Ali's foot prints

When Ali was born, a good friend of ours (thanks Maria) bought us a footprint/handprint tile set. We didn't have a chance to play with it until last weekend. I thought there is some kind of crazy contraption that involves five thousand things, but it turned out to be a really simple thing to do. In fact, it's so simple I think every one should be able to do this at home and it probably costs less than $10!

Here are the steps:

1. Use a piece of sandpaper to lightly scrub the surface of the porcelain tile.

2. Use white vinegar to wash the surface. Let it dry.

3. Use an ink pad (that is good for embossing, make sure it is the washable kind since you don't want your baby's hands to be black for too long) and rub it on your baby's hands or feet.

4. Have your baby stamp her hands/feet on the tile.

5. Sprinkle embossing powder on the stamped image on the tile.

6. Put in the oven for 5 minutes (set at 350F). Let it cool for 15 minutes.

Here is the end product:

From our experience, we find it EXTREMELY difficult to get the hand prints. Being an angry baby, Ali likes to hold her fists real tight. We gave up after a few tries and decided to do foot prints instead. Even that was a little tough since she was kicking her feet like crazy. I would strongly suggest the parents not to wear anything nice in this process as it does get messy. Have fun!