How to Make Baby Footprint & Handprint Keepsakes - Salt Dough Footprint Keepsakes

I have never thought of creating anything like this even in my dreams. Thank god one of my reader send me a mail and asked me about this. That is the time i researched in google and found this cool way for taking prints of babies foot and hands for keepsakes. I was so excited and immediately got into action. 

The one struggle which i went through is maha is so naughty she didn't cooperate with me properly, so i have to keep on redoing it again and again.I am sure your baby wont be that naughty, if they are just do what i did. I took this top print when she is sleeping. Peace and Perfect..

I was so excited and so happy to keep these with me till my life. The one thing which i felt so badly is, why i didn't came across this before. Because i missed those tiny hands and foot so badly..But no worries, atleast i get a chance to take them now..

Preparation Time : 15 mins
Baking Time : 6 to 8 hours

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour / Maida - 1 cup

Fine Salt - 1 cup

Warm Water - 1/2 cup

(If you dont have measuring cups, dont panic. Just use the same cup to measure all the ingredients)

Method;

Preheat oven to 100 Degree C.

Take salt and flour in a bowl. Mix well. Add warm water slowly and knead it to a firm and soft dough. Knead this dough for 5 more mins.

Now divide the dough into balls.

Place a ball into a bowl and flatten it, you can roll this into the shape u like using a rolling pin as well.

Now make your babys foot or hand impression.

Place this in a foil lined baking sheet andput it in the center rack of the oven. Let it slow cook and dry out for 8 to 10 hours.

Remove from oven and let it cool overnight.

Now paint it using acrylic colour and let ur imagination do the thing.

You can stick this in a cardboard sheet using double side stickers and frame it.

Other variations:

1)Before baking, you can make holes on the top of the dough so you can hang it after it is baked.
2)You can make small pendantor whatever u like using this dough. 
3)You can use a marker to write the date, year, baby's name, weight on the back side of the prints using a permanent marker..

Things to remember:

1)Dont increase the temparature of oven. If you do, then the dough will cook and get brown. They wont dry up.

2)Knead the dough really well so it is smooth.

3)Use the same cup to measure all the ingredients.

4)Dont mess with the measurement, it has to be perfect. Because it will affect the texture of the prints.

Pictorial:

you need all purpose flour,salt and warm water

Take flour in a bowl

Add in salt

mix well

Add in warm water

add slowly and knead it to a dough

now it has come together

You have to knead this dough for 5 mins or so

I kept on kneading dough and watching maha..

now finally the dough is kneaded well

divide it into two balls

You can simply roll the dough and make any shape, but this is a method i found on the internet

place a ball of dough on a bowl

press it out

now it is evenly spread out

flip over so you get a smooth top side

now this look kind of good for me

now i took maha on my hands and pressed her foot over the dough

i got the foot prints perfectly

i struggled a bit to take the handprint..since she didn't cooperate with me that good

after so many trials, i finally managed to get the handprint

i lined the baking sheet with parchment, u can line it with foil..You have to preheat oven to 100 degree C. NOT MORE THAN THAT

place the dough over the sheets

put it in the oven for several hours..Mine took around 8 to 10 hours

this is how it looks once it comes from the oven, rock hard 

cool this down and use acrylic paints to give a shiny coat over this..I used fevicryl acrylic colours
You can frame this as well..