Finger paints and potato stamps make summer fun

Unleash your inner artist! Everybody likes to finger paint and play with stamps — even grownups. When was the last time you made a picture for your mother’s fridge?

Here’s a fun, fast and frugal project for a summer afternoon. Gather the kiddies and make memories … and a mess. All kids know if it’s not messy it’s not fun.

Little Divas’ Finger Paints

Yield: 1 cup

Time: less that 5 minutes

1/2 cup white flour

1/2 cup cold water

Food coloring

In a small bowl, mix the flour and the water together until smooth. This is s good job for kiddies. Divide the mixture into small containers (paper cups work well) and add the food coloring of your choice.

This paint is very thick so it works best on heavy paper, construction paper, even paper plates. The thick texture makes it perfect for finger painting, brushing or stamping.

The paint is completely edible so even very little ones can enjoy playing. Finger painting is an excellent sensory activity for toddlers and the art they create is priceless.

As an option you can add glitter and make sparkly paint, but then be watchful that the kiddley-boos don’t eat any.

To make potato stamps you’ll need to sacrifice a potato or two.

Choose large ones to offer enough surface area for your stamp design once the potato is cut in half. You can go old school and carve a design freehand with a sharp knife (not a job for the kiddies).

Start by drawing your design on the surface of the potato with a marker then carve around the design with the tip of your knife removing the excess potato as you go.

Another idea is to use a cookie cutter. I like this better because it’s much easier and you can make more intricate designs.

Press the cookie cutter into the potato and use a sharp knife to cut around the cookie cutter about a quarter to half an inch down the potato. Remove the excess potato then remove the cookie cutter.

I found it best to apply the paint to the stamp with a brush or fingers rather than dipping the stamp in this very thick paint.

What do I make with my fabulous paint and stamps you ask? Glad you asked. You can make greeting cards by folding pieces of card stock or index cards in half.

You can also make one-of-a-kind wrapping paper for a very special gift. Or you can just enjoy making art for art’s sake.

Frugal Family Fun contributed by Patti Diamond author of Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! www.divasonadime.com Join us on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom.