Activities With Liquid Starch

Liquid starch products are not just for ironing your clothes, although they do give your clothing a clean, pressed look and will prevent it from soiling or staining as much. Liquid starch can be a useful ingredient in craft products as well and is found on the laundry aisle at supermarkets or discount stores. It forms a glue-like texture when used in different artistic activities and is an inexpensive craft supply that will last a long time.

Make your own colorful silly putty to use as modeling clay or to copy amusing pictures such as the newspaper comics. You will need 1/2 cup of white school glue, 1/4 cup of liquid starch and a drop or two of food coloring to create a putty mixture. Pour the glue and food coloring into a small bowl and add the liquid starch 1 tbsp. at a time until it is the texture of silly putty, mixing the putty well with your fingers. Silly putty is stretchable and you can use it for lots of fun activities. Store the used putty in a small plastic container with a lid, in order to use it another day.

You can use liquid starch to make an effective decoupage or collage glue. Simply heat 1 cup of liquid starch in a saucepan until it starts to boil. In a small mixing bowl, combine 2 tbsp. flour and 1 tbsp. water; whisk it together until well blended. Add the hot liquid starch slowly into the mixture, whisking it while you are pouring it. Use the starch mixture to glue any type of flat picture or textured materials onto a flat surface to create a collage. Allow each piece to dry thoroughly before displaying.

Stained glass candle holders will make lovely gifts for friends and family. Purchase a small clear glass votive at discount or hobby and craft stores, or you can use a small glass or clean, baby-food jar. Tear different shapes out of colored tissue paper; you can tear these into strips or random or geometric shapes, but avoid making them larger than one inch in size. Dip a small paintbrush into the liquid starch and paint the entire outside surface of the glass jar or votive. Place the pieces of tissue paper over the outside of the entire glass surface, overlapping them to create a stained glass effect. Allow the candle holder to dry overnight and then paint over the tissue-papered surface with another coat of liquid starch. Allow it to dry overnight on a tray lined with aluminum foil or wax paper and then place a small votive candle inside and light it in order to be able to enjoy the stained glass look