Friday, September 23, 2011

Puffy Paint

I can't believe I've never tried this project before. It was so easy and fun that I ended up doing it three times this week... first with my own kids, then as a project at my son's school, and then with our music class. I have a little bit of PTSD after working with lots and lots of squirrelly little 4 and 5 year olds. In particular my own kids, who tend to just dump out all the paint, smear it all over their bodies, and then run away screaming. They can engage with art projects sometimes, but it's a delicate trick... figuring out what will draw them in. This project was perfect because the bottles are just so irresistible to squeeze that no one could deny their hypnotic powers. And the finished products all ended up looking really cool... not that that is necessarily necessary.... I especially liked how it looked on the black background.

Puffy Paint

1 c. salt
1 c. flour
1 c. water
a healthy squirt of food coloring or tempera paint.

Put in squeeze bottles for Puffy Paint Paradise.

123 comments:

LeeanneA said...

Great fun!I am going to link it on Kreative Resources! :)

Anonymous said...

wow. I am stoked for this. should work well with my autistic son and his therapist. any ideas with sand or glitter?

Get Your Mess On! said...

When it dries it actually feels really hard and gritty, kind of like sandpaper letters... and it is sparkly because of the salt. But if you wanted more sparkle you could surely add some glitter! I don't know about sand... but it's worth a try!

Let me know how it goes! And thanks, Leeanne!

crowemom544 said...

Thanks for the recipe! I got it from Pinterest. Just made 14 of them in little squeeze bottles that you would find at Michaels or Hobby Lobby in the baking aisle. We have a birthday party to attend on Sunday and they said paint would be a good gift. I'm packaging them in a clear paint can with a paint smock and some textured items instead of brushed. I'll put a label with the recipe on the can and tie the can opener to the handle. I hope they love it.

Kat said...

Awesome!! Found you on Pinterest and cant wait to make this!!

LKB said...

I used to make this years ago with my preschoolers. I used the bottles that perm solution comes in (donated from a local beauty school-cleaned them really good). Thanks for the reminder of a really fun activity. I am going to share that with some of my staff.

Unknown said...

I am going to use this with the kids at daycare but I'm just wondering how long it lasts? I figured maybe I could make it at home a few days before, would it still work as it's supposed to?
Thank you!

Kami said...

This is awesome, so glad so many of you are finding me on Pinterest! Gabrielle, in my experience it lasted a surprisingly long time. I think you would definitely be good to make it a few days ahead, esp. if you kept it refrigerated.

Anonymous said...

Made this today for my son and he loves it. But do I need to store the leftovers in the refrigerator to be used the next day, and how long should it be kept?

Anonymous said...

I just found this on Pinterest and I'm stoked to eventually try this with my toddler (he's only 2 right now). Thanks for posting!

ds2013 said...

i was wondering if you could use this for tee shirts im def goin to use it but it would b that much better if i could use it w tees too!

ds2013 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
punkiemommy said...

I'm going to do this today with my kids, yay! Question: what do i mix it in? a bowl? How do I transport from mixing place to bottles? I just want to be safe. Any suggestions?

Anonymous said...

DOES IT WASH AWAY FROM T-SHIRTS?

Andrea said...

this is a great idea. I am so happy to be following you. Im gonna try this soon. I have to get the squeeze bottles.

Andrea @ No Doubt Learning said...

This is great! How does it handle in the washer?

Your newest follower,
Andrea
www.nodoubtlearning.blogspot.com

Mrs. Davis said...

wondering if glue bottles would work or is it to thick for those

Dandylyon said...

Not sure, but I think it would dissolve in the washer.

Unknown said...

We finally found some squirt bottles and did this with the Preschoolers today! We had a blast!! Thanks :)

Of course, we linked back to you...
http://fitkidsclub.blogspot.com/2012/03/clubhouse-paint-squirt-bottles-optional.html

By the way, as I mention in my post.. I love the name of your blog!! :)

melpitt said...

I found this via Pinterest and made it this afternoon, my kids loved it and sat at the table for a good 45 minutes painting away, they are 18 months,4 and 8 .. the two older kids then asked if they could go play outside and so we sent them to play with the paint they loved painting pictures on all the snow! and it looks pretty cute too!!

