Stoned Bugs

When perusing cute idea sections of magazines I always linger over pictures of painted rocks or stones that people use as accessories for their gardens or as table decorations for garden parties. "We should paint some stones," I would hear myself thinking. The "we" is the Tuesday afternoon group at the senior facility where I volunteer.

The one problem I found with this project is getting the right sized stones, which would involve scrounging through the neighbor's rock garden or the city park in the middle of the night and risk arrest as a stone thief. And so I decided to make my own stones.

Stone Recipe, better known as Play Clay Recipe on the Argo Starch Box:
1 cup Argo laundry starch
2 cups baking soda
1 1/4 cups cold water
1 Tablespoon oil - the recipe recommends Mazola corn oil but I only had olive oil in the house and it worked just fine.

Mix together the starch and baking soda in a medium saucepan. Add the cold water and oil and stir until smooth. Cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches the consistency of mashed potatoes. Turn the mixture onto a plate and cover with a damp cloth. Refrigerate until it's cool enough to handle. I found that this took about 10 minutes, or the time it took me to cook up another batch.

Remove from the fridge, knead, and form into round and oval pieces for bugs and bees, or some round flat pieces for faces and free hand creations. Allow the pieces to dry. At this point I painted my "stones" with primer before I took them to the group for decorating. I'm not sure if the primer is a necessary step.

I did get a comment from someone that Argo Laundry Starch is not that easy to find in most grocery stores. However, the starch box recommends it for use with irritated skin, including diaper rash, which leads me to believe that cornstarch might be a likely substitute. They both seem to have the same consistency. I'll have to give it a try.

You can also use this play clay for making other wondrous things, like bowls and statues. The clay can be kept in a tightly covered container in a cool place for up to two weeks.

Enjoy!