is the most progressive way that will help you make a cast of a child's hand and foot at home.

First you need to make "rough" prints from salt dough. Some people recommend that they be made of plastic, but this material has a rather unpleasant odor and a hard consistency, so it is not known how your baby will react to them. PICTURE 5

Salt dough print should be well oiled. Take the plastic, knead it into a thin plate and fill in all the holes so that it exactly repeats the shape of a child's arm or leg.

When the mixture hardens a little, it can be removed and cleaned of excess dough with a cotton swab. Cut out the cast and leave to cool somewhere on the windowsill.

Now on sale there are even special kits that help you make casts with your own hands. They immediately provide a container and a mixture for the print. Therefore, if for some reason you do not trust the methods we have proposed, you can use the kit and make yourself a great keepsake.

Video how to make casts of arms and legs with your own hands

Time does not stand still, so it is important to remember every little thing about such an important thing as the childhood of your beloved baby. Many parents have a tradition of making prints of a child's hand or foot. But all the old methods are already outdated: for them it was necessary to prepare a solution on their own, which was far from always obtained, and the quality of such products left much to be desired. Over time, they began to crumble and burst.

Of course, there are special workshops that are ready to help you. Such services are very expensive and are only in large cities.

But in the modern world, everything is easier. There is a wonderful alternative to all methods: now you can make casts using a special children's kit without leaving your home.

What is a set?

The Mold Frame is the first set to create with your child to create lasting memories of tiny hands and feet. The set consists of a mass for modeling, an original panel for pleasant wishes, satin and adhesive tapes.

The set is for children, therefore it is presented in two versions with a unique design:

• for a girl - in pink;
• for a boy - in blue.

It is also important that the use of a special set is completely safe for health, since it does not contain harmful components for the skin. The set will be an unusual and stylish gift that you will surprise people with. These things are still new and not everyone knows about them. Do not be afraid to make original surprises. For example, both parents for the birth of a child, and grandparents for the first little anniversary of the baby. This decoration of the children's room will be a great addition to the interior.

To make a cast frame, you do not need to have any experience, the ability of a sculptor, or attend special courses. It is enough to carefully read the instructions, which are detailed on the kit.

Mode of application

The mass for modeling is completely ready for use, for convenience, it should be kneaded with your hands for 30 seconds and roll out a layer 2 cm thick. It remains only to attach a tiny hand or foot of the baby. For a successful result, you do not need to rush, however, it should be remembered that the mass dries quickly enough in air.

To create an impression of a hand, follow these steps:

1. Press your palm against the material so that a uniform outline remains. But not too much, be calm and patient, even if the child is mischievous. Do not be alarmed if the cast of the pen did not work out the first time: the mass can be re-kneaded and the creative process repeated.
2. Next, you should leave the mass in the open air until it solidifies completely (this will take no more than an hour), if desired, the resulting panel can be painted when everything is dry.
3. After sculpting, simply wipe your hands with a damp cloth. The mass does not leave marks or discomfort on the skin, so there is no reason to worry about the health of the baby.

Making an impression of the leg will require a little more effort:

1. This will require 2 people if the baby is still very small and does not stand on its own. Ask the child to raise and gently, fixing his lower leg with his hand, lower it onto the modeling mass.
2. Make sure that the child does not move his leg. If necessary, correct the contours with your fingers.
3. Next, wipe the skin with a napkin and wait for the material to dry completely. It remains to insert the cast of the leg into the frame from the set.

Kit Benefits

Compared with a number of its analogues, this tool has the following advantages:

• for him, it is not necessary to dilute the solution, soiling the house and exposing the baby to harmful components that are part of the building materials;
• no special skills required;
• the print of the handle or leg is ready in seconds;
• there is no need to buy additional parts - everything is already in the kit;
• value for money.

How to successfully make a cast?

In order for the cast of the handle or leg to turn out the way you want the first time, you need to follow some steps:

1. Take care of the calm state and mood of the baby. Prepare a toy or an interesting cartoon to distract him if you don't want to. But it happens that your fidget flatly refuses to participate in creativity. Just try to do it in a playful way or when he is sleeping. Casts of the whole family would also be a good idea.
2. Make it a tradition to make these memory frames as your baby grows, for example, in the first month of life and on the first birthday. Then in a few years the already grown up kid will study them with interest. Yes, and you will be surprised when yesterday's baby managed to grow up.