Anonymous said...

You can always put the glittler in those little plastic salt and pepper shakers and let him add the glitter at the end. It will stick to the paint and he will have twice as much fun!!!!

creativetherapydesignstudio said...

This is a great idea, can't wait to try it out. While it's meant to be for kids, I like the idea of creating my own color choices for my own uses.
Also, I have a fun thing I've been doing with puff paint which I posted on my blog www.creativetherapydesignstudio.wordpress.com and I added a link to your blog and recipe, since it's related. Hope you don't mind, but I thought that since I was posting a use for puff paint, your homemade recipe could be a good option for those wishing to try it.
Thanks for sharing your great idea. TB

Sarah said...

This looks great! For cheap and reusable items to put paint in, try cleaned ketchup and mustard containers. They are sturdy and have lids built in. Yay.

Lisa said...

Will this work like regular puffy paint & be neat enough to do something like the 8th picture at this link? http://virginiaandcharlie.blogspot.com/p/my-projects.html

Anonymous said...

Could this work on t-shirts?

Anonymous said...

does this work on shirts as well?

Anonymous said...

do you think this would be ok for skin, and will the dye stay on the skin?

Anonymous said...

i tried this it is really for kids mostly to play with on paper.It does not work on shirts and it does not hands :D

Vickie said...

Does it matter if it's self-rising flour or plain?

Meridith said...

I mixed my ingredients (less than 1/2 cup of each for each bottle) in individual sandwich baggies. Then you just clip the corner with a scissors and easily squirt into the bottles. Clean up is a breeze! :)

Ruth Hill said...

I see that a lot of people have asked about whether this would work on t-shirts, but there is not an answer. Anyone have an answer? I would love to do this on tees, but I don't know it holds up in the washer.

Get Your Mess On! said...

Hey guys! It would definitely not work on t-shirts. It's water soluble so it would just wash away. Works great on paper, cardboard, rocks (fun way to decorate rocks)and lots of other things you might paint with tempera paint too. It will dry nice and hard but if you add water it will turn back to goo :)

Heather said...

I am wanting to decorate a bookshelf that can't be painted. My theme is polka dots and I've been trying to find contact paper. However, I'm thinking I could use this paint and create all the dots myself. Thoughts??

Anonymous said...

This would be perfect for my daughters birthday party this weekend. I am going to fill balloons with paint and have the kids pop them and make her an art piece! Great inexpensive way to do such! Thanks for sharing!

Beth said...

This is genius! I am so doing this with my niece and nephew as soon as I can manage to nab them for an overnight! Great idea, and thanks for sharing!

Dani Stevens said...

Thanks for letting me get over my messy factor and enjoying my 4 kids under 6 having the time of their lives with all the stuff you post. You're the best!!! XxDani

Anonymous said...

The only thing I would suggest is that if you are using this paint with other children or are giving it as a gift, make sure to disclose to parents that it contains wheat (flour). My daughter has Celiac Disease and for her and other kids allergic to wheat that would be important to note. Love the idea though.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone tried painting ceramics(clay pots) and then using the spray sealant? I am not sure if the sealant would eat through the paint.

Anonymous said...

empty eye drop bottles are little but work well.

Anonymous said...

Put in a healthy squirt of food coloring or...

What? The picture is blocking the second line of that and I'm always trying to avoid food coloring! Of course if they don't have to touch the paint for the project its less important...

Thank you for a great idea!

Anonymous said...

food coloring or tempra paint

Anonymous said...

Hello! New to your blog and love it! Just wondering if you could share where you got your squeeze bottles. They look perfect for this project.
Thank you!

Taylor said...

does it work on clothes?

Kerrie said...

Would this work with spray bottles? Whats your name in pinterest would love to follow you x

TheUncannyMisterNibbles said...

It will not work on clothing. The dyes are food colourings and thus, are not meant to be permanent. Otherwise your counters would all be pretty splotchy by now!

Hope that helps.

Anonymous said...

Where can i get these type of bottles???

Kim said...

Mine ended up gritty.

Aunt B said...

I know some kids who'll love this. I'll be sharing it forward on my FB page a little later today. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

Awesome thank you so much Di'anne

Adams Family said...

