This DIY footprint stepping stone is a perfect keepsake for the garden! Makes a really cute gift for grandparents and Mother's Day or Father's Day!

Footprint Stepping Stone


This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy here.


When my first daughter was about 9 months old, my husband and I made a stepping stone with her hand print on it and it was so cute. Four years later, I wanted to do a footprint stepping stone, with all three of our girls’ footprints on it.

This footprint stepping stone is a perfect keepsake for the garden! Makes a really cute gift for grandparents and Mother's Day or Father's Day!

I bought a stepping stone kit from Michaels for about $17 which came with the cement powder, a plastic mold, letter/number stamps, colored glass beads and mosaic tiles.


Following the kit instructions, we combined the cement mix with water in a bucket, stirred and poured into the plastic mold. The instructions said to place the glass decorations immediately, then wait 30 minutes before doing the letter or number stamps.

When we did the first hand print stone years ago we didn’t wait for the cement to set enough at first and it was so soft that it just filled in the impression in a few minutes. So this time we just waited at least half an hour before adding anything to the stone.

footprint stepping stone @ iwatchthemgrow.com

We did each of their footprints one at a time, placing it in the right spot carefully and then applying lots of pressure to have a good impression that will stay throughout the setting period.

I didn’t use any of the mosaic tiles because I wanted to keep it simple and have lots of room for the 3 footprints, so we just added a border with the glass marbles.

Next I stamped each kid’s first initial next to their footprint. I should have waited even longer before doing the stamps because they filled in quite a bit (as you can see in this picture) and I had to re-stamp them later when it was more set. I also added the year.

footprint stepping stone @ iwatchthemgrow.com

Then we let it dry for 48 hours before removing it from the plastic mold.

footprint stepping stone @ iwatchthemgrow.com

You could do this project for cheaper if you buy cement mix instead of a stepping stone kit. Check out this quick article with some good tips on how to make a stepping stone without a kit: DIY Stepping Stones with the Kids

I liked that my kit came with the mold, letter/number stamps, and just the right amount of cement to fit the mold, so the convenience of a kit is nice. I will keep the mold, stamps and leftover embellishments to use on the next stone 🙂

There are so many possibilities for this project! Here’s a couple of my favourite ideas for a footprint stepping stone :

  1. Make a butterfly shape with the footprints by putting the left foot on the right side and right foot on the left side, close together to look like wings. Then create the body and antennae of the butterfly with glass marbles or other decor. You could also surround the butterfly with a mosaic of colored glass.
  2. Make a stepping stone path using one footprint stone for each year. It shows the growth of your child’s feet over time and would be such a special keepsake project to have in your yard!

Check out this tutorial with a couple of neat design ideas: Our DIY Heart Handprint Stepping Stone

Remodelicious Butterfly Stepping Stone

This footprint stepping stone would be a really special gift Grandma, Mom, or any gardener in the family, but don’t forget to make one or two for your own garden! I don’t know why I haven’t been doing these with my kids for the last few years, but I plan on making more each spring for a special addition to our yard.

Footprint Stepping Stone Keepsake Project from I Watch Them Grow

Pin It:

This DIY footprint stepping stone is a perfect keepsake for the garden! Makes a really cute gift for grandparents and Mother's Day or Father's Day!

 


Courtney

Courtney shares party inspiration, DIYs, and free printables on her blog, and designs art and party printables for her Shop. She loves Farmhouse home décor, photography and movies.

All posts

8 Comments

  • Aria @ Remodelicious February 24, 2015 at 1:57 pm

    Wow, your stepping stone is adorable! Thank you for the link to our butterfly stepping stone & other designs. 🙂

    • courtney February 25, 2015 at 8:44 pm

      Thanks! I love all your stepping stone designs, and you’ve inspired me to make it an annual project so thank you for that!

  • […] Footprint stepping stones for the garden via iwatchthemgrow.com […]

  • […] Footprint Stepping Stone Tutorial  via I watch them growCement Stepping Stone Tutorial via Skip to my […]

  • […] DIY Footprint Stepping Stone- perfect for summer. […]

  • Patricia June 24, 2015 at 4:39 am

    your stepping stones are beautiful—hope to make some memories with my grandchildren this summer

    • I Watch Them Grow June 24, 2015 at 10:14 pm

      Thanks Patricia! Kids love getting to help make these and step on their old footprints as they grow, so much fun, have a great summer with your grandkids!

  • Michele Morin April 25, 2016 at 11:24 am

    Fun! Can’t wait to try this with my grandboy!

  • Leave a Comment

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Sign up for Access to the FREE Printables Library

    and monthly party tips, DIY and inspiration!

    Your email is protected from spam.

    Hi!

    Welcome to my blog iwatchthemgrow.com! Meet Courtney

    Top Posts

    Free Printable Frozen Build-A-Snowman Kit Labels
    How to Throw a Fabulous (and Frugal) Frozen Birthday Party
    40 Awesome Ice Cream Party Ideas
    20 Must-Have Ideas for Your My Little Pony Party
    Adopt A Puppy Party Ideas
    Budget Friendly Princess Party Ideas
    Footprint Stepping Stone
    My Little Pony Rainbow Dash Birthday Party Printables
    Fairy Tea Party Ideas
    15 Easy Birthday Photo Ideas

    New to the Shop

    ×