Homemade Craft Dough

Straberries made using
 homemade craft dough

One of my favourite hobbies is making miniature stuff using craft dough.I've been making this since I was 12.

I use only 2 ingredients to make this dough.Best thing about this is ,it airdries.No need to heat them in the oven like the salt dough .


What you need to make the dough

1. Cornflour

2.White glue(PVA glue-like chemifix Glue)- not the colourless one.

How to make the craft dough:

First mix the flour and the white glue and make a soft pliable dough.If the dough is sticky , add  more flour.If the dough cracks, add more glue.Knead well  until its soft and smooth.Wrap it in polythene and use it within a day.Once you shape this dough ,airdry it.Then leave it to dry completely for 1-2 days(just to make sure).
Next paint it.


You can also add the paint to the dough and mix it and shape it anyway you like.


Apply two coasts of varnish or use the white glue over it .The  glue turns clear when it dries.After it dries apply another layer.


Note: Make sure  it is  DRIED before painting .

WHAT I HAVE MADE USING THE HOMEMADE CRAFT DOUGH:

BEFORE PAINTING THE STRAWBERRY:

I made this for the 'Childrens Party , Childrens Bedroom' exibition.The theme of my group was Strawberry Shortcake.I made the napkin ring, coaster and decorated the place card holder with strawberrries made using the homemde craft dough recipe.





Strawberries after painting and applying glue

Before decorating the Place card holder with the strawberries.

The placecard holder and the coaster after decorating.



Childrens Party Exibition: "Strawberry Shortcake''.
We won second plance at the exibition.
There were 10 themes: Cinderella, Spongebob,Butterfly, Teddy bears Picnic, Tinkerbell, Strawberry Shortcake, Little Mermaid, Pooh,Noddy, 16th Birthday.

This is what the table looked like.I made six napkin rings, Six coasters, Six place card holders.
All handmade with the above craft dough recipe (using only 2 ingredients)



Napkin ring.







I MADE THE FOLLOWING FOR A FRIEND.

These I made for a friend who was doing a hair dressing course.She wanted this for her project book.I made these a month before my wedding.- I was free back then.Its hard to find some free time for myself these days.Time is precious.



This comb is only 2 inches long.

I made 9 of these small items which are not more than 2.5 inches in long-except the scissors

Blow dryer

Coloured and applied two coats of glue.
From Top left to right: Hair brush ,comb , scissor, makeup brush , spray bottle(water)  ,lipstick
Straightening Iron(the pink one) ,curling iron, Blow dryer.

You can make the above using Salt dough as well But I prefer something that can be air dried.The salt dough takes a while to dry For the salt dough you need the following:

1.1 cup all prpose flour

2. 1/2 cup salt

3.1/2 cup water

Mix the three ingredients together and make the dough.The dough should be soft and smooth.if its too sticky add flour .If its too dry add Water.You can add food colorouring or Acryllic paints to the dough and mix.Once you make the dough you can shape it into any designs and bake it in the oven at 225 degrees until they are hardened.

Once they are hardened you can paint them .Seal your finished creations with varnish or with the white glue.The white glue turns clear when it dries.Apply atleast two coat of varnish or white glue.

This coaster I made using the salt dough recipe.After drying it in the oven I let it sun dry.Unfortunately ,a hungry crow attacked it and tried to have it for lunch.
I was able to chase away the crow and save whatever was left.I was'nt going to let a crow eat it even if it was ruined.........

More craft dough recipes:

Salt dough Crafts

Creating with Cold Porcelain - I'm going to try this method.I have'nt tried it but it looks like a good craft dough.


TUTORIALS ON HOW TO SCULT USING COLD PORCELAIN:

Clay Sculpting
Photos of Items made by Cold porcelain

VIDEO: How to make flowers using cold porcelain


VIDEO: How to make leaf using cold procelain

VIDEO: Cold Porcelain decorated boxes

              How to make refrigerator magnets
            
             Miniature Food items made using clay

             More foods made using clay (warning:not edible :D )

    

Brownies and Chocolate Sauce



Images: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

DESSERTS.I just loooooooooove desserts! I have a few quick desserts that anyone with no cooking skills can make .I'll be posting other recipes as well but I'll start off with the very easy ones-Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate sauce, Nougat.Brownies can be served as desserts as well.Brownies are often served hot with ice cream and sometimes with whipped cream, especially as desserts in restaurants.This is a cake-like brownie recipe .These are very easy to make and can be prepared atleast two days in advance.I have added these recipes in Niha's Cookbook.

