More on Handprints

My hanging method

Cole's unpainted print

Robbie's completed 6 month prints

Sand Dough Recipe
3 cups of sand
1 ½ c cornstarch
3 tsp alum
2 ¼ cup hot water
Food coloring (optional)

Mix sand, cornstarch, and alum in saucepan. Add hot water and food coloring. Cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and knead until smooth.

If you don't use food coloring, the dough will be a sandy gray color like my photos above.

The directions I found with this recipe just say to let it air dry, but I found that the finished product -a church project- crumbled easily. I am guessing that it can be baked on a board as in the kits I have purchased (in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes)for a more stone-like end product, but I have not verified that.

A couple of other notes- alum can be found in the baking aisle with spices and the concoction does have an odor during the cooking part, but it does go away.

Handprints

Just wanted to share one of my favorite things that I don't think gets much advertising. I know there are tons of cute, decorative baby handprint kits with all sorts of colors, fancy tins, ribbons, etc.; however, most of the kits involve using plaster of paris. It makes for a beautiful white smooth print WHEN it works. The problem is you only have a very small window of time to get your print perfect before it hardens. If you are working with a baby this is especially difficult to do.

Another mom introduced me to the Precious Prints sand dough kit of which I am a big fan! It doesn't look fancy when you get it, but I still love it. You knead the dough until it is soft and then you can do your print as many times as you need to so you like what you get. Once you are happy with your print, you cook the dough on the included board and you have a stone handprint. We have painted our boards and then hung them as is, but you could also set in a holder on a shelf or frame it. The website does have an option to order a kit with a frame as well as has two sizes available, 6x8 or 8x10.

You can order directly from the website by clicking HERE. I also think I have seen them advertised in one of the catalogues like Harriett-Carter or something.

We have two for each of our kids. One with a handprint and footprint at six months and then just a handprint at age 3 (the foot won't fit anymore!). I just did the newly turned 3 year olds today which is why you are getting this post.

I will try to post some pictures and include a recipe I have for sand dough soon.

Recipe Misprint?

I just made Chocolate Sundae Pie.

The crust and inside got put together just fine. The topping was supposed to be 1/2 cup of chocolate syrup and 1/2 cup pecans "drizzled" over the filling.

Well, I'll tell you that a half cup of syrup covered the entire pie and then some! As for the pecans, I didn't even get through half of those and I felt like the entire top was covered with those as well.

Now I don't know about you, but when I hear the word "drizzle", I am thinking cute little zig-zags or swirls of chocolate sauce with pecans sprinkled about.
Unfortunately, there was not a picture with this recipe, so I don't know if it really was a misprint or if "drizzle" was not used properly.

I know the next time I make this recipe, I will definitely adjust the amounts so that I don't spend 10 minutes cleaning up chocolate sauce that is covering the edge of the pan as well as my counter and trying to get the unused pecans back in the bag.