Homemade Crafts
Basic Finger Paint
(Finger paints are fun for children. Keep a roll of white butcher paper handy (purchase at the craft or party store, or even the office supply store), & you’ll always be prepared for a painting event. You won’t want the paint on your walls or carpets, so set up a special place for painting. Perhaps the kitchen table if you have a linoleum floor or an outdoor picnic table covered with plastic. Make it a place where you don’t have to constantly remind them to be careful so they can concentrate on having fun & being creative!)
3 Teaspoons Sugar
½ Cup Cornstarch
2 Cups Water
Food Coloring
Pinch of Detergent (keeps color from staining)
Baby Food Jars
Mix sugar & cornstarch. Add 2 cups water. Cook over low heat 8 minutes or until blended. Divide mixture into sections. Add a different food color (as much as desired) & a pinch of detergent to each section. Mix well with a metal spoon. Store each color in a baby food jar.
Basic Play Dough
1 Cup White Flour
½ Cup Salt
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Teaspoon Alum (a sticking compound found in most drug stores)
Food Coloring
1/2 Cup Water
Mix flour, salt, oil & alum. Add desired amount of food coloring to ½ cup water. Gradually add colored water to dry ingredients until mixture is stiff like bread dough but not sticky. Add a little more water if necessary to get desired consistency. Store in airtight plastic container.
Clove Paste
(Pastes like this one work well with sticky stuff like papier-mâché.)
1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Alum
4 Cups Water
0.5-ounce Bottle of Clove Oil (sold in natural food stores)
In saucepan mix flour, sugar, alum & water over medium heat for 5 minutes. Cook until clear & thick. Add drops of clove oil until desired smell is apparent. Cool. Store in covered container in refrigerator.
Keepsake Coasters
8x11-inch Construction Paper in a variety of colors
Plastic lids from yogurt or margarine containers
Glue
Finger Paint (from earlier recipe)
Create finger paint. Use scissors to cut a variety of colored paper into small squares & other shapes. Coat inside of plastic lid lightly with glue. Arrange construction paper in designs on glue, making a stained glass or mosaic effect. Let dry before using as a coaster. Option: Use just one color of construction paper then paint with finger paint.
Molding Clay
(This is a great way to make holiday decorations for hanging on walls or trees. Use indoors only, & store in resealable plastic bags to keep from year to year. If finished items get moist, they fall apart, so keep them dry.)
1 Cup Salt
½ Cup Water
2 Teaspoons Vegetable Oil
2 Cups Flour
Mix salt, water & oil. Add flour. Make clay into different shapes. Bake 2 hours at 250 degrees F. Clay will harden. Paint as desired with purchased model paint.
Homemade Baby Supplies
Antibacterial Baby Wipes
½ Cup Distilled Water
1/4 Cup Vinegar
¼ Cup Aloe Vera Gel
1 Tablespoon Calendula Essential Oil (sold at drug or natural food stores)
1 Drop Lavender Essential Oil
1 Drop Tea Tree Essential Oil
Glass Jar with tight-fitting lid
Sturdy Paper Towels
Pour in liquid ingredients into jar, cover & shake to blend. Place paper towels in separate container, & pour on enough solution to moisten. Roll towels into jar. (You can also use washcloths or flannel cloths for wipes.) Note: If your baby has a really red, raw diaper rash, you’ll want to avoid using these wipes because the vinegar & essential oils in them may cause a burning sensation.
Baby Powder
(Commercial baby powder contains talc, an ingredient that some people are concerned may cause lung problems when its dust is inhaled. Instead of putting your baby at possible risk, you can simply use cornstarch as a natural substitute for baby powder.)
Cornstarch
Save a large spice jar that has a plastic shaker top—such as the kind you buy seasoned salt or meat tenderizer in. Wash & dry jar thoroughly. Fill with cornstarch. Replace the plastic shaker lid & use for all diaper changes.
Basic Baby Wipes
1/8 Cup Mineral or Baby Oil
8 Drops Lavender Essential Oil (if wanted for scent)
5 Drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
1 ½ to 2 Cups Water
1 to 2 Tablespoons Baby Shampoo
Paper Towels, last half of a roll
Mix oils, & shake together with 1 ½ to 2 cups water in tight closed, tall (larger than paper towel) plastic container. Gently mix in shampoo. Pour over a half-length roll of paper towels with the cardboard tub removed. Put lengthwise in container & dispense by pulling wipe from the inside of the roll.
Calendula Baby Oil
8 ounces of Oil (olive, almond, apricot or sunflower)
1 ounce Calendula Flowers (entire blossom)
Place the oil & flowers in a Crock-Pot on low temperature for about 4 hours to extract the beneficial properties of the calendula into the oil. Allow oil to cool, & then strain with cheesecloth or gauze. You can add a few drops of fragrant essential oils if you like. Try 5 to 10 drops each of orange & lavender or chamomile. Calendula offers a healing effect & may help prevent an overgrowth of yeast in the diaper area.
Celestial Baby Massage Oil
4 ounces of Oil (olive, almond, apricot or sunflower)
3 to 5 drops Lavender Essential Oil
3 to 5 drops Orange Essential Oil
Pour your ingredients right into bottle from which you will dispense the massage oil. Just give it a good shake to blend the oils, & you’re all set. Start out with the smaller amounts first, as some oils are very potent. If you want a truly heavenly oil, use rose essential oil in place of lavender & orange. You will like this so much you may want to use it on yourself!
Teething Gel
2 Drops Essential Oil of Clove
1 ounce Pure Vegetable Glycerin (sold at natural-food stores)
Add 1 drop clove oil to glycerin & shake until well blended. Taste to make sure it is not too strong before adding another drop. For a young baby, I use two drops. You can use vegetable oil instead of glycerin if you want. Glycerin is very sweet, so it makes the remedy a bit more appealing; glycerin also adheres to the gums a little better than vegetable oil.
