MommyStop Craft Corner: Baby Canvas Artwork

The Hubs celebrated a birthday this past weekend and while we agreed on giving each other pretty basic gifts, I wanted Mr. L to give The Hubs something very special and memorable (and not to mention easy and cheap as well!). I'm sure you all agree that when you have kids, having them create a gift for someone is almost always better than buying a gift and signing their name on the card.

So this year, I had Mr. L create a one of a kind piece of art and it was an absolute hit with the hubs! I thought I'd share the details here so all of you can create this same memorable gift for your loved ones (OR, if your hubs is reading this, maybe they can have your little one create one for Mother's Day!).

All you need is:

• 1 Canvas in any size (I used 8x10)

• A variety of finger paints (I picked up a 4 pack of Crayola paints at Target for around $5)

• 1 naked baby (Diaper only - this can get messy if you do it right)

• Enough newspaper to cover your table, floor and any other surface within SPLATTERING area!

• A variety of paint brushes (optional)

Just pour your paints onto paper plates and let your child choose which colors they want to use. Mr. L started out using some of the brushes I had, but quickly got down and dirty by using his hands. By the end of it all, I was squeezing whichever paint color he wanted to use directly on the canvas and letting him rub it around the canvas with his hands.

At one point, I turned away for a second and Mr. L did this:

Apparently, I should have covered his head in newspaper too!

I just realized that I don't have a picture of the finished product, but I'm sure you can use your imagination. The Hubs absolutely loved the gift and even took it to work with himself this morning to put up in his office (Score!). So if someone special in your life has a birthday or a celebration coming up, think of doing this simple craft! It's sure to be a hit!