DIY Finger Print Table Runner

This post may include affiliate links. See my full disclosure here.

This easy, kid-friendly DIY for mom (or any special woman in your family’s life) is part of the #HallmarkForMom shop compensated by #CollectiveBias and its advertiser. All opinions are my own.

May is a big month here at our house: my birthday, Mother’s Day this Sunday the 14th and today is our 13th anniversary! We also have several other birthdays and occasions so I’m often planning gifts weeks ahead of time to lessen the chaos factor.

I’m loving this fun table runner that the kids and I came up with for my mom this Mother’s Day. It would also be a great birthday gift for any mom or Grandma. I find myself cursing my kids’ dirty little fingerprints that I find all over my house but this project takes those cute little fingerprints and turns them into something adorable! This was a fun, short little afternoon project for the kids and me and they all loved it. We were thinking about getting her a little extra present from somewhere like Likenessme, where you can personalize your own bobblehead, or maybe even some custom made jewelry but we ultimately decided to go with just the DIY project.

We also picked up some Hallmark Signature cards at Walmart to go along with our gifts because my mom always told me that reading the card was the best part of getting a gift. As a kid, I never really believed that (how can a card be better than a PRESENT??) but now I feel exactly the same way. There’s nothing I love more than reading a sweet note from one of my kids. It makes cleaning all those sticky fingerprints more than worth it! I also really relish the chance to sit down once a year to put my feelings for my own mom into writing.

Walmart has an awesome selection of Hallmark cards (they’re offering an entire line of new Mother’s Day cards), from hilarious birthday cards for kids (we also grabbed one for a birthday party we were headed to) to seasonal cards and more. Is anyone else guilty of just sitting in the card aisle and reading funny cards for a half hour?? Grab coupons and find tons of creative gift giving ideas for mom here!

You guys ready for the DIY? It’s SO easy!

Supplies:
4-5 colors of fabric paint
2-4 yards of woven fabric (depending on the size of the table)
5-7 yards of decorative trim or bias tape

1. First determine the desired length and width of your table runner. I made mine 20″ wide and 120″ long (10 feet). Also decide where you want your decorative flowers to be. I had to piece my table runner together from 2 pieces of fabric, so I covered the seams with some leftover bias tape and decided to have the kids make the flowers in between these two strips of bias tape.
2. Squirt a little fabric paint on a paper plate and show the kids how to make the flowers. Simpy press a finger pad into the paint, tap off any excess and then press your fingerprint on the fabric. One fingerprint makes the center of the flower, and 5-6 surrounding prints make the petals! Easy peasy. The kids really got a kick out of making rainbow colored flowers and even mixing some paint colors. Just watch the littlest ones to make sure they don’t wipe their fingers on the fabric to clean off excess paint (thanks, Vivian).
3. Once the flowers are all done, let the fabric dry completely and then you’ll need to set the paint with an iron. Just lay a scrap piece of fabric or an old towel over the paint and press with a hot iron for 5-10 seconds. Voila! Paint is set and your table runner is now washable.
4. Add your decorative trim or bias tape to the edges. I used double fold bias tape here (just sandwich the raw edge of the table runner with the bias tape and stitch close to the folded edge of the tape) but I also love the idea of using ric rac, pom-poms or tassels! Just be sure to finish the raw edge of your fabric first if you won’t be enclosing it inside bias tape. A zig-zag stitch works fine for this.Now package it up in a cute gift bag and grab a Hallmark card from Walmart to tell your sweet mom how much you appreciate her putting up with your crap over the years. And don’t forget to add a little chocolate.
   Chocolate always wins!