Little Pink Hands

Okay so they really aren't pink hands, but I really liked that title so I had to stick with it :-). I got the inspiration for this project after seeing all these word arts everywhere. I really do like them, but I've been thinking of doing something with the same feel but more personal. I got this idea last week and I already had bought a frame from the local Goodwill store for $7.99 for a different project that never happened, so this was really meant to be.

I have to confess that things didn't turn out exactly as I pictured, but I am really happy with how it turned out, imperfections and all. I think it turned out beautifully, and really how can it not with my babies as the subjects :-).

First I thought I'd dip their hands in paint, and have them on the frame, but after careful consideration I had several holes in that plan. One, Zahra is 8 months, has her hands in fists most of the time, especially when you prompt her to open them up.  Then there's the safety issue, cleaning up, and I know I can't have her do it without having paint all over the board.

I used matte finish for the pink background and a high gloss white that I had left over from a previous project. I wanted the hand print to have a "wet" look effect, and it does, even though it doesn't really translate in the pictures.

So my solution was to do a tracing of their palms, cut it out, then paint the trace on the board.
It was a longer project than anticipated, but you know things don't always go as planned, and thats okay too. The old me would have gotten frustrated that things weren't as perfect as I planned, but I've learned that letting things be just as they were supposed to, is even better than whatever master plan we might have.

So...

via artylicious

 I kept calm and wished I had a cupcake :-).

(Images by Fatou Bah except as noted)