Pawprint Keepsakes

I’m finally painting the paw print ornaments we did last year.  I did a set for Louie and I did one for my brother-in-law’s dog.  Here’s a picture but they aren’t finished yet.  The clear coat was a disaster.  I gotta get it off, touch up paint as required and use a new coat. 

But I wanted to show them to you.  These insanely cheap kits are AWESOME:

These kits are under $10 bucks.  It’s an extremely lightweight air-dry clay.  Lighter than playdough.  You make a little paw print and it dries and boom, paw print forever! 

Now at just that, they aren’t awesome.  You can see one I have one not painted in that grouping.  The all white.  It’s fun but not attractive.  It doesn’t stand out.  And Lord knows it’s not gonna be pristine white after you wrestle a fuzzy animal’s paw on it. 

But… Look at them painted! I use an enamel model paint kit and they look like really nice ceramics.  Of course they’re light as a feather and unbreakable, but that’s great for hanging on the tree! 

Here’s the initial kit with everything I bought years ago to paint some game tokens:

Testors Enamel Paint.

I’ve done these paw prints three times now.  Back in 2020, I did Jack.  Look how big his paw is compared to Louie!  Jack is the red and green and Louie’s are the other three small ones.

I’m repainting two of Jack’s.  This red one always needed a touch up on the back where I put it down too wet and some paint stuck to the surface.  His silver one has been a little totem I sleep with sometimes.  Perfect size to hold in my palm and press a finger into his little print. 

That’s another reason I think everyone needs to do these.  It was adorable when Jack was alive.  But after he died, it was a piece of him.  A tangible piece.  The vets did an ink print and even a sand print post mortem.  But I can’t touch those.  Also, that’s creepy.  I have the good memory of making this with him. 

Speaking on that memory, I have lessons.  Listen, I don’t know if I didn’t read the directions or they weren’t there, but with Jack I just smushed out balls of clay and stuck his foot in it.  But this shit sticks to everything like crazy.  So I ended up on the floor with flour everywhere pressing his foot into flour, then clay.  It was a mess.  And they are clearly not circles. 

The kits come with one big circle, but it’s way too big.  Even for the dog print I did there in red and black. 

So for Louie’s I used a very small glass to punch it out.  And this stuff takes forever and a week to dry, so if you fuck it up, mix it around and do some more!  I did a bunch for Louie and punched out the 5 best ones and am painting the best three. 

And this time (last year), I read the directions!  Everything sticks to this shit BUT NOT WATER!  So you get their paw wet (bowl of water) then press it down.  Bam!  Then get something with a circle, get it wet and cut it out.  The dog paw is lopsided because I used a bowl and couldn’t see the print.  And he thought it would be too traumatic to do it again. Which is kinda BS cause dogs love attention.  I did Jack’s like 10 times LOL.  I think Louie made out a little better. 

Oh and the nice clean ribbon holes? A straw.  Yep.  Wet the straw and stab it.  If the clay doesn’t come out, no biggie – you can still do more. 

So yeah, last year we did Louie and BIL’s dog.  I’m finally getting around to painting them so they can go on Christmas trees.  And, like I said, touching up two of Jack’s.  That silver enamel paint is my favorite but it just doesn’t dry solid like the others.  So after two years of me rubbing it in my hand, it needed a reshine.

Of course such a small painting project will go fast!  Nope:

Why do all craft projects end up vomiting over an entire room? 

Then, you ever have a jar that is stuck shut but you will have the last word so help you god? Fucking red. 

The jar opener and pliers combo started tearing into the metal lid.  So I was like fuck it – I’m stabbing it. 

And it was bone dry.  You win this round, Testors. 

So I had to use regular red paint to be redeemed with the clear enamel finish.  Only… The finish was way too old.  I mean this kit is over a decade old so the fact that only the gloss was messed up is a great testament.  I had just used all the red.  So now I ordered more clear gloss (and red – plus a few others I was low on).  When it gets here I can try to get the gloss coat off with paint thinner.  Then, I assume, touch them up before the new gloss.  I hope not too much because I did so good writing the names and dates on the back with the black paint marker!

But yes, this year MAKE THESE.  It’s adorable now and a precious memory when they are gone.  A little paint and you’re golden!  If I like you enough, mail it to me and I’ll use my enamel paint supplies to paint them and mail the back.  (Becki, you can have your kids paint them! Then after Christmas of them hanging on the tree, you could send them my way. I could fill in the printed part (if needed) and give it a few enamel coats for permashine)

I have three for each.  One for a Christmas ornament (Jack is green on red, Louie is red on gold).  One for the living room (Jack is white on black, Louie is white on dary grey).  Plus a bonus extra (Jack is black on silver and Louie is black on blue).