Throwback Thursday Craft-along: Old Timey Crafts with a New Timey Twist

FINALLYYYYYYY!

Once a month on Thursday, I will adventure into the land of old timey crafts. These crafts might be fun activities from childhood, or, even better, tutorials from retro craft books. I have been looking for a reason to explore the classic 1948 craft manual Handicrafts and Hobbies, found at a church bazaar. This fascinating little book features such chapters as, "Adventures in Whittling" and "How to Enjoy Stamp Collecting." Ohhhh yes. I can't wait either.

Before I delve into that delicious gem, however, I want to do a feature on salt dough, and its many possibilities. While taking a long drive yesterday, and listening to an Elise Gets Crafty podcast, I starting thinking about new earring ideas. I'm not sure how the idea of salt dough popped into my head, but it did. I liked the idea of stamping salt dough and then making beads from those stamps. Salt dough is a classic baby hand print project, as well, so I would be able to do some Gabe-Craft too.

To begin, I googled salt dough recipes. The most common recipe I came across is as follows: 

1. Mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup salt, and 1/2 cup warm water in a bowl.

2. Knead dough with hands until it is smooth and forms a ball.

3. Roll dough into whatever thickness you desire.

4. Go nuts with cookie cutters, baby hands, stamps, etc.

5. Place awesome stuff you have made on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.

6. Cook at 200 degrees F for three hours. (The time listed is an average. The thickness of the dough will affect the time it needs to dry out in the oven.)

Keep scrolling and see where my adventures with salt dough took me:

Mix it up and roll it out!

Part of my earring brainstorm yesterday was an idea for earrings that simply say "yes." I experimented with using the
 salt dough to make this idea a reality.

They are slightly imperfect, but that might just make the final product more interesting.

Left: Hand fail. Gabe wanted to eat my hand print. Right: Hand save! Also, Gabe has really big baby hands.

Gabe offered to help with his muffin tin.

What went into the oven: Various salt dough bead experiments, love hearts,
and nautical ornaments.

Kitchen Before: All of the materials are so organized and lovely. Kitchen After: GAH! The materials have exploded
and are sliding off the counter (which somehow has become crooked...)!

Finished starfish and shark ornaments. I rushed through these and ended
 up smudging red paint on the star fish.I think I can live with it. I *think*.

Gabe's giant baby hand in ELECTRIC blue. I get carried away with
 my paint sometimes.

Whatever happened to my "yes" earrings? Read today's a-Pair-a-Day post to find out!