P w Print Flowers

By Ali Carlson and Megan Keller The Woman Today

When looking at fun, springtime art projects, we stumbled upon this cute idea of making flowers with paw prints. Thinking “This will be easy!” was perhaps a little presumptuous. We thought we'd be able to make one pawflower with each of our dogs’ paws; however, we ended up using just one pup. It's an adorable project, actually quite sweet once finished!

When dealing with your pets, some things are a bit more challenging! Megan's dog Sasha was the subject of this fun art project. Lucky for us, she loves to lay on her back, which made this a lot easier. We lightly painted her little paws with washable paint, placed a piece of paper on a hard-covered book and then pressed her paw firmly in place on the page.

After a few tries, they turned out just adorable. We painted a little flower stem to complete the look of paw-print flowers. We decided to frame this cute little art project as a great memory of Sasha.

"I highly recommend this project — though it can be a challenge — it's really fun to do. It’s like going back in time for art class in school," Keller said.

"I saw a version of this on Facebook and immediately thought it looked super fun to try! I used Crayola washable paint and it came off the paws super easy with a little water and wash rag," Carlson said.

Tips:

• Do not overpaint your pup’s paws — a little goes a long way. I thought it needed to be coated, but a lot of paint gets into the paw fur and then creates a big smudge on the paper.

One variation is to do this with your toddler's hands and feet, and turn them into flowers or, like a co-worker's grandson, a spaceship!

• Have something sturdy and flat to place under the paper to help get even pressure and coating when making the paw print.

• If you have multiple “models,” let your paint dry in between. It is much easier to avoid smudging.

• Treats are a must. All participants deserve a reward for their cooperation!

• You can also do this with your toddler’s handprint or footprint(see photos). D

Supplies

Water soluble paints (safe for pets)

Paint brush Paper