Fun Easter Project!

Here is a fun project to do with your kids on a Saturday afternoon. I enjoyed doing these myself. It's pretty simple, and when you paint them and antique them, they are so cute. I got the recipe from a halloween project on Family Fun (http://familyfun.go.com/). Their project was making ghosts, we just tweaked it for the Easter season! (I Love that site. If any of you are looking for good ideas for your kids, they have a ton!)

Easter Table Markers (I don't know what they are really called)

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup salt
1/2 cup water


You will also need:
Microwave
Toothpick
Paint- colors of your choice
Antiquing paint or brown paint
Wire (Optional)
Wire cutters
Paper Plate
Wax Paper
White glue or Modge Podge


Mix the flour, salt and then water. Should make a nice dough. Not too wet, but not crumbly. Pinch off a small handfull. (Cover the remaining, it dries quickly.) Now, shape your dough into something cute!
We made basic shapes of eggs, bunnies, chicks, and a sheep. The eggs were the easiest for the kids to do on this project. Use the toothpick to help with any details you choose to add. Keep these very simple. And don't worry about getting them too smooth. They'll look kindof rustic when completed. When the final shape is complete, poke a hole in the top to insert the wire to hold the place card.
Next, put the dough on the paper plate and microwave on high for 40 seconds. Then intervals of 20-30 seconds at a time until the dough feels light and is a light color all over. (The egg pictured below is't dry yet. Note the darker color across the middle.)
After they have dried in the microwave, let them cool and then paint them. The kids will have a lot of fun doing this. (Note: a shower curtain from the dollar store makes a great table cover...and it's reusable!)

After the paint has dried, antique the figures. You can do this with antiquing, or just water down brown paint until it is an inky consistency. Paint it all over the fugure and then wipe off with a wet paper towel. (The dark paint should stay in all the crevices and the fugure will take on a whole new-or rather old-look. Pretty cool!) When dry, apply a coat of white glue or modge podge to seal the paint.

Finally, cut a 3 inch wire and curl one end. Poke the straight end into the hole you poked with the toothpick. (You can glue it in if it won't stay.)

These are really so fun. We did these for Thanksgiving as well. The kids helped me make and paint a bunch of pumpkins. Then we printed "Thanks" in different languages. It looked great!
P.S. These will last a very long time and become a keepsake. We have added to our Halloween ghost family for two years now and they are still doing great!

(Thanksgiving photo from Lily P. Studio & Design Co. http://lilypstudio.typepad.com/)