Tree skirt

So the year that I was pregnant with Ethan, or the year he was born I saw in one of those parenting magazines where some one had a tree skirt that every year they would paint their kids hands and add the hand print to the tree skirt. I loved this idea and started it that first year with Ethan. I have done it every year and added each kid as they were born. They love this tradition to because every year when we get it out they measure to see how much their hands have grown from last year, and how much since they were a baby. Last year my skirt was looking pretty ragged because the one I started with was pretty cheep, and I couldn't wash it or the paint would come off.... SOOOO I had this great idea! I went and bought this great big piece of white felt, and giant pieces of red and green. Then I chopped up my old skirt. I cut out all those tiny hands, and traced them onto the red and green felt and stitched each name and year on each hand. I hot glued them on to the skirt. (yeah hot glue don't laugh! It was just to hold them still so I could stitch around them with out having to pin a million pins in it!) I stitched them  all on then I stitched a little green and red around the edge. Now every year I just need to add their new little hands. I have room for about 2 more years then we will start a new row! I love it it looks better then my old one and brings me happiness when I look at it! That and lots of memories of little babies and growing kids!

In this picture you can see a foot print. The year Hayden and Ruth were babies they were so little they wouldn't flatten their hands out for a hand print so we did foot prints for them that first year.