I love making things with plaster of paris. You can buy it at Michael's (and maybe Walmart too). I use candy molds to create many different shapes (candy mold too at Michael's mainly, but some at JoAnn's and Walmart too). I've done them just plain and you can glue a magnet on the back, or twisted some wire (again at one of the above stores) and made it so that you can put it on a necklace for the kids to then add beads to, or I've painted it and tied it onto the ribbon of a gift. The kids LOVE painting them, even if I just end up throwing the out afterwards (they don't know, and don't remember). But it was a CHEAP form of entertainment for them. The paints are just the cheap ($.43 ish at Walmart) paints in the painting section. To prevent the kids from painting all over their clothes, I bought cheap adult shirts at Goodwill and they wear it backwards. Very useful for Aleksia!!! To mix it, add enough water to the flour looking mix until it's alittle runnier then yogurt. Pour into molds, tap on the counter/table/etc to get the air bubbles out. Usually sets up in about 30 minutes depending on how runny the mixture was. Pop out and let set to finish drying (12-24 hours). I usually put them on a cooling rack so the back drys too. Then paint!
Aleksia painting her Winnie the Pooh shapes
Concentrating very hard!
Some Winnie the Pooh shapes with a bib from some baby ones (very cute on baby gifts!)
Sorry it's blurry, but the back of the gifts showing the wire. They take about 30 minutes to set up, so about 10 minutes into it I then put the wires in place. It needs to be setting up a little to keep the wire in place. If it's not set up at all it will just fall the the bottom.
The front of the gifts. I then spray it with a finishing coat spray (Michaels or Wally World, again) and then spray it with some sparkles (in a can like the spray at the above stores M or W).
Not shown, but I have some Christmas looking molds (obviously sold only seasonally) that I've put on christmas gifts or glued a pin to the back and then you can wear them. A cute gift for the kids to paint then give away at christmas, or to add to a gift from them!
Hopefully that made sense, if not, let me know!
~Danielle~