LifeTrain

Cornstarch Beads

My sweet friend, Heather, sent me a care package last week. She is the kind of person that sends you something from Australia even though she's on her honeymoon (seriously folks!) Inside, there was a beautiful framed photograph and a book called How to Make Soft Jewelry. I never before had mentioned a desire to make my own jewelry- I think she just figured I might be interested since I'm "the creative type". Don't you love it when someone knows you that well? As children, we did artsy things together. Our moms both worked with pottery and art, so all of the tools/ materials/ inspiration were simply lying around and begging to be used. I remember sitting in her house on Avenida Sevilla while we both sewed our moms their Mother's Day gifts (her: a scarf and me: a blue satin handkerchief with a pink rosette). We also experimented with Fimo and Sculpey clay, collages, and making our very own Barbie accesories (like hand mirrors made of aluminum foil and miniature candies wrapped in Saran Wrap, tied on both ends with thread).

Yesterday, I made one of the projects with Grant from my new book. We crafted "cornstarch beads" with a homemade clay made from...cornstarch. I suppose you could make other things, as well, but I thought it would be great for him to have something to play with after the clay hardened. The recipe made a rather large amount, so I shared the wealth at our sewing party with LaDonna so her girls could play also. Here are the instructions:

In a saucepan, combine: 1 cup cornstarch, 2 cups baking soda, and 1 1/4 cups water. Stir over medium heat until the mixture reaches the cosistency of mashed potatoes. Let cool so that you can handle it without burning yourself (I put mine in the freezer for twenty minutes because I was impatient). Knead in gel food coloring or Rit dye powder to colr your clay (remember that it will lighten as it dries). Mold clay into whatever shapes you heart desires (if you are making beads, use a toothpick to create holes). Air dry for 1-2 days or bake in the oven at lowest possible temp. for 1-2 hours. Voila! The book also mentioned that you could roll the wet pieces in sand for a rustic look, but I haven't tried that yet.

Very easy, very fun.