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Home > Arts and Crafts Projects for Kids > Homemade Craft Recipes
Did you know you can make your own paste, paints (finger paint and soapsud paint), salt clay, and papier mache paste from ingredients you can mostly find in your kitchen? All these craft recipes I just mentioned can be found below in detailed steps.
When it is possible, try and make most of your craft materials at home. It's less toxic for children and it's also inexpensive which is a big plus.
Knowing how to make your own craft supplies is quite handy. Find out how to make some of the most used craft supplies below. Also find out a few other crafts tips as well.
Enlarging or Reducing Patterns
1. With small pieces of masking tape, fasten tracing paper lightly to page of book or on item to be traced. Trace around outline with sharp pencil.
2. To transfer tracing onto another surface, turn tracing paper over and cover back with pencil scribbles by using side of pencil lead.
3. With masking tape, anchor tracing on top of cloth or paper on which you wish to transfer design. Then go over lines of design with pencil. Remove tracing paper and design is transferred.
To make the design twice as large:
1. On tracing paper, mark off every 1/2" lengthwise and crosswise. Draw in 1/2" squares with pencil and ruler.
2. Place this sheet over design and trace outline.
3. Make a copy sheet out of a second piece of tracing paper by ruling it off in 1" squares.
4. Study lines of design on the first tracing paper, then draw them in corresponding positions on the copy sheet.
To make the design half size:
1. Reverse method above.
2. Mark off first tracing sheet with 1/2" squares and copy sheet with 1/4" squares.
When design is right size, transfer to material as instructed under "Tracing."
1 qt. warm water
1 cup flour
1 tsp. salt
(Adults Only) Mix ingredients in a pot on stovetop, adding water slowly, stirring continuously. Cook for 5 minutes or so. Remove from stove, mixing thoroughly. Cool. Place in bottles or jars. Cover. Will keep for several months if carefully prepared. This recipe makes one quart.
Many interesting projects can be made from salt clay. It is easy to use, simple to use, it washes off of your hands easily, and encourages creativity & originality.
Trace the outline of object to be made on heavy cardboard. Draw in whatever design is desired beyond section where clay is to be applied. Shellac cardboard to keep it from absorbing the clay moisture. . Mold clay on cardboard to show desired features. Allow time to dry—usually two days. Then if coloring was not mixed into clay, paint with water colors.
1 cup salt
1 cup water
2 cups flour
Food coloring
(optional) Oil of cloves or oil of wintergreen, several drops
Mix salt and flour with water to consistency of heavy dough. Add oil of cloves or oil of wintergreen, mixing thoroughly. This acts as a preservative. Food coloring can be kneaded into clay, or objects can be made first, then colored with water colors. This recipe makes about 12 pictures or small objects.
(To help the salt clay retain its shape better, make the dough a little more moist and then cook over low heat and stir until it is very thick.)
Papier-mache craft can be very exciting and rewarding. You can make plaques, relief pictures, maps and models. Here are more detailed instructions for Papier Mache.
1 newspaper (16 to 20 sheets)
Hot water
1 tsp. powdered alum
1 part paste
Optional—add starch or flour
Tear newspaper into small pieces and soak overnight in a pail of hot water. Shred between fingers until it is a pulpy mass. Pour off water or strain through a cloth. Add alum to paste and mix thoroughly with pulp. Add enough starch or flour, if desired, to make pulp the con- sistency of clay. Apply as desired to make a design on wood, cardboard, model, etc.
This recipe will make about 1/2 pail of papier-mache which is enough to make approximately 12 maps or flat objects. Allow two or three days for object to dry.
If you plan to cover an entire object, several layers of papier-mache may be needed. Paint with poster paints when dry. Shellac for permanence.
Make a Paste with 1 Part Flour to 1 Park Water (meaning the same amount of water as flour). So if you use 1 cup flour, also use 1 cup of water. Now mix together the concoction to form a paste like consistency ... but still runny and not quite as thick as paste. Find out Here How to Make Papier Mache Crafts
Finger painting offers small children an opportunity for creativeness and is a fine therapeutic aid. Make a supply of finger paint in various colors and store in jars.
1 pt. water
1 pt. flour
Some salt
Food coloring in multiple colors
Mix flour, salt, and water together. Pour into small containers. Then add food coloring into each jar, mixing in small amounts until you have desired color. Cool and store in jars.
1 cup any powder detergent
4 tbs. liquid starch
Mix detergent and starch and beat with a rotary beater until mixture is like frosting. If colored paint is desired, add powder paint or a drop of food coloring. Paint will last about one day so should be made on the clay to be used. If the mixture becomes thick, add a little starch and beat it with a spoon. This recipe will provide paint for 8 to 10 children. Here is a lesson on painting with soapsuds.