Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Pinterest 3: Chalk Paint


Today we did a little something for the kiddo because he hasn't been neglected at all while I've been blogging my heart out.

First things first, gather your supplies:
1/4 c. corn starch
1/4 c. water 
a container for the paint
food coloring
 But wait.

After doing some "research" (thank you google) I grew a little bit of fear.
Fear of the food coloring and the stains that it can inflict upon clothing, skin, and sidewalks.
Stains so horrible that someone like me, a mediocre laundress at best, would be more inclined to throw clothing away rather than attempt to get the stains out.

So I thought I would try substituting the food coloring for washable finger paints which we already had.
Paint which I know comes out of clothing.
 Why not?

Mix your corn starch and water in the container and give it a stir so the cornstarch gets evenly distributed. Then add a squirt of paint (or food coloring if you're brave) and mix that in.
It took a little while for the paint to dissolve but after stirring a little bit, letting it rest, then stirring again, it mixed in just fine.

 Repeat with any colors you choose.


Then, pass it on to your favorite kiddo and let him go crazy.

The cement does tear up these foam brushes. I just gave them to him because I had used them for other projects and they were wearing out anyway.

 I also used a couple cheap paint brushes because I could only find two of the foam ones. They worked okay and would probably be nice for an older kid who wanted to paint thin lines.

I tried to convince him to wear a bib/apron but he vehemently refused on the grounds that this would be on the internet and his nursery friends might see.
And apparently the stars were aligned because he only got one drop of paint on him. And that was on his shoe. And he wiped it off for me.

After I wrote this part we painted again, and this time he was just in his diaper.

Paint everywhere.

He was clearly attempting a splattering technique of sorts and the droplets were flying. It wiped off his body very easily though. Even the spots where it dried the paint just flaked off when I rubbed it.

The skinny: I loved this project! I had all the supplies so it didn't cost me a penny, everything is washable and I embrace any project that takes us outside. Logan loved it too. He has asked to paint several times and it hasn't lost its appeal yet, one day and counting :).

Let me know if you want to be linked up!

3 comments:

  1. awesome! Yeah, I read somewhere that craft paint would clean up easily if you add some dish soap to it, but they were WRONG! Everything got stained and it was a bit 'ole mess! Thank goodness you had those awesome washable paints!

    Lovin' the pinterest challenge week, btw. I'm going to do something sometime this week, I promise! ;)

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  2. This would be good for my kiddo if it wasn't 120 million degrees outside. Maybe something more involved with water. :)

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  3. Good thinking about the food coloring...I will definitely have to try this!

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