Polliwogged || Category || Art Supplies

Washable finger paint: Let’s make a mess on purpose!

Finger painting can be a messy experience, which is probably why I have not introduced it to my daughter yet. I've been afraid that she might stain the carpet or the couches... But with it being so nice outside lately, I've been thinking about letting her go to town out there. That way she can't ruin anything inside!

Better yet, I came across a simple recipe for homemade washable finger paints. It's really simple! Here's what you do:

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 cups cold water
1/4 cup liquid dishwashing soap
Food coloring or tempera paints

Directions: Mix sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan, and slowly add the cold water. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until you have a clear, smooth gel. Cool and then stir in dish soap. Separate into smaller portions and stir in food coloring or tempera paints to create colors.

Since this is easy to wash off, I'll be introducing this to my daughter in the near future. After all, sometimes you have to let kids be kids, and that can include making a mess! - Trisha

Photo by physiognomist, shared via Flickr.

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Decorate baby onesies with stamps

If you like your baby to wear clothes that are unique and one-of-a-kind, then you should check out this great tutorial for using rubber stamps to decorate a baby onesie. It can change a simple white onesie into a piece of art.

What you'll need:

Baby onesie or shirt

Rubber Stamps

Permanent ink, such as Staz-on Ink

Iron

Cardboard

You want to make sure that the ink you use is a permanent ink, otherwise when you wash it it will fade, and might completely come off. Another tip would be to use the clear rubber stamps that are so popular now so you can see exactly where you are placing the stamp. These would be easy to re-stamp if you need to because you can see exactly where you placed the stamp the first time. - Trisha

Keep track of your crayons with a DIY crayon roll

Are you always loosing crayons? Or do they always fall out of the box and end up in a mess in your diaper bag? My daughter is really getting into coloring, and this would be perfect for her to keep track of all of those crayons. Skip to My Lou has a really great post about how to make your own crayon roll. You could make these with any fun fabric you find.

I love that each crayon has its own pocket. My daughter loves to take things out, then put them back in. I bet this would amuse her for a while without even getting to the coloring part! Skip to My Lou also has an easier roll using felt listed here. She even perfected this by creating a new closure and a way to keep the inside fabric from being marked up. You can check out those ideas here. - Trisha