Looks like the condiment bottles I bought from SAMs club for about $3-4.00 for a set of six or eight.....

Awsome idea, thanks!

Briana the Magnifi-can't said...

It would be more expensive, but could you use rice or potato flour for the gluten-sensitive? Or perhaps finely crushed potato flakes?

catherine said...

thank you and I had forgotten about making paint; will be great with my grandchildren. Many Blessings Catherine

catherine basten said...

thank you for sharing the recipe for paint this will be fun to make with my grandchildren. Many Blessings Catherine Basten

Free digital images said...

Thanks for sharing this great idea, I image that empty plastic tomato sauce bottles would work too, but would create a thicker line.

Anonymous said...

This is an awesome idea! Does this act like acrylic paint?

Ashley T said...

Is there a way to seal it so it stays. I just did this with my daughter and she loved it. I took some white fabric and glued it to a picture frame and this is her first time painting so I want to keep it.

Anonymous said...

I saw the question - may have missed the answer but does anyone know if this can be stored or does it have to be used in one sitting? Thank you!

Getting stuck in said...

Ooh love it !! gonna give it a whirl with the kids asap :)

Unknown said...

Glad I found this. Going to give it a go x

kate said...

Looks like they're having fun! Great idea :)

cferguson said...

for fabric application...try Rit fabric Dye instead of food coloring

Show Me Your Work.....please said...

Thank you for the idea. Going to use it during fall break with loads of kids.

Chippi -Christie- said...

Did this today with my 4 year old. She absolutely loved it. Things we did differently were we used hands and feet instead of bottles, and we did it on the windows and pavers. It was a fun way to clean them!
I was a little worried about the salt scratching the windows (after she started, woops!) but they were fine!

Anonymous said...

I found this via Pinerest, and my 2 1/2 yr old and I have been having a blast with our paint. I made mine with powdered tempura paint, and I love, love, LOVE the easy clean up. I have been covering the lid with saran wrap and sticking the bottles in the fridge. I have to add a little water now and then, but we've been using the same paint for over a week. THANKS for sharing!!

Unknown said...

Would this work for pumpkin painting?

wendylovesfood said...

thank you. kiddles are so excited for puffy paint! perfect friday family fun nite project...they even love that they can make it themselves. btw...found you on pintrest. thanks again.

Jellybean Crafts and more said...

Just wondering about whether or not you know a recommended minimum age for use? i'd love to make xmas cards with my soon to be 1yr old.

The Anderson's said...

Does this need to be stored in the fridge? whats the shelf life.

Anonymous said...

There is a recipe for "moon sand" I would look it up but I think like 8 cups flour and one cup baby oil put in a clear plastic tote as a platform for fun/ mostly clean place to play it helps teach boundaries

Anonymous said...

i loved this!!

Gacountrygirl24 said...

Does it matter oif it's self rising or all purpose

Anonymous said...

I cannot believe the people who cannot read directions and ingredients! flour, salt, water, food colors-what part of this is a mystery? No you cannot paint a shirt and expect to wash it, duh. Does your cake wash well in your washer.
Condiment bottles-Walmart 97 cents each. Come on people use your common sense.
I've got to go and bang my head for awhile.

Anonymous said...

Going to use this with my kids this week. Now I don't have to go get blue paint!

Joanna said...

I LOVE the vibrant colors that can be created in a trillion different ways! My question is with regards to staining of fingers and clothes when using food coloring. Has anyone had any big issues with this? I can't wait to try this for my preschool classroom.

Anonymous said...

Wouldn't food coloring stain clothes?

Anonymous said...

I want to use this to paint baked clay ornaments that I will set with glue. Has anyone tried it yet?

fergie said...

hey folks: Flour - Salt - Water - all these things WASH out of cloth so this idea is NOT good for tees or any other kind of clothing!!
With Christmas holidays around the corner (or in some areas already started) this sounds like a great way to keep the kids interested if they have to spend time indoors. Although I do like the idea the melpitt had about using it on the snow!!
THANKS.

Cichon Renee said...

