Fimo and clay tips and tutorials
1. Raspberry Caramel Dessert , 2. Miniature Ice Cream Display, 3. Tropical, 4. Summer Treats
A charming selection of miniature, summer-perfect treats! I just LOVE the ice cream bar! Hoping today we get our summer treat at Dairy Queen (I’m assuming that’s at best, a North American chain) as it’s the day they donate a dollar from the purchase of their signature blizzards to charity. Not that we ever need an excuse to go buy ice cream in this household.
There are some craft projects that feel like they belong on a rainy afternoon kitchen table, and this Milk Mache Molding Compound is exactly one of them. It is part craft, part science experiment, and part “wait… did we just turn milk into something solid?”
This clever little project from CraftBits shows you how to make a simple homemade molding compound using just milk and vinegar. The idea is wonderfully old-school: when the vinegar reacts with the milk, it separates into curds and liquid, leaving you with a soft mixture that can be pressed, shaped, and dried into a hard, stone-like material.
It’s a lovely one to try with kids, especially if you enjoy hands-on STEM-style crafts that do not require a trolley full of supplies. You can use the finished compound to make small charms, beads, ornaments, rustic tags, or simple molded shapes. Just keep the pieces small and thin, as this is not really the sort of compound you would use for large sculptures or anything that needs to be perfectly smooth.
What I like most about this project is how accessible it is. Most of us already have milk, vinegar, a bowl, and paper towel in the kitchen, which makes it a brilliant last-minute craft activity. It also has that slightly magical quality children love — one minute it is liquid, the next it is turning into a moldable material.
A couple of tips before you try it: use whole milk if you can, as it tends to give a better result than skim or semi-skimmed milk. White vinegar is also the best choice, as darker vinegars may affect the colour and texture. And don’t rush the draining stage. If the mixture is too wet, it will be soggy and hard to shape; if it is too dry, it may crumble.
This would be a fun companion activity for our other kids craft ideas, especially if you are looking for something simple, inexpensive, and a little bit educational. It also fits nicely with home crafts and handmade gift embellishments if you want to turn your dried shapes into tags or decorations.
Would I call this a polished, professional clay substitute? No. Would I call it a wonderfully curious, messy, memorable craft experiment? Absolutely.
If you enjoy homemade craft supplies, kitchen-table experiments, or easy projects that make children ask “how did that happen?”, this Milk Mache Molding Compound is well worth a try.
You can find the full project instructions here: Milk Mache Molding Compound
I always love your miniatures. Have you ever checked out http://www.theminitimemachine.org/ ? We discovered it this summer during a trip to Tucson, to visit my mom. It’s a whole museum dedicated to miniatures. They are incredibly kid friendly as well. I hope you and your readers check it out. We did, and are glad we did. We got a year membership during the five weeks we were there, and got more than our money’s worth.
Hi, I love these wonderful minis. Could you point me in the direction to find out how to do the faux ice for the snow cones? My daughter wants me to make her some snow cone jewelry and I can’t quite imagine how the “ice” is made. Thanks for any help. Smiles
Hey Sue! Sorry for the delay in getting back to you – I was out of town while the blog was auto-posting for me. I’m not sure how this artist has done the snow cone but I would be tempted to use flakes (Arnold Gummer, fake snow, large glitter, etc) glued to the clay base rather than just clay. You could also bake a nub of translucent clay, grate it afterwards and roll a ball of clay in the gratings to make the flakey effect on the ball, itself.