I have made these recipes over and over again.Everybody LOVES them and wants the recipe.Now I'm sharing my favourite recipes on my blog.

My family's favourite is 'chocolate brownies'.I'm known as the brownie expert(I'm the only one who knows how to make it) Kids and adult love this brownie and its easy to make and can be kept for 3 days but normally these do'nt last more than 2 days -they dissapear very quickly( If you keep it longer than that it does'nt taste as good as day 1)

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  Chocolate sauce and the Nougat are perfect to eat with icecreams.

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  Just add icecream over warm brownies and pour a little (depending on how much you like chocolate sauce) over it and sprinkle some nougat , add whip cream and serve  -A very easy  dessert.

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  You can use the nougat to sprinkle over other desserts as well.

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  You can also warm the brownies(in the oven or microwave) and add chocolate sauce  and enjoy it on a rainy day.( or whatever the weather is)

You can have the brownies anyway you like.

I got this recipe and the chocolate sauce recipe from allrecipes.com. It is a good recipe site where you can find tons of recipes(for free).The stars on the recipe shows how good a recipe is-the more the stars the better the recipe turns out.Make sure you read the reviews before trying any recipes from that site.The reviews also gives you some tips and warnings if a recipes has too much or too little of a certain ingredients.

For example: the recipe says "add 2 cups sugar" but a person who has already tried this will write in the review that 2 cups is too much .Once cup is enough.

The nougat recipe is from my cookery class.

Alf if you are reading this : This is NOT  the brownies I made for you.I had lost my recipe and tried a new brownie recipe (that was the first time I tried that recipe) . I did'nt know that the brownies had turned hard and was falling apart (until I reached your gate).This recipe that I'm posting right now is the recipe I had lost(and I found it  2 weeks after your wedding).

Note:  Use butter when making the brownies- NOT margarine.ASTRA is margarine NOT butter.Highland and Anchor is butter

Chocolate Brownies

Serves 20

This is one of my favourite recipes-loved by all.The best cake like brownie recipe!

·  2 cups white sugar

·  225g butter

·  ½ cup cocoa powder

·  4 eggs

·  11/2  cup flour

·  ½  tsp baking powder

·  1 tsp vanilla

·  ½  tsp salt

·  ½  cup walnut/cadju

1.Melt butter.Mix all the dry ingredients and then add all the other ingredients.Mix well.

2.Bake in a 9x13" gresed tin for 20-25 min at 175°/350°

3.Insert a toothpick  at the centre and if it comes out with a few brownie

piece then its done .Do not overbake the brownie.

Serve the brownies plain or add your favourite brownie frosting.

COOKS NOTE: you can make brownies one day before and use it as a quick dessert for guests.Just add vanilla ice cream , chocolate sauce and sprinkle some nougats over it.

Chocolate Sauce

A delicious chocolate sauce that’s easy to make and tastes great.

• 2/3 cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup milk
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla

In a  medium saucepan over medium heat, combine cocoa, sugar ,water and milk. Bring to a boil and let boil 1 minute. Keep mixing it until the mixture thickens.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla

Add more sugar if you prefer a sweet chocolate sauce.

 

COOKS NOTE: The mixture thickens after cooling .
You can refrigerate this sauce for upto a week.I dont know if you can keep for over a week bacause I have'nt kept it longer than that.If you can keep it for more than that please let me know .

Nouget

Topping for icecream and dessert

• 100g Cadju
• 1 tbs butter
• 5-6 tbs sugar

1.Roast the butter and cadju until light brown. Add the sugar and keep on mixing till it thickens-over low heat.
2.Cool the nougat (leave it in the pan) .
3.After it cools take it out and crush it into small pieces.
4.Sprinkle the nougat over icecream or any dessert.
5.This can be kept in an air tight container for upto 2 weeks.

COOKS NOTE: if the nougat cools and sticks to the pans. Reheat it a little and it will loosen up and can be removed easily.

ENJOY COOKING AND LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.

I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE BROWNIES!

  

NEXT RECIPE:

Chocolate Mousse

Mint cream pudding -for this you need some cooking skills-seperating egg whites.I still have trouble seperating the yolk from the egg whites.