DIY Footprints in The Sand Baptism Favors

Purchase These Baptism Favors (No DIY Required)

Now you can purchase these Footprints in the Sand religious favors already made in my Etsy Shop. Whether you need them for a Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, or a Wedding, I can personalize them exactly how you want them!

How to DIY Baptism Favors

I purchased all the supplies at my local Michaels except for the paper and other crafting tools I own. To DIY these Baptism favors, you will need the following:

Materials and Supplies You Will Need

• Mini glass bottles with cork, 3 x 1 1/4 inch – The jars measure 3.75 inches tall with the cork.
• Decorative white sand – a 28 oz bag yields 20 glass jars approx. (filled 1 inch.)
• Coarse gold glitter – I recommend using the coarse kind. Regular fine glitter will mix with the sand, and you won’t achieve the same effect.
• Satin ribbon,  1/8 inch wide  –  Color of your choice; I used baby blue.
• Jute ribbon – I used 5/8 inch wide because this was the height of the neck of the jar (choose your width accordingly).
• Natural twine (jute) – to tie the cards.
• Ultra-white copy paper – I personally recommend ultra-white for a flawless and ‘true to life’ color finish on my printables.
• Color printer
• Scissors or guillotine
• ‘Footprints in the Sand’ printable – instant download. Available also en español ‘Huellas en la Arena’ printable
• Small cross charms (up to 1 inch tall) – I used these from Michaels. Here is another option (you get more for your money!)
• Multi-temp glue gun – I love my cordless multi-temp gun. I have been using it for a few years now. My favorite feature is the flat base. 
• Multi-temp mini glue sticks
• Self-adhesive rhinestones (3 mm) – optional

Pro Tip: if you can’t find jute wide enough to cover the jar’s neck, you can wrap around it with the same twine you use to tie the cards.

Step 1: Print and Cut the Cards

Print your ‘Footprints in the Sand’ or Huellas en la Arena’ file on white copy paper.

• Page 1: consists of six 5 x 2.5-inch ‘Footprints in the Sand’ cards.

• Page 2: is a solid weathered paper background. Printing this page is optional. Print it on the opposite side of the paper where you printed page 1 if you would like to see the weathered paper look when the card is rolled.

Double-sided printing tip: print each page at a time on each side of the same sheet.  Or, choose the double-sided printing setting in the ‘Print’ window. Each printer is different, so make sure you check you have everything set up correctly before you print. Print a simple text document first, so you don’t waste your ink.

Once printed, cut the cards along the lines.

Step 2: Measure and cut

Before you start your assembly line (I made 18 of these), make sure to have all your material cut and ready.

• Twine: 12 inches was enough to wrap three times around the rolled prayer and tie it in a bow.

• Jute Ribbon: 3 1/4 inches was enough to wrap around each bottle’s neck. Adjust this measurement according to the size of your bottles.

• Satin Ribbon: cut pieces of 20 inches each of the satin ribbon. Thread the cross charms.

Step 3: Roll and Tie

With the help of a pencil, start rolling the Footprints in the Sand cards, starting at the bottom, and working your way up to the footprints.

Roll, roll, roll and hold tight.

Take a piece of the previously cut jute string and tie in a bow.

Step 4: Fill the Jar With Sand

Cut a small opening (in a diagonal) in one of the corners of the bag of sand and fill 3/4 of the jar with sand. If you do not have a steady pulse, you can also use a funnel.

Pro Tip: fill the glass with sand before inserting the rolled Footprints in the Sand poem card. I tried doing it after, and all the sand went inside the paper tube. You have very little room to work with, so you should fill it with sand first!

Tilt the jar a little, and insert the rolled-up card in the bottle with the help of the pencil. Sharpen your pencil so you can insert it all the way in the corner in a diagonal direction. This set of printable cards is designed to fit inside a 3-inch tall glass bottle.

Sprinkle the glitter.

Step 5: Add Finishing Touches

Squeeze a drop of glue on the backside of the jar. Attach one end of the strip of jute, wrap it around, add another drop of hot glue and attach the other end.

Remember, if you can’t find a jute ribbon with the exact width to fit the neck of the jar, you can always wrap jute twine around it and achieve the same effect.

Starting at the front of your jar, center the charm in the strip of ribbon, criss-cross in the back and affix with a dot of hot glue.

Bring the two ends of the ribbon back to the front and tie in a bow. Decorate with a rhinestone. And you are done!

I am utterly in love with these little favors. They are definitely something I have never seen before. And -trust me- I have seen a lot!

You don’t necessarily have to use the ‘Footprints in the Sand’ prayer; think about all the occasions you can make these favors for and how you could customize the message inside the bottle. Endless!

Planning a religious celebration? Love this project?   Click and save for later!

Happy crafting, Flavia.