One of my favorite items to search for when out there second hand shopping are items that I can use for molds. This little mold was perfect for me. I love flowers. I bought this little mold for .25 cents at a yard sale. If you can’t find a flower mold then use a Hostess cupcake container mold for a flower shape. They look like petals on the bottom.

Also sand is a great way to create art without a mold. Have your children draw shapes in sand/dirt, make sure it’s deep enough. Mix plaster then pour into sand shapes you have created. We did this once with our kids at the beach. We used it as a homeschooling lesson on the alphabet. Then we took their alphabet letters and painted them later that evening when we went back to our hotel.

What you will need:

flower mold

Plaster of Paris

paints- watercolor, acrylics, or chalk paints.

school glue/water or Mod Podge

Buttons, embellishments or magnets (optional)

Tacky glue (optional)

Paint brushes.

Mix plaster according to directions. You can buy plaster at most hobby/craft stores or huge bags at home repair shops. Before I pour plaster into my molds I will wipe a small amount of olive oil on a cotton ball to the inside, this is optional. I let my molds cure overnight then pop them out the next day. They dry pretty fast, so if in a hurry you can pop them out in an hour or less, let them dry overnight before you seal them. I seal the plaster by added a coat of either Mod Podge or watered down school glue. After that dries I paint my molds using either acrylic or watercolor paints.

You can add embellishments like beads, buttons and gems or even decoupage pretty fabrics or papers onto your flowers. I use tacky glue or e600 for that as it seems to hold better for these kinds of projects. If you are going to turn your plaster flowers into fridge magnets then make sure to press the magnets into the backside of your molds before they dry completely, jab a little E6000 glue onto magnet to hold in place. Magnets need really strong glues to hold in place.

This flower mold was just sitting in a pile of old marbles, plastic animals, and Happy meal prizes. Whenever you go out antiquing, yard sales, rummage sales and church sales..look for items to create art with.

Happy crafting everyone.