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Creating your own baby footprint clipart is not something that many people first consider when discussing computer graphics or clip art. Free baby clipart is actually something that can be beneficial to people on many different levels. Baby clipart is a very popular subject online. Whether the baby clip art is being sold online or given away on free clipart websites, the fun in making as well as the benefits go well beyond money or art.

To create a genuine work of art using your baby’s footprint, some tools will be necessary. Paper, ink, a small paper plate, a scanner and a good graphics software program should all be readily available. Printer Ink can be used if you buy it in bulk and for this purpose, the paper plate should be used. If the baby’s foot is small enough, some ink pads may be available that are large enough to accommodate the baby’s foot. There are the popular imprint kits available if you need to simplify this step. Graphics programs like Picasa created by Google for Windows-based computer systems, and the more comprehensive GIMP (for both Linux and Windows based programs) are both free and have a very low learning curve. More advanced graphics programs are also readily available for a reasonable price – so you don’t have to hand over hundreds of dollars for the Adobe Photoshop – excellent though it is.

Paper to Foot
When the baby’s foot (or feet - also hand depending on the preferences of the person creating the imprint clipart) is inked up, probably the most practical next step is to bring the paper to the foot. You can carefully smooth out – almost gently stretch the foot and apply some degree of firm pressure to ensure a more thorough image without missing the foot arch and other hollows.

OR Foot to Paper?
The family fun way and more suitable for older infants is: the child should be helped to step on and walk across the paper (though numerous sheets of paper together may be advisable depending on the baby in question) and there should now be a complete selection of baby footprints to choose from. The creator then only need allow their mind to wander some, as if staring off into the clouds to see what their imagination may see. Just remember that if you drift off too long, you’ll likely find a lot of extra inky prints in places you weren’t wanting! So keep the camera or video to hand to snap and scoop up any extras!

Once the ink has had sufficient time to dry, place the paper containing the baby’s footprint onto the scanner and scan a copy. The graphics program can then be used to manipulate the picture, cropping, cutting and pasting as may be necessary for the free clip art that is to be created. The baby foot print clip art can then be manipulated so as to fit many different categories of clipart. In addition to all of this, a viable and legal record of the baby’s footprint is now in existence should anything untold ever happen to the child.

Can you recall your earliest memories?
How often are you not quite certain whether it is the actual event you remember, or just the photo of it? Yes - pictures, videos and images can hold the key to many a graphic memory - and all the more so as we enter the helter skelter of modern day living with its bombardment of fragmented audio-visual media clips. So…

Make and enjoy the artistic embellishment - the fun of playing around with graphics as a dual purpose, for:

- The Relaxation of Participating in Family Matters, Bonding Emotions and Family Values
whilst
- Creating Graphic Mnemonics, or should that be Mnemonic Graphics with Family and Baby Images, Imprints and Crafts.

Nurturing Our Family Environment
By far the most popular use that parents find for their very own baby’s footprint image is by combining it with a baby footprint poem. These two - picture and poetry - automatically bond to become a lasting keepsake that can be framed and displayed in a cabinet, on a shelf or your desk; it can also be hung on the wall. While it may grow dusty there, as do our memories with the passing of years zooming by, every so often you will catch a glimpse of the image - stop - and read the poem.

Floods of Joy Further Our Natural Family Bonding
Don’t be surprised to feel the seeping joy of your eyes growing misty and your heart warming as your memories are re-awaked and clarified again. Family life should contain refreshing moments like this as you feel yourself being transported back to the early days of your baby’s life on earth and the first flushes of parenthood. Dwell in those moments, allow the thoughts to brew and add more strength and flavor to your day.