I tried it just now. Unfortunately it did not work. I did everything but for some reason it was clunky. I did it in a ziplock bag combined everything but not a good turn out. Sad because the kids was really looking forward to it. Ol well my mission continues.

MathWhiz45 said...

What is that diagram on the white wall behind your boys?
Is that a diagram of a rosery?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the great idea! We're studying snow in Kinder in Jan and this will make great "snow" for the kiddos to add to their drawings :)

For those who need containers, I got a pack of 6 at Sam's Club for just a couple of bucks. Guessing you could also get them at Smart & Final and Costco, too. They don't have caps to cover the opening, but a small piece of plastic wrap between the lid and bottle top will keep it from drying out.

Dawn said...

I saw this question posted a few times, but no answer yet. What is the shelf life on this? Does it need to be kept in the fridge?

Also, any problems with the food coloring staining the kids clothes?

Thanks! I am really excited to try this with the kids this week. I just got some cute bottles from the baking dept at Michaels.

Dawn said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
NatalieBramasole said...

Awesome,I gone try this :-). I knew the recipient with flower,salt and water to make your own clay,I know this already for 40 years and used it when the kids where little,but I like this idea as well,I do art and love structures so :-). Gone use it,thanks :-) hugs x

Anonymous said...

FOR SQUEEZE BOTTLES USE EMPTY KETCHUP BOTTLES,MUSTARD BOTTLES,HAIR DYE BOTTLES,MAYO SQUEEZE BOTTLES,ANY BOTTLES THAT YOU SQUEEZE OUT.JUST WASH WELL AND YOUR ALL SET.

Anonymous said...

I think they said at a store that sells beauty salon products. The bottles they use were for perms.

Lisa said...

Curious as to how long the paint takes to dry. I was thinking about having this as an activity at my son's birthday party and want to make sure it will be dry before the kids leave with their "original" masterpieces. Thanks in advance!

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for the recipe! We love it and it has lasted in our squeeze bottle with caps for 2.5 weeks now and counting!

Anonymous said...

I saw something on pimterest once about mixing sugar with food color and then spread it out on a cookie sheet and bake it until its dried out. I haven't tried it personally but maybe this could work.

Anonymous said...

i made some of this paint tonight for my kids and instead of using food coloring i used a koolaid packet not only did it work for the coloring but it gave the paint a differnt smell for each color the kids loved it

Suan said...

I've been looking for the recipe for ages and finally found you on pinterest, it is so good for writing with and transfer it to your cards etc. Makes lovely swirls, not just for the kids. Thankyou soooooooooo much for this,
Suan xxx

cilmar said...

Wow this is SO cool, have to try this. It is such a cool idea, and without all the chemicals. Gracias!!!

La Viva said...

hi, great idea
found it on pinterest
It'll suit my daughter's hobby to create her arts :)

Anonymous said...

Don't know if you have ever tried it with Self Raising Flour. Or adding baking soda. That really makes is puff up. We tried it on small cardboard sheets and then ( adult supervision) 15 seconds in the microwave. Amazing .
Good fun counting down as well
10.9.8.7.6.5.4.3.2.1 beep Watch out it is hot when it comes out. Let it cool and then be amazed.

MrsAllen said...

I read a lot of the comments but I do have 3 questions that mostly have been asked but not answered.

Does this wash out of clothes well? I've never got food colouring on clothes but I know crayola paint comes off pretty well. How about this?

Someone mentioned squeeze bottles with lids, which sounds like a great option. Where did you get those?

What is the shelf life of the paint?

Anonymous said...

Do you think I can use this to do splatter paint? My son did a project last year where he taped off a cross on a canvas board, splatter paint all over the board, let it dry then removed the tape. I wanted to do the same for the kids a church. I thought that this would be much cheaper than buying all the paints. Any thoughts?

Unknown said...

Im impressed with your creativity! What a great gift and presentation!

Ruth said...

I used the egg dye tablets and would like to highlight my daughters hair pink. Would it stain her hair or will it wash out?

Unknown said...

Ours came out gritty and I just read it doesn't last long so that's a bummer

Unknown said...

ok saw someone wanted to know about sealant spray, i was wondering the same thing . would hate to go crazy painting and then it melted with spray if anyone has tried please let me know . thanks in advance! ;)

Anonymous said...

