Precious little hands stay tiny for such a short while. I am so in love with making a keepsake of this very special time, of those amazingly beautiful little fingers and palms.

Pink rose petals in this dough are to symbolize love and motherhood, plus they give the dough a very delicate fragrance.

I did this simple little project both at home with my girls and at the preschool, making two different versions. At home we made a big plaque with both my big girls hands pressed into the dough, their thumbs overlapping. The kids at the preschool cut out hearts from the rosy salt dough and pressed their fingers into the dough. Both versions are totally cute and precious!

~ Materials ~

This makes enough dough for 15 hearts about 2" by 3" and one 8" by 6" plaque. You can cut the recipe it in half if you want!

4 cups of flour
2 cups of salt
1 1/2 to 2 cups of water, rose tea or rose-water for fragrance
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 to 3/4 cup of fluffy pink rose petals
straw
heart-shaped cookie cutter, optional
ribbons
sharpie marker, optional

~ Instructions ~

Blend together the flour, salt, cream of tartar and rose petals.

Next add the water a little bit at a time until you get a nice doughy consistency that holds together but is not sticky. I did this all in my Kitchen Aid the night before going into the preschool and it was easy! You could certainly mix this up with the kids too, which I am sure they would enjoy.

At this point you are ready to make your shapes and prints, or you can refrigerate the dough in an air tight bag if, like me, you won't be using it until the next day.

Roll or press the dough out.

Either shape the dough to desired shape or cut out heart shapes with your cookie cutter.

Press the child's hand into the dough. You may need to talk with them about spreading their fingers apart. Most of the kids I worked with instinctively placed their hand on the dough with their fingers all held together. Also you may need to help them press their fingers into the dough.

Use the straw to poke a little hole for hanging.

Dry these in the oven at a low temp for a couple of hours. Be sure to keep a close eye on them and flip them half way through the drying process. Or you can let them air dry for a couple of days.

Use the sharpie to write the child's name and their age or the date on the back of the heart/plaque and add a pretty ribbon for hanging.

You could also paint these with modge podge to preserve them. Or you could let the kiddos paint them to add a nice little personal touch. Because we used the roses we aren't going to paint ours so we can see and smell the roses!

A little poem to go with this sweet gift would be a lovely addition. I found all a wonderful collection of poems on Can Teach. Most of them make me tear up thinking about my own little ones growing up so very fast!