Young parents are always affectionate about new achievements in the development of their child. Mom and Dad are trying to preserve in their memory the wonderful moments from the life of a little man. To leave unforgettable memories of the growing up of a child, you can make casts of the baby's arms and legs. Compositions of handprints and feet are also a great gift for beloved grandparents.
Preparation of the solution
Commercially available sculpting kits are quite expensive. In order to save money, you can make casts of children's hands and feet from inexpensive means, for example, from salt dough. And the process of making such a dough is very simple.
For salty dough, you need 2/3 cup salt, half a glass of water, a glass of flour and one tablespoon of vegetable oil. It is better to use finely ground salt, because coarse salt can form irregularities on the surface of the dough and even injure the baby's delicate skin.
Dissolve salt in water, add flour and butter. Knead the dough. It should turn out to be cool, but at the same time soft and elastic, and should not stick to the surface of the hands. Wrap the finished dough in plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
Take out the salted dough and knead again until it is at room temperature. Divide it into several parts and on a previously prepared surface, begin to roll out to a thickness of 1-2 cm. Place the finished layers, for example, on thick cardboard.
Take a clean, dry hand of the child and ask to press it on the dough. You can help the baby and lightly press his handle. If the child is too small, then you can postpone the whole process while the baby is sleeping. Carefully remove your hand from the dough and see what happens, and whether everything suits you. If for some reason the print is uneven, take the salted dough and repeat it all over again. Do the same for the feet.
The case for the plaster
Take a small waste container and dilute gypsum in it at the rate of 2/3 cup of alabaster in half a glass of water. Stir quickly but gently so that no lumps form in the mixture. Fill in the recesses already in the dough. After the plaster is poured, lightly move the cardboard from side to side so that the mixture lies evenly. Alabaster hardens very quickly, and therefore, while it is in a liquid state, eliminate all irregularities. Next, put your crafts in a place inaccessible to the child for a day.
Composition decoration
The most crucial moment comes, requiring the utmost accuracy - the extraction of the impression from the test. Start this process with your fingers, moving towards your palm. Since the plaster has not yet completely hardened, you can easily remove any excess with sandpaper. Remove the finished casts until they dry completely.
And now it's a matter of imagination. You can leave the casts as they are or decorate with, for example, gold. Now you can compose. On the cardboard base, glue the prints of the handles and legs, a photo of the baby. You can write the name and age of the child. Decorate as your heart desires and frame.