Since it's basically runny salt dough, if you want to use it on canvas and make it last, then baking the finished piece in the oven should seal it, I'd assume..?
Trail run first with a small piece. Just to be safe.

Anonymous said...

will this work as regular paint? not just as puffy paint?

Anonymous said...

I dont have any salt. And i cant get to the store to get any. Is there something besides salt that i can use?

christa said...

Add half c. Glitter and half c. salt instead of the c. Of salt that shoould do the trick

Unknown said...

What exactly is puffy paint used for?

Unknown said...

I just made this like 15 minutes ago. It's fun. A bit runny, but whatever. I'll try the 15 seconds in the microwave. Give me a bit and I'll add my results. Thanks for the recipe love. Like others, I found you on Pintrest.

Update: So I did the microwave thing and it worked. 15 seconds wasn't enough, so I did it again for 10 seconds-it was good. To seal it, add a coat of Mod Podge (store bought or diy (1/2 Elmers glue 1/2 water)).

Unknown said...

Puffy paint is used for lots of things; mainly arts and crafts. Pintrest has some stuff where you glue letters to boards to decorate the house. For kids, it's different because they may be used regular/flat paint.

Anonymous said...

This is the same recipe as salt clay, just different proportions. Sounds like fun.

Anonymous said...

This can not be stored at room temperature...I used this recipe to refill the finger paint containers we have used for a few years. I left it on the shelf a few weeks...today when I decided we could paint again, I took them off t.he shelf and each of the containers had popped open and they were growing mold and smelled awful

Joseph Fornabaio said...

This looks like a great idea for kids I'm going to share this with my readers.Can we link up

Anonymous said...

LOVE IT!!! I did this today with my 12, 7 and 2 year old.. they all had a blast.. My thought is that unless you plan on painting A LOT, I would cut the recipe in half or even a quarter-unless you plan on storing it.. it makes a lot of paint

Kaydren said...

Does anyone know if this paint would hold up for painting pumpkins? My 3 year old has to decorate a pumpkin for school and I don't really wanna have to buy paint and all that.

Samic said...

How well does it come out of clothes and off items like concrete or a table top?

would the pain work on butchers paper? (like they wrap deli items in once they are in their plastic bags)
Or should I stick with the thickness of printer paper and similar.

TIA

Anonymous said...

ok first I would like to ask my question and hope someone answers. I was wondering why cant we just add the food coloring to a bottle of glue? Would it work?

Then I don't know if anyone has notice yet but the question that everyone is asking about is the food dye and will it dye your clothes and other items not if the "paint" or flour washes out. We all know flour washes out of clothes.

Last thing is Everyone is trying to say recycle your catsup, mustard, syurp, and mayo bottles. If you don't like that idea the "hair product bottles" you are looking for are called condiment bottles they are at walmart or the dollar tree for $1 people buy them for picnics and put catsup and mustard in them or bbq sauce for the grill in the summer. I really hope this helped you guys and hope I hear from someone about the glue soon :)

shannonsboo2008 said...

not enthused about this paint. i made it for my grandchildren and it is too gritty. think next round i am going to use just flour and water, (thin enough of course,)and food coloring and see how it comes out. thanks for the idea though.

Unknown said...

I did this with my kindergarten class today! We made the paint and everything. A mess...and so much fun! Thanks for sharing:)

Judy said...

Would it work on a canvas?

Unknown said...

Thank you. I too have an autistic and putting these paints in squeeze bottles will maybe get him engaged without stressing that his hands will get messy!

Unknown said...

Thank you. I too have an autistic and putting these paints in squeeze bottles will maybe get him engaged without stressing that his hands will get messy!

airless paint spray gun said...


Your blog has given me that thing which I never expect to get from all over the websites. Nice post guys!

gream said...

Thank you. I too have an autistic and putting these paints in squeeze bottles will maybe get him engaged without stressing that his hands will get messy!


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nadaf said...

wow. I am stoked for this. should work well with my autistic son and his therapist. any ideas with sand or glitter?

nadaf.ma said...

Thank you. I too have an autistic and putting these paints in squeeze bottles will maybe get him engaged without stressing that his hands will get messy!

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