Valentines Fingerprint Canvas

My daughter is so excited for "Valentime's Day" and asked if she could paint some kind of project for the holiday. Of course, I said yes and immediately got out some supplies. Honestly, I'm not always too thrilled at the thought of a toddler getting into paints, but I totally trust Apple Barrel Craft Paint when it comes to kids crafts. They are water-based, so that means they are easy to clean with soap and water.

Apple Barrel paints come in a variety of colors and bottle sizes, and gloss or matte finishes. Out of my Apple Barrel paint collection, she chose to use Bright Magenta, Bright Red, and Aquamarine.

Next, I cut the "Love" Cricut design out of black vinyl on the Cricut and applied the vinyl to an 8x10 canvas. Be sure to press the edges down the best you can to prevent leaks!

Now, it's time for your child to get started! I poured some Apple Barrel Aquamarine paint on a plastic lid. Then, my daughter dipped her finger into the paint and dotted fingerprints all over the canvas. Some washable paints are pretty thin, but I was surprised to see that the Apple Barrel color went on smooth, and the color was quite vibrant compared to other brands.

Keep baby wipes close by to wipe up any spills, smears, or other paint messes. It wipes right up without any trouble at all!! When going around the edges of the vinyl, try not to get too heavy with the paint. Other than that, let them run free with their creativity!

Luckily, the paint dries pretty quickly, so we were able to move right along. I put the extra Aquamarine paint back into the bottle (just used my finger), then cleaned the lid with a baby wipe. I also used a baby wipe and her finger was totally clean! You could also take a little break to wash hands completely with soap and water. Then, I added some Bright Magenta to the lid, and let her keep painting.

I thought we were done, but she said "Valentime projects need red!!" So, I cleared off the Bright Magenta paint from the lid, wiped off her hand, and added a small puddle of Bright Red for her to work with.

We took a break to wash our hands, and when we came back the paint was totally dry. I used a vinyl hook tool to peel up a corner of the vinyl, then let my daughter peel up the rest. Luckily, there wasn't very many leaks at all!!

If you want to do any touch-ups, you can use some white paint to cover any leaks. This was my daughter's project, so I let her decide. She wanted to keep it like it is, leaks and all. I absolutely love it and she was so proud of herself when I hung it on the wall (which is probably the thing I loved the most).

This project could also be done easily with a school class. Just use a thicker paper and stencils, and have the children put their creation on display or send them home to be framed!