When my little one was smaller the first time I ever made a handprint Christmas tree with her. We dipped their tiny hands in green paint and pressed those prints out to make Christmas trees the kids loved it. We did not only make those gorgeous decorations, we made memories to last us a lifetime. And now I want to bring you that joy and playfulness. In this post, I will guide you through everything you need to know to make your own Christmas Tree Handprint including the supplies needed, a DIY Guide, some fun variations and tips and tricks for a successful print. So without further ado, let us allow our hands to get some holiday crafting on. princeprincessm Home Improvement.
Materials Needed
So before we make our Christmas tree handprint lets get all the supplies ready. As someone who has made a million handprint projects over the years, I can assure you that have everything prepped ahead of time ensures a much smoother and enjoyable process.
A. White Card Stock Paper
For this, I recommend white card stock paper as a good starting point. While being durable enough to withstand the paint without bending or warping, this material also makes for a clean and crisp backdrop for your handprint tree.My First Christmas Tree: Prince Albert Queen.
B. Washable Paints
With the paint, I’m a fan of washable. They are also very easy to clean up if you spill them – something particularly useful for kid’s crafts.
| Paint Type | Pros | Cons |
| Tempera | Vibrant colours, washable | Can crack when dry |
| Acrylic | Long-lasting, bright | Not easily washable |
| Finger paint | Kid-friendly, washable | May not be as vibrant |
C. Brush
You must have a decent brush. I typically use:
- A wider brush for the hand
- A thinner brush for details
D. Decorative Items
Decorations — Now we get to the fun part. I love using:
- Some sprinkles of gold glitter to celebrate
- Ornaments with sequins or mini pom-poms
- Ribbon for garland
Now that we have all these materials, let us go ahead and make our handprint Christmas tree! Now, let’s get started as we walk you through how to make this cute craft step by step. Home Decor,
Step-by-Step Instructions
On to Making our Handprint Christmas Tree This step-by-step guide walks you through every step to help make this craft one that is fun and a success.
A. Prepare the Workspace:
Always, the first is to be on a clean flat surface. I protect my work area by spreading newspapers or a plastic disposable cloth픢 to prevent paint spills. I keep all the materials handy right in front of me.
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B. Paint the Hands:
- Then I drizzle a bit of green paint onto a paper plate.
- I paint the palm it and the fingers with a very light coat using my foam brush.
- I avoid the thumb and try to get all over the hand.
C. Create the Handprint Tree:
- I then slowly but firmly press the painted palm onto your choice of canvas or paper, preferably from bottom to top.
- do this, overlapping the handprints a bit each time, until it starts to shape up like a tree.
- To avoid any ink smudging, I let each layer dry before applying the next.
| Layer | Number of Handprints | Position |
| Bottom | 3-4 | Side by side |
| Middle | 2-3 | Slightly overlapped |
| Top | 1 | Centred |
D. Decorate:
After I let those green handprints dry, I like to add some festive flair:
I add colourful ornaments of a respective paint colour using a Q–tip.
At the bottom of each tree trunk, I add brown for the trunk.
Finally, I put on a top yellow star.
Now that we have our tree, it is time to start adding some embellishments to make your handprint Christmas tree shine. Holidays
Decorate Your Handprint Christmas Tree
You have your basic handprint Christmas tree craft, now it is time to make it holiday festive! This is my favorite step because it’s where your creativity comes to play! However, before we even begin with that, we’ll make sure to add plenty of color in the form of ornaments and let’s help your tree shine bright.
A. Add colorful ornaments
Q-tips are a great tool to use to add small round baubles to your handprint Christmas tree. Here’s how I do it:
Select colourful ornaments
Set your Q-tip in the colour paint you want to use
Use a Q-tip to dab small circle ornaments on the tree
Continue with other colours, randomly dispersing them over the tree.
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To help you visualize the process, here’s a simple guide:
| Colour | Placement | Technique |
| Red | Top | Small dabs |
| Gold | Middle | Slightly larger dots |
| Blue | Bottom | Mix of sizes |
| Green | Throughout | Sparse, for contrast |
Some of the ornaments I like to paint using gold glitter paint. This gives an ethereal sparkle that reflects the light. Again, this is your tree, so be creative and use different colours and techniques. You can even paint little hand-printed stars with your finger.
Variations
After doing the simple handprint Christmas tree, here are some great variations to add some more creative flair to your own project.
A. Handprints replaced by Fingerprints
A more delicate version is to use fingerprints rather than full handprints, and I do these often. This practice lets you add more detail; it can make for a phenomenal micro-forest effect. Here’s how I do it:
- Dab some green paint on each fingertip
- For the triangle on the staircase, press fingerprints in motion
- Sprinkle red, gold or silver dots for ornaments
- Use the trunk of the tree by making it with a brown paint stick Q-tip
Great for small canvasses or if you want to do a few trees on the same piece.
B. Use of Aprons
To go beyond the canvas with our handprint Christmas Tree idea, I also use aprons as my canvas sometimes. That becomes an edible artwork you can wear while chopping, cooking or crafting this holiday season.
Tips for Success
Since we have been working on our handprint Christmas tree, I want to share some tips for having fun and creating success with the project. So that you will turn out to be a beautiful memory that you can keep for many years.
A. Use Washable Materials
It is something that you got to be mindful about when you are going out for painting. That really makes clean up so easy especially if you’re doing this with kids. It really comes in handy when you have an accidental spill or some messy little hands around.
B. Allow Proper Drying Time
From my experience, the drying time takes patience. Ideally, I would leave the paint to dry for a good few hours (2-3) before putting any decorations on top. This eliminates smears and guarantees your end item appears neat and tidy.
C. Encourage Personalization
It amazes me each time how the trees all end up looking quite similar yet very different at the same time depending on the creativity of each child. Here are some ideas for personalization:
Ornaments in your favourite colours
Add family members’ names
Include pet paw prints
Use some holiday symbols (stars, snowflakes, etc.)
Conclusion
I truly enjoyed this an what a lovely little Christmas tree handprint project to have looking back on. This is a simple yet totally adorable casual craft, and one of my top few favorite holiday traditions. It not only makes a pretty holiday decoration, but it also preserves special memories that I can hold on to for years.