In the set there is a special panel for wishes. Ask close family and friends to leave a few sweet wishes for the future. Over time, it will be pleasant to reread them, gathering with the family. The panel has special holes for ribbons, so it will not be difficult to hang it on the wall.

Currently, many parents make casts of children's arms and legs with their own hands. Such a commemorative imprint looks very cute and will allow you to remember the wonderful moments of early childhood for many years.

Do-it-yourself casts of children's hands and feet

To make casts of handles and legs with your own hands, you do not need experience, you just need to carefully read the instructions. As a rule, kits contain all the necessary materials and tools. In addition, they often provide the opportunity to make several casts, because working with a child is completely unpredictable, and whether a perfect outline is obtained depends largely on our small models.

How to prepare for a do-it-yourself volumetric cast of arms and legs:

1. take care of the good mood of the little model;
2. you can use sleep time;
3. residue from the mixture after making can be difficult to wash off, so wear clothes that you don't mind getting dirty;
4. the participation of two adults is necessary - one to take care of mixing the ingredients, the second to hold the baby and distract him;
5. if you have touched the sides or bottom of the mold, you can pour plaster into it and then smooth out any imperfections with sandpaper;
6. the time during which the form completely hardens depends on the temperature of the water used - the colder the water, the longer it will harden, the warmer the water - the faster the material will harden, room temperature of the water is optimal;
7. make sure the containers are the right size for your baby's foot or hand.

How to prepare a child for making a cast of children's arms and legs with their own hands

How to prepare molds for casting casts for children with your own hands

To make an impression with your own hands, mix the mold powder with water in any container and pour into a closed plastic container, you can mix the mixture directly in the same container. Be sure to measure the ingredients accurately as a poor ratio can affect the final result. You can use a test sample, which is sometimes included with the kit, to have information about the curing process.

Wet the skin of children's feet or hands thoroughly so that they easily slide out of the hardened mold.

Thanks to this manipulation, your child will be able to get used to the temperature of the mass, in addition, we will minimize the risk of air bubbles that impair the quality of the product. Guide the baby's hand so that it slides accurately and gently into the prepared paste.

Don't worry if your child moves his arm. The beginning of the hardening process will show a change in the color of the paste, and this is the point at which the child should not make very sudden movements. After hardening (about 1-1.5 minutes), remove the handle. To avoid holes in the hardened form, guide the child's hand without touching the bottom or sides of the container.

How to prepare and pour plaster

Plaster pouring should not last longer than 5-6 minutes.

1. Prepare a plastic bowl, measure the right amount of water and gypsum in the appropriate proportions. Always add powder to water, not the other way around;
2. Pour the gypsum into the water slowly, with constant stirring, until the mass reaches the consistency of a very thin yogurt. Too intensive and long mixing can lead to the fact that the mass begins to harden already during pouring into the mold. Also, too much agitation can cause bubbles to form. If you see bubbles on the surface, tap the container a few times to get them out;
3. Initially, the plaster is very watery, but after a while it gently begins to thicken. Gypsum is ready when it reaches the consistency of pancake dough. Then, pour a small amount of plaster into the mold and carefully move the container in different directions so that the mass fills exactly each hole;
4. After filling the mold 1/3, tap the container on the table surface;
5. Pour the rest of the mass in batches;
6. Leave the container to harden for several hours.

How to avoid air bubbles in plaster?

Air bubbles spoil bulk casts, as a result, the plaster does not reach the fingertips, and the impression will not completely repeat the child's hand. This problem mostly occurs with pen impressions, as the toes are longer than those of the toes, and the cast does not always flow well into these holes.

You can use the following methods to avoid this:

In what position is it most convenient to make 3D casts

0-5 months. For the smallest children, it is necessary to carry out the procedure in a supine position, as for feeding.

5-12 months. Place the baby sideways on one knee to the parent, legs should hang freely. Make an "airplane": the parent holds the baby on his stomach with his hands, the arms hang freely. In a sitting position: the parent places the child on his knees, facing the table.

After hardening, carefully sand the product. After painting with paint, this treatment will become invisible.

How to make casts of arms and legs with your own hands

The resulting casts can be processed in different ways:

You can add photographs of a baby at the age at which the print was made, and create a themed background, such as a footprint in the sea sand.

The resulting souvenir will delight you, and you will be able to enjoy this memorable and beautiful thing for many years.