How to Make Playdough

April 30 2012

Posted in: Crafting

My kids go through play-doh by the truckload. It doesn’t take long for the small containers of store-bought colors to dry out into disappointing hard clumps, so every few weeks I was needing to buy more.

There has to be a better way.

Not being the craftiest of moms on the block, I didn’t realize all the ways to make playdough. My friend Candace gave me this idea, though she made hers a little differently. I made mine using Kool-Aid packets for color. Grape for purple, orange for orange, and so on. The color on the actual pack is a good indication. Not only is this easy to make and cheaper than buying the small containers of doh, it also makes a lot more and is completely non-toxic if your little one should happen to be the kind to like a taste. It also seems to last longer. We’re about 2 weeks in and it’s still nice and pliable.

Homemade Playdough with Kool-Aid

1 cup water
1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
2 tbsp cream of tartar
1 tbsp oil
1 pack of Kool-Aid

Combine all ingredients in a medium pan over medium heat. Stir until mixture forms around spoon. Turn off heat and remove dough to somewhere to cool. Knead once cool enough to touch.

A few tips: Mixture forms very fast so have all ingredients ready to go. Once dough is done, it will be very hot. You may burn your hand if you’re like me and can’t wait until it’s cooled completely. If dough feels sticky at first, continue kneading and it will soon come together. I store mine in ziploc bags.

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How to Remove Silly Putty

February 20 2012

Posted in: Daily Life

It involves a lot of cursing.

Somehow, in the middle of the night, my daughter got a glob of Silly Putty adhered to her favorite fleece nightgown as well as the elastic band on the leg of her underwear. My kids bring all sorts of weird things to bed with them, but this was new. When I studied the situation in the morning, I realized it wasn’t going to be easy to come out. But eventually, it did. Sort of.

This is what I did, step by step.

1.) I cursed.

2.) But then I Googled. There were a surprising array of answers ranging from applying WD40 to Goo Gone to lighter fluid. Why yes, setting the pieces on fire would solve my problem, I suppose. The easiest suggestion, though, was to freeze the Silly Putty then scrape it off.

3.) I set the articles in the freezer for approximately 15 minutes. Once enough time elapsed, I sacrificed a butter knife and began to scrape against the fibers. I scraped and scraped. It wasn’t working.

4.) At which point, I cursed some more.

5.) Next, I tried Goo Gone, which is a magic adhesive releaser. I applied a generous amount with a cotton ball on the puttied areas, letting it set in. Then, I took the same sacrificial butter knife and scraped. After a lot of careful scraping, most of the Silly Putty was removed, though not all. The sticky remainder wouldn’t budge.

6.) I gave up.

7.) I cursed even more.

Eventually, I found a great way to remove the Silly Putty. Throw the thing away and buy new. Because even if it’s your favorite, it’s just not worth.

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