This personalized Tar Heel footprint decoration is so easy to make and assemble, you can get it accomplished in one day! The hardest part is waiting for the paint to dry. This would make a wonderful gift for any UNC fan, of course, but by default, if you’re a resident in North Carolina, you are a Tar Heel…even if you didn’t attend UNC. The history of the term has nothing to do with collegiate affiliation, and for further information, I suggest you read this article, as I found it most helpful. If you’d like to see how I make footprints with the little ones, check out this post I wrote for easy footprint cards.

How to Make a Personalized Tar Heel Decoration

Materials:

Sheets of canvas or high quality paper

Paint (preferably baby blue and black)

Paintbrushes

Containers to hold the paint

Baby Wipes

A blank background to work on (I used an old frame and construction paper.) UPDATE: I traded the construction paper for a plain black piece of acid free matte board.

Scissors

Tape (UPDATE: I used Mod Podge!)

Steps:

Step One: Gather your materials. For the initial steps you’ll need the paint, canvas, brushes, containers, and wipes. You’ll see in this picture that I combined white with blue to make the baby blue paint color.

Step Two: Using the brush, paint one foot of one person in the family blue. Using a separate brush, paint the heel of that foot black. Press the foot down on the canvas and release. Clean using baby wipes.

Step Three: Repeat Step Two until each member of the family has made a Tar Heel footprint. I made sure that I painted everyone’s right foot. You may want to paint the same foot or have everyone paint a different one. It’s up to you. Allow the paint to dry.

Step Four: Paint the words, “Home is where we hang our” with the blue paint. Go over the bottom of each letter with black paint to create the effect you see here. Paint the word “heels” with black paint. Allow the paint to dry.

Step Five: Once the paint is completely dry, cut around each footprint and each word.

Step Six: Figure out what space you are going to work with for your decoration. In this case, I wanted to use a custom frame I already had and was tired of the photo that was in it. I dismantled the frame and used the photo board as my space. I then covered up the existing picture with black construction paper. (UPDATE: Use acid free black matte board instead of construction paper!)

Step Seven: Configure the layout for your decoration. I thought this was the best for us. Once you decide, use Mod Podge to attach the canvas to your background.

Step Eight: Once you have everything in place, it’s time to frame your masterpiece!

Below you’ll seem some things I’d like to change on mine.

Wherever you hang your heels, I hope you remember this post if you’re ever thinking of something to make for a friend or family member from North Carolina!

If you’re interested in finding all sorts of things from all over this beautiful country, I encourage you to visit Beckie over at Infarrantly Creative. She’s about to begin hosting a State Pride Linky Party each Monday! I promise…if her State Pride Tour is any indication of what’s to come, you won’t be disappointed!

If you’ve ever been to North Carolina, what is your favorite thing about it?