Homemade Microwave Puffy Paint & Associated Messes

I know, I know...it's Tuesday.  Sorry I'm late.  But I have a fun DIY kids activity to write about today!  So maybe you'll forgive me.

This picture is not mine.  I just didn't have any good pictures to introduce this amazing activity!  This is from the blog where I originally found the idea.  You can get there, too by clicking the link below.

Ok, so I found this idea for homemade puffy paints on Pinterest probably close to 2 years ago.  I pulled it out one day while I was babysitting my friend's 4 kids with my (at the time) 2.  The kids LOVED IT!  In fact, my friend's daughter requests it every time she comes over!  And I hear no complaints from anyone else. ;)

Here's the recipe:

• 1 cup flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt 
• Enough water to make it about the consistency of pancake batter

You will also need:

• Sandwich sized Ziploc baggies
•  Food coloring
• Some kind of paper (in my experience: the thicker, the better!)

So all you do is mix all these ingredients together until you get most of the lumps out (at least, it has lumps when I do it...you might have the magic touch...haha!).  Then you can separate it into however many Ziploc bags you want to (I usually do 4).

I just thought of this amazing mug idea the most recent time I did this.  Just place the bags inside the mugs and fold down the sides.  It makes the separation step SO MUCH easier!

Then you can add a few drops of food coloring to each bag to make whatever colors you want.  Once you drop the food coloring in and seal it, let the kiddos do the hard work of mixing them in.  They love squishing the baggies around until all the color is mixed in!

When you're ready to paint (aka: when the kids have squished the bags for so long that one of them has finally busted open) just cut off a tiny bit of one corner in the baggie.  Keep in mind: you can always make it bigger if needed, but it becomes problematic when you try to make it smaller...so start small!

Then let the kids have at it!

(No pictures...sorry...I fail)

When they have finished one masterpiece (because let's face it, they're gonna want to make multiple of these), put it in the microwave and cook it for 30-45 seconds (or more), depending on how thick the globs of paint turn out to be.  Just keep popping it in the microwave a little at a time until it has "cooked through".  When it comes out it gets all puffy and feels really cool!

If it smells a little bit like pancakes in your house, you're doing it right! ;)

Here are a few of our creations:

Now, if your kids paint similar to the lower picture (one big glob on the paper), you may run into this problem...

Yes...that's an ink stain on my finished wood table...I found several the last time we did this project.  I may or may not have had a minor heart-attack.  They weren't wiping off, and I had no idea how to resolve this problem.  Thank goodness for the age of the internet and search engines!  (Google here I come.)  I just typed "how to get ink stains off finished wooden furniture" into my search bar.

This is what I found as I was freaking out, but trying not to look like I was freaking out:

I was told to make a paste out of baking soda and vinegar, and scrub the stains with that and a damp rag.  So that's what I did.  I got a damp rag, sprinkled some baking soda on it, and poured a little vinegar on that until it seemed 'paste'-like.  Then I rubbed it over all the stained areas.

Before...







 ...and after!






Would you believe it actually worked?!?!?!  (Whew...luckily I figured that out before I had a real heart attack with 7 kids in the house!)  I have become amazed over the past year with the plethora of uses for baking soda and vinegar.  Cleaning your stovetop, getting cat pee out of mattresses and blankets (remember that time when I made S'mores Bars?), and so many other things!  I finally decided to buy the stuff in bulk from Sam's Club.

Best. Decision. Of. My. Life.

Except maybe for marrying my husband...

And having my kids.......

Ok, so there are other more important things, but you get my drift!

I hope that someday these ramblings help somebody on a rainy day!  Happy Tuesday to you all!

<3