Monday, February 4, 2008

Making "Stickers"

Dieter and I did a fun little project yesterday. You can make "stickers" by brushing a solution onto the backs of colored papers, letting it dry, and then punching shapes from the papers. Then when you want to stick them you lick and stick. This was a great toddler activity because he loves to brush things on with the paint brush and with this clear solution (it's unflavored gelatin and water, mostly) there is no angst about getting anything right--you're just brushing for the pure pleasure of brushing. To tell you the truth, this was the most relaxing part of my day too. Sundays are always super stressful, trying to get all the food preparation done, farmers market in the rain (yesterday), a million loads of laundry. This was a peaceful moment to share with Dieter while the baby slept.
Once the papers were dry, I was anxious to cut these out--I used the heart punch again--Dieter was still at the table, having switched to watercolor painting. It was very tempting to start licking and sticking immediately, so I decorated Faith's lunch bag for the next day. Dieter looked at me very seriously and said, "Faith's not going to like that Mommy" and gave a very serious expression on his sweet face. I thought he was wrong, so I went and got Faith to look at the lunch bag. She hated it! Dieter was so right on. Honestly, he's a perceptive boy. And I will have to find other applications for these hearts in future.
Here's the recipe (oh, by the way, it comes from Eat, Drink, and be Chinaberry):

Stamp Gum

1 (1/4 ounce) package unflavored gelatin
1 T cold water
3 T boiling water
1/2 t. corn syrup
1/2 t. lemon or other flavored extract

In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin on the cold water. Let it sit 5 minutes to soften. Add the boiling water. Stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Add corn syrup and extract. Stor in a small jar like a baby food jar.

Cut out pictures from magazines. Brush the picture on the back side with he gum. Let it dry, then moisten the gum with water or by licking and stick it to paper.

24 comments:

amy turn sharp said...

thanks! I will try this out this week! love yr stickers!

Kristin said...

It is so nice to let go and be able to relax into an activity like that, little kids are so naturally good at it.

When my daughter was small we gave her a big paintbrush and a bucket of water and she "painted" part of our shed and the sidewalk. She absolutely loved this activity and it engaged her for long periods of time. Oh, zero clean up was great, too.

tess said...

oh they're lovely, what a great idea!

Kate said...

VERY creative, and fun!

Kate said...

Oh, and I think we have the same set of bowls, love them!!

Florence Knapp (Flossie Teacakes) said...

Gosh, you do get up to the most lovely things with your little ones! Thanks for the recipe for the glue too. x

Our Adventures As A Family of 4.... said...

Thanks for this recipe MaryBeth. Our kids when they come home may be the ages of your younger children. This will be a fun project to do with them. Sounds like it was a fun day for you too. The papers are lovely colors, too.

Molly

Felicia said...

It does look like fun :)

Sarah said...

We belong to a homeschool co-op and have to bring an activity every other week. This will be a perfect preschool activity! Thank you!

Peggy said...

New to comment - I can't recall how I found my way to your blog anymore but I first stopped in just before Christmas. I love this idea and will pick up gelatin on my next trip to the grocery.

taisa said...

What a great idea- I will file it away in the "when-he's -a-little-less-messy ideas section of my brain.

mom go green said...

I had no idea you could make homemade stickers. how great! we need to come up with our valentines ideas, pronto. thanks for all the inspiration!

Girl Land said...

What a great idea! And I recognize some pages from Magic Cabin in that heap o' hearts. How clever and environmentally sound are you?? :) Thanks for the recipe.

gkgirl said...

these are adorable!
great idea...
:0)

kanaha said...

This is so fun. I'm totally going to do this with E.

Followed a link from writemamawrite....

Your site is making me want to be a better mom.

Tori Leslie said...

What a great idea! Thanks!!
I just found you and I'll be back!

Carey R. Piper said...

How cute is that! I love stickers, Thank You

Hurrayic said...

Just found your site via Crafty Crow (isn't it great?). The stickers look fun and easy to do. Thanks for posting. Looking forward to browsing more of your site too.

Kelly G. said...

I used to make this when I was a little girl. I had totally forgot about them. Thank you!

Cami said...

I saw your blog on Crafty Crow! This looks like a lot of fun, and so easy, too. Thanks for the recipe. Love your blog! I'll be back :)

Claire said...

Thank you! I was literally JUST thinking about how you might go about doing this today! Very timely. Thank you.

Jen said...

Do you (or any of your readers) have suggestions for a vegetarian alternative to the gelatin? I wonder if agar agar would work...

K Magill said...

Very fun idea! Great way to use those magazine pictures that are so pretty and hard to throw away. I'll be posting a link to this post on my blog soon.
havingfunathomeblog.blogspot.com

Beth- the mama bee said...

that was fun! We tried it and had a great time. I blogged about it here and link back to you. thanks.