Toddler Fun: Homemade Play dough!

Play-Doh is so much fun! But it gets too hard too fast. Especially for little 2 year old hands! So today, Kat and I made play dough, problem solved! 

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

2 tea cream of tartar

Stir in a pan with 1 cup water

1 Tbl oil (veg or olive)

Cook on med-low for about 5 min. Stir often until mixture is more doughy, stiffens and pulls away from pan. 

Stir in food coloring and 

10-20 drops lemon essential oil. 

Lemon essential oil adds a nice happy smell, it is revitalizing and uplifting. So even toddlers in their terrrrible twos may soon be in a better mood! 

Let cool for a couple minutes. 

Knead dough for a couple minutes. 

I added a little more lemon oil in a thumbprint hole in the dough because I wanted a stronger smell, I think by the end I had 20 drops. 

The dough was really sticky at first. I kept rolling it in flour and squishing and kneading until it wasn't sticky anymore. 

Ready! 

Store in an air tight container. 

And have fun!

Kat played with her play dough in a giant cardboard box- fun, clean, and less cat hair and rug fuzz to contend with. The homemade play dough did leave some oily spots on the cardboard box, but it's totally worth it for the low cost and high fun!

I think this amount of dough would be perfect for 2 colors. I only did one, but to make 2, just divide the dough in half after the essential oil step. Add the color in thumbprint holes and squish and knead it in until it's incorporated. 

For a gluten-free alternative use a 1/2 and 1/2 mixture of rice flour and cornstarch. 

Play dough too dry? Add oil. 

Play dough too sticky? Add flour. 

Play dough too stinky? Add essential oil. 

What's next? Funny Toddler pants! 

Handmade House: chair slippers

Useful, fun, and cute. They protect the floor we put in ourselves, and add another little handmade cute to my house. Plus a great stash buster, and cheap. 

We have a lot of different dining room chairs, from thrift stores and sales. Keeping costs down for a stay at home mom family is important sometimes. 

Anyway, I love these cute chair and floor protectors. They just slide on the foot of the chair. Easy and effective, made just like teeny tiny hats!

And I got the yarn from my sister who got it from her friend's friend who couldn't use it because she had a ba reaction to the fiber.  Yes, I ran on and on that sentence on purpose! 

These little guys whip up quickly, and don't have to be perfect to look good, or fit on! 

What's next?  A little outer space. 

Toddler fun: Snow Paint!

Coming up with fun, cheap things for my crazy kid to do (2 years old) is both fun and challenging! I've had dried out markers sitting in a drawer for months waiting for an idea. Kat commandeered the lids for monster fingers. 

So when I thought of snow paint, I got very excited! It's simple, washable, non toxic, and fun! Oh, and cheap!

Just soak old markers in water until the tips turn white. I left mine for about a week because I was gone, they don't need that long- probably over night would work just fine! Or you can leave them there until the next snow. 

Transfer to old water bottles with a hole stabbed in the lid. I used an awl tool to poke one hole in the center of each lid. 

Then paint away! 

Of course the best part is jumping on the colored snow! 

I had 3 bottles and 5 colors, so when 2 ran out, I reloaded with a new color. Easy! 

What's next? Homemade play dough! 

Handmade House: 4th Doctor Scarf Rug

Almost 2 months in the making. My super thick and cushy library rug! My library isn't a library yet, that comes later, but the rug is done. I'm super excited about his rug. It is pretty small, not like the Doctor's scarf, but it has the right colors, general pattern, and I crocheted it to look knit, just like the real scarf. I learned the camel stitch to make this rug. It is a front post half double crochet stitch. It makes a ball of yarn go only about half as far as a standard stich (or even a fpdc) but also makes it about twice as thick. This is a heavy rug! I know my cats like it. 

Anyway, I'm a big geek and I'm scattering Dr. Who all through my house. This rug is my latest addition. Love it. 

What's next? Funny baby pants.