Monday, July 4, 2011

Homemade Chalk – Living in the Family Room Blog – Martha Stewart

Homemade Chalk – Living in the Family Room Blog – Martha Stewart

Making your own sidewalk chalk from scratch sounds complicated, but it’s actually super easy and a perfect craft for summer. The best part? Kids can call the shots from the beginning by making their chalk into unique shapes and colors. Whether you’re looking for a quick mad-scientist project or a way to custom-make your own trademark art supplies, here is the simple recipe.

What you need:

  1. 1 cup plaster of Paris
  2. ¾ cup water
  3. Disposable mixing container
  4. Dried tempera paint or food coloring
  5. Something to use as a mold: cookie cutters, empty toilet paper rolls, paper Dixie cups, empty egg cartons, muffin tins, etc. If you use a metal or otherwise non-disposable mold, make sure to coat it thoroughly with Vaseline to prevent the chalk from sticking!
  6. Tray lined with waxed paper

What to do:

  1. Mix plaster of Paris and water together in your mixing container.
  2. Add dried tempera paint or food dye for color. If you use tempera paint, make sure to mix thoroughly so there are no lumps.
  3. Place molds on a tray lined with waxed paper.
  4. Wait 2-3 hours.
  5. If you used a paper mold, peel it off and let the freestanding chalk dry for another ½ hour. If you used a metal or plastic mold, wait another ½ hour and then pop the chalk out. The chalk is done when it’s dry and firm and doesn’t have any “give."
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Three ingredients plus a mold are all you need.

Three ingredients plus a mold are all you need.

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