Fimo and clay tips and tutorials
This time of year I bet there’s LOTS of us clayers making ornaments with clay elements. I’m a total bead freak so I often make ornaments from beads. Even better if some of them are clay beads and charms like this tutorial. You can use clear varnish like varathane or sculpey glaze to seal the metal leaf to the clay after baking and to give it a pretty shine.
You can see some of the clay and bead ones I made for a recent blog hop here.
Photograph from CraftsUnleashed
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
There is a box to the right of the page that expands when I try to look closer at the photos or the text. When the X in the box is clicked it just makes the box bigger and plays a video about mideast crisis by reuters. Cannot find a way to make it disappear. Refreshing page stops the vidoe but doesn’t remove the box. Any suggestions much appreciated.
Hi Jenny! Do you mean on this site or on the site linked to in the post?
I noticed the link was wrong and have fixed that.
But in general, to avoid ads, I suggest using browsers such as Firefox and ad blocking software.