I was waiting for the perfect day to attempt some barefoot and crazy DIY wrapping paper with my kids. I wanted a day when they were calm, quiet, and focused. Well, I gave up on waiting for that and just got to the wrapping paper! It was so very much fun—and really wasn’t as messy as I thought it would be!

Before we dive into it, be sure to get your FREE Sample from Christmas School! It includes the topic all about reindeer and some beautiful watercolor vocabulary cards as well. Grab the sample below, and if you love it—which I know you will!—you can get the full version right here: https://shop.howweelearn.com/products/christmas-school

Each year, we try to make a few special sheets of DIY wrapping paper to wrap certain presents. We usually do handprints or let the kids paint and decorate some brown kraft paper.

But… when I saw these adorable snowmen over at Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails years ago, I decided we would have to do that for our homemade Christmas wrapping paper! Funny enough, as I went back to Frogs and Snails to link to their snowmen, I realized that they were not footprints at all!  Anywho—still adorable and still sparked my idea!

How to Make Footprint Snowman DIY Wrapping Paper

I chose a day that my husband was home and I had had two cups of coffee. I believe these two factors were key to our success.

Then, I rolled out the craft paper. We rolled out about 15 feet or so at a time.

At first, I tried to paint Sammy’s feet and have him walk (he chose to run) down the paper. The paint came off his feet so quickly that we decided it would be better for him to just step in a dish of paint. It did work much better.

He stepped in the squishy paint and walked up and down the paper. Then we would roll more paper out and keep going.

Benjamin objected to having his toes painted, which was actually okay with me… he is very quick for a baby!

When we were done, I performed the “catch and scoop method” and took those painted toes right to the bathtub.

After the paint had dried on the homemade wrapping paper, I used Sharpie markers to draw a nose, eyes, buttons, and arms. Then I cut some ribbon to add a little 3D effect for a scarf. I am very happy with the result! And I know Grandma will be, too!

As I get older, I have started to appreciate these simple, fun traditions. Making wrapping paper is something we do each year, yes, but I hadn’t really thought of it as a tradition. But I really think my kids will. They will look back fondly on those crazy mornings with painted toes and Christmas carols playing. And so will I!

Thank you so much for reading, sweet friend,

xo
Sarah