Snowman & Rudolph Handprint Ceramic Christmas Plate

Ask any mother or grandmother around what are the best gifts they have ever received. Their reply will most likely be those gifts that were homemade and from the heart. These kinds of gifts carry so much meaning and can be treasured throughout the years. If you are looking for a sweet and unique homemade gift idea, try making handprint art on any kind of ceramic dish. Preserving your child's handprint is a wonderful way to remind you and others just how small your kids use to be.

What Kind of Paint to Use on Ceramic Dishes?
You may be wondering what kind of paint to use on your ceramic dishes. I suggest choosing an enamel acrylic paint. This kind of paint is a little more expensive than your standard acrylic paint, but it is more durable and scratch resistant. You also can wash these dishes on the top shelf of your dishwasher once they are dried and cured in the oven.

If you are planning on using these dishes around food, you need to make sure your ceramic paint states toxic-free and safe to use around food. Some ceramic paints contain harmful ingredients that should never be used near food. If you are hand painting a ceramic dish for home decor, you do not have to worry about the toxic-free label.

How to Paint Child's Handprints on Ceramics
To get started making handprint art on a ceramic dish, you will first need to gather all the necessary supplies and decide what kind of dish you are going to paint. Be sure the dish has been thoroughly washed and dried. You also need to wipe it down with alcohol and a paper towel to remove any hidden residue.

Before attempting to make the handprints, make sure to wash your child's hand. Dirt and oil from his or her hand could potentially affect the quality of the paint. Below are the supplies you will need and step-by-step directions for painting your ceramic dish.

Supplies:
• Ceramic plate
• Acrylic paint – white, black, orange, red and blue (for snowman) - brown, black, white and red (for reindeer)
• Paintbrushes
• Permanent Marker
• Alcohol
• Paper towels

Directions:
1. Wash and dry ceramic dish. Wipe down dish with alcohol and a paper towel to remove any residue.

2. After washing your child's hand, use paintbrush to cover the hand completely with white or brown acrylic paint.

3. Press child's hand firmly down on the plate. The gloss on the ceramic plate makes it slippery but try to keep the hand from moving.

4. If you want to start again: Quickly wash platter with warm water or use alcohol to help remove paint.

5. Paint hats, scarf, eyes, buttons on the snowmen, or eyes and big red nose on the reindeer.

6. Write title with Permanent marker.

7. Once satisfied with the design, set plate on baking pan. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes on 300 degrees. Do NOT preheat the oven. Let the plate gradually warm with the oven to prevent cracking or shattering.

8. Carefully take the pan out of the oven and set aside in a safe area to allow the plate to completely cool.

Other Ideas:
Birthday – Balloon Hand prints (Happy Birthday)
Mother’s Day – Flower Hand prints (Happy Mother’s Day)
Thanksgiving – Turkey Hand print (Happy Thanksgiving)
Veterans Day – Red White and Blue Hand print (My Hero)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!