Crafting  a Poem With Wispy Words While Surfing with Waves of Emotions

- First make the mood or atmosphere: - find a way to get back in touch with yourself. Now the simplest and best way of doing that is to relax and give yourself the time and space to do so. On another of my sites, I have a free relaxation recording that will help. Or you may just use your own inimitable and trusted way that works for you.  Once you’ve set your scene then
- Explore your emotions and let words or short sentences tumble out. Just start writing - it doesn’t matter what the words are at first because this is just splashing some sample colors of emotion to see which ones catch your eye.
- Start coming up with end words that rhyme - you don’t have to, but it can be fun and opens both sides of your brain - creative and logical. Once you get some lines down, you’ll most likely
- Get into a flow - so then just go with it and enjoy the space that you’re giving yourself.

I’m stopping there and will be posting more poetic pollo-mistics in a few days.

(Some days later - 2009.03.22: )

So now we have created our mini series of these 3 posts to inspire and give some tips on creating baby footprint graphics and composing poems to combine into a family keepsake:
1.    Expressing Graphic Emotions For the Times
2.    Baby Footprint Poetry and Graphics Masterpieces (this post)
3.    Encapsulate Your Emotions in a Baby Footprint Poem

Some hospitals still make and give you an ink footprint of your newly born, so…  When new baby comes home, wouldn’t it be nice to display the footprint images that come home too? You could also create a baby footprint poem to express all those bubbling emotions that often keep you alert for those first couple of days. Then, perhaps when all the excitement has died down, you may even have time to think of creating a baby footprint graphic or two to play around with; and make some simple and meaningful design as a memento of these always-to-be-remembered early days.

Casting Images in Cyber-Stone Makes More Memory-Sense
One thing to be aware of – with all your feelings, images and memories so vivid and fresh, the notion that these may slowly fade seem too unbelievable (Aaahh yes! – those timeless qualities of loving feelings!). Yet life ebbs away and every parent will slowly find the effects of time erasing - even re-writing the past! Some memories really are worth the effort to embed and occasionally refresh within your mind; - and maybe also within the household for all to see. It’s so easy nowadays to just display them in a baby footprint frame using a readily available kit pack.

Become an Amateur Photographer or Film Director for the Day!
Alternatively and equally importantly, just take lots of photos, especially videos of your new addition – those cute little hands and feet, curling fingers and toes that will grow so quickly, beautifully adorned with tiny ruby red nails. If you don’t have a video camera, you’ll probably be amazed to hear about
The Flip video - so small, so cheap, so neat,
with built in USB to plug straight to your computer - CNN reporters even use them! Anyway… More ideas:

- Try to get some snaps of the lines on the hand, especially if you haven’t made an ink or color handprint – you never know when you might be really grateful for that!
- Scan or load them to your computer and back up these precious images. You can so easily capture them and even
- Start adding a tiny foot or hand graphic to your email NOW – (proud parent that you are!); or LATER for family creativity and craft sessions using free graphics software readily available on the internet.

YES - WE PARENTS CAN TOO!

Baby Footprints Were Birth Records

Footprint images were originally always taken by the hospitals. They were used as a means of identifying your baby, since each child has their own unique set of footprints. These prints, be they of feet, hands (or fingers), encapsulate the essence of your child, one absolutely unique individual with his or her very own personality. It really is such a fulfilling image – it is right that we should be proud to keep and display such a special and graphic memory.

Although I already have covered these topics at some length elsewhere on this and related sites, over the next few days and weeks, I’ll be posting more on combining these two family creativity activities of
-        expressing and catching your emotions in poems, and
-        using baby imprint graphics to support and adorn your poetic puns

However puny you may think your efforts are likely to be now, with some simple graphic wizardry, we’ll soon craft a masterpiece of a family heirloom!
Maybe nothing to Barragg about, but, well, – YES WE CAN!

(Some days later - 2009.03.22: ) So now we have created our mini series of these 3 posts to inspire and give some tips on creating baby footprint graphics and composing poems to combine into a family keepsake:
1.    Expressing Graphic Emotions For the Times (this post)
2.    Baby Footprint Poetry and Graphics Masterpieces
3.    Encapsulate Your Emotions in a Baby Footprint Poem