Easy Homemade Playdough Recipes
What child does not like playdough? I know there are a few out there, but most children (and adults) love to play with playdough! The problem with the name brand stuff is it is so expensive. You pay big money for a small amount and then the kids end up leaving it out all night and it dries out, so that is a lot of money down the drain. Not that homemade playdough does not cost anything, but it sure does cost a lot less than the name brand, and you get the added bonus of spending some time with your children being creative in the kitchen.
Homemade playdough also makes a great gift. Instead of going out and buying packs of playdough as a gift for your child’s friend, or as party gifts, make up a few batches of homemade playdough, divide into cute little containers that you can find at any craft store, and you have a nice gift from that heart and you saved a little money in the process. Another bonus is that these are usually safe if swallowed, even if they do taste bad. No additives in it that you would need to worry about. I have even got a recipe here for peanut butter playdough for those that do not have a peanut allergy! This works great with little ones that are still prone to sticking things in their mouth. I do have to admit that our favorite was always the Kool-Aid playdough recipe because it always smelled so good!
So, grab your kids and head to the kitchen and build some creative memories together! You will be so glad you did!
Uncooked Playdough
Ingredients:
Bowl
1 cup cold water
1 cup salt
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
food coloring
3 cups flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Directions
- In bowl, mix water, salt, oil, and enough food coloring to make a bright color.
- Gradually add flour and cornstarch until the mixture reaches the consistency of bread dough.
- Store covered.
Salt Playdough
Ingredients
1 cup salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup flour plus additional flour
Saucepan
Directions
- Mix salt, water, and flour in saucepan and cook over medium heat.
- Remove from heat when mixture is thick and rubbery.
- As the mixture cools, knead in enough flour to make the dough workable.
Peanut Butter Playdough
Ingredients
2 cups peanut butter
6 tablespoons honey
Nonfat dry milk or milk plus flour
Cocoa or carob for chocolate flavor (optional)
Edible treats for decoration
Directions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix, adding enough dry milk or milk plus flour to reach the consistency of bread dough.
- Add cocoa or carob, if desired.
- Shape, decorate with edible treats, and eat!
Kool-Aid Playdough
Ingredients
1/2 cup salt
2 cups water
Saucepan
1 packet Kool-Aid powder for color
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
cups sifted flour
2 tablespoons alum
Directions
- Combine salt and water in saucepan and boil until salt dissolves.
- Remove from heat and add Kool-Aid.
- Add oil, flour, and alum.
- Knead until smooth.
- This dough will last 2 months or longer.
Article By:
Stephanie Martin is a work-at-home-mom of 2 daughters and 1 son, and the owner and publisher of Busy Moms Online, a site with information for busy moms ( http://www.busy-moms-online.com ), and My Country Haven ( http://www.mycountryhaven.blogspot.com ), a blog documenting her family’s life living on a farm and their frugal journey of remaining debt free while becoming more self-sufficient.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steph_Martin
Interesting Gift Ideas For Mother’s Day
Do you remember the gifts your mother used to bring for you? Just the sight of those beautifully wrapped big packages made you happy. When you opened the packets they always contained something you wanted. The pretty doll or the remote controlled toy car or that walkie-talkie that you always wanted. Did you ever wonder how your mother always knew what you really needed?
Today you can enjoy seeing that same expression on your mother’s face. Now it is your turn now to give her that same happiness. Use Mothers day as an excuse to get her something you know she has wanted. If you’re at a loss here are some great ideas for Mother’s day gifts.
If your mother is comfortable on the Internet, make her day by sending her personalized online greetings. There are several websites that offer you a range of beautiful online greetings cards that you can customize. To make the greeting card more personal, write a poem especially for your mother. She is sure to be touched by the gesture. If your mother is not net savvy you could still write a poem and send it to her through a paper greeting card.
A bouquet of flowers is another great idea for Mother’s day. Send your mother’s favorite flowers. Most women love receiving jewelry. If you can afford it, buy your mother a classy piece of jewelry and have it delivered to her.
If your mother prefers clothes to jewelry buy her a couple of nice dresses in floral prints. You could also pick up belts, bags or even a purse to go with the dresses. All mothers may not appreciate receiving kitchen appliances as gifts. Gift them only if you are know she would really ling like receiving them as gifts. Gift baskets are a good option for Mothers day. You can stuff a range of items into these beautifully decorated baskets all at once. For example you could make a gift basket of your mother’s favorite books, chocolates, a bottle of wine, a wrist watch, scented candles, perfumes and soaps etc.
Decorative pieces and paintings are other gift ideas though they are a little less personal. If your mother likes being taken out and has very specific tastes in clothes, cosmetics etc. you can take her on a shopping spree and ask her to select her own gifts. Take a break in between for a nice lunch. Many women would love being offered the chance to shop and would really appreciate the thought.
Allan enjoys writing up on a variety of subjects. Other than the above topic, he also likes to set up sites on different topics. Do check out his new site which covers useful information on sewing machine table.
Create a St Patrick’s Day Candy Bar Wrapper
St. Patrick’s Day is one of those holidays that everyone can have fun with. It doesn’t matter how old you are, you can participate in the events of this lively March day. All that is required is that you add a little green to your wardrobe and if you are so inclined, you can even indulge in a little green beer. It’s also a truly fun day for kids. Many kids dress in green from head to toe and get to look forward to a few cupcakes at school with green icing. Another fun way to celebrate, even if you’re not Irish, is with a St. Patrick’s Day candy bar wrapper.
Candy bar wrappers are one of the easiest crafts around. You don’t even have to be particularly crafty to create great looking personalized wrappers. Creating a St. Patrick’s Day themed one is fairly simple and if you’ve got a little one that is required to bring a treat to share with the class on March 17th, this is perfect. You can add your own custom touches and you can even make it into a fun activity.
A really great idea that I have taken advantage of with my own children for several years is to create a St. Patrick’s Day candy bar wrapper that has a puzzle on it. The puzzle is fairly simple and it consists of finding a special four-leafed clover. I fill the candy bar wrapper with images of three-leafed clovers and one four-leaved. Then when my children take them to school, each child in the class gets a wrapper, the teacher says “go” and the hunt is on. Whoever is the first to find the four-leaved clover gets a prize. In years past I’ve given everything from a gift certificate to the local ice cream shop to a small stuffed toy. My kids love being the ones providing this holiday themed fun to their classmates.
Another fun approach to a custom St. Patrick’s Day candy bar wrapper is to add an image of a leprechaun and then your face or the face of someone you know. All of a sudden you look like a little leprechaun all dressed in green on the wrapper. This is great fun and anyone you give a candy bar too is going to get a good giggle. Many people will actually indulge in the chocolate and then keep the wrapper because it’s just that cute.
With the right software you can actually design and print these custom candy wrappers in just a few minutes. The candies and the wrappers are really inexpensive so make them for everyone you know. They’ll love getting a little treat on St. Paddy’s Day.
Gillian Reynolds has been a party planner for over 15 years. Candy bar wrappers are the new trend in party favors. They are inexpensive, easy and so much fun. To find out even more ways to use custom candy wrappers, including how to start a custom candy wrapper business visit Candy Bar Wrappers.
