Major Craft Fail: Dough
I thought of several titles for this post including, Doughn’t Do It, Uh-Dough, and Major No-Dough. Sorry, I had to get that out.
Anyway, I embarked on a craft dough adventure with high hopes. Inspired by the recipe in this book, I decided to try my hand at a-dough-able dough and salt dough – and this was going to be a post about which dough was better. As it turns out, I failed at BOTH. I’m blaming it on my lack of baking skills (?).
Here’s a table full of tools and a heart full of optimism: stamps, cookie cutters, knives, bowls, a small doily, vintage stir-sticks, and my coveted Barbie Fashion Plates.
Both doughs, and especially the a-dough-able dough, were SO sticky that they were impossible to work with – even with the addition of much extra flour. The ADA dough didn’t even have flour in the recipe, but I had to use some just to roll it out. All in all, I think salt dough won by a hair: I was able to stamp into it better, and although it bubbled a bit, it didn’t crack.
The ADA dough was a nice cream color and it dried much harder. That’s about the only plus side. Minuses: it was impossible to cut cleanly with a knife, impossibly sticky, and worst of all . . .
About half of the items I did ended up cracking as they were drying, even the flat things. That un-cracked dish down there is salt dough.
I tried several little plates and bowls – I had high hopes for my Barbie Fashion Plate plates – but none of them turned out.
Live and learn, I guess. I don’t know how it is that I can throw a clay pot, but I can’t succeed at some flour and water. I thought about skipping this post all together, but decided I should expose myself for the sake of transparency. And, maybe some of these things can be cleaned up with some paint and used for gift tags . . . Now fess up: what has been your latest craft fail? Spill it!
Thank you for sharing a craft fail! I have had several and you are right-live and learn! Keep trying and pretty soon you will own the salt dough!
This post makes me sad, because I have been dying to make salt dough but haven’t had time! I recently pinned a recipe for something similar called claydough – http://m.pinterest.com/pin/263671753154118238/
But now I’m afraid to try it lol
My crafty fails… lets see there was the home-made snow globe jars made with mason jars, oven baked clay and glitter. To start the glitter I had for one of them turned the water purple (not pale but dark), and all 3 of them leaked even with sealer. I plan on trying this again at some point only top side up.
And also there is my fail sculpting at clay (its harder than you’d think). I got a large snowglobe kit for Christmas and have yet to finish something to put in it. I have failed at a snow scene and also at a castle lol. My rose turned out better so cross your fingers the butterfly to go with it is pretty as well.
My latest crafty thing is pressing flowers for crafts, lets hope it goes better haha
Firstly, I think I am probably the only person in the world who has failed at salt dough . . . I bet you’ll get it right the very first time! Second: I have always wanted to try those mason jar snow globes. Now I’M scared!
Hehe I think I’m going to try the one I linked, I want to play with it and make something for my boyfriend for our anniversary! I’m not what I want to make though lol.
As for the snowglobe jar, if I figure out how to make it not leak I’ll let ya know!
strange how they all turned out. Sad for you. I have worked lately with the salt dough myself, and when i had to set it away, it became cracked the dough itself.
So i think the problem was by you that you must bake it in an oven or in the microwave.
I h ave done the last methode. Just for 2 or 3 minutes.
Dependedly of the thickness of your shapes you must stay them longer in the microwave.
Hope this is helping you;-D
Love your blog, thanks for sharing. oooh my last problem with the salt dough was that i almost sett my house in fire.LOL I had sett them too long (5 minutes) in the microweave.LOL So take it slowly and enjoy the craftingXD
Gaaaah! I had mine in the oven at 120 degrees for about an hour, then took it out when I noticed some of them started to bubble. I’m glad you weren’t taken out by your salt dough!
poor you!!! sorry to hear that! But don’t give up!!!
I have checked your recipy if that was the problem, but it’s the right one.
Just try it some more
What you described that was happening in the microweave as well with mine salt dough.LOL
It ‘s going to coock.LOL So i shortened after the fire alarm the time.
insteade off 5 minutes i ended with 2 minutes and i just a reck insteade of laying them done on a plate.
Perhaps that’s working for you as well. And mostly i add some oil drops in the dough.
It will stay longer flexiable (sorry i don’t know how to write the word correctly.LOL)
and it don’t crack so easily.
When you add oil to the dough you must reduce the water a tiny bit. It’s trial and error;-D
When i was 18 yeard it was a fashion to work with dough, later one my hubby made with me a the xmas family.;-D
i have cute and warm memories of this craft;-D
I have a great dough recipe that is an air dry one although you can bake it too. It uses cornflour. If you are interested in trying it – email me and I will dig it out. It might take me a day or two to find as it is buried in a box in my shed. I do know it is there but not exactly where!
I need to lick my wounds for a little bit, but I’ll definitely keep you in mind! Thanks!
So, you’re wishing you could ‘edit-undough’ ?
Thanks for sharing, I know I was curious about salt dough.
Hahaha! I know other people have had great success with salt dough– I think this is my own personal failure!
I think I have the solution, I use to add a few drops of oil (or maybe melt butter, but I much prefer the oil) into the mix, this way, crafts don’t crack while they’re being coocked. Greetings from Spain!
Ah. That is a great idea and very helpful! They should put that in the directions!
Hi again, i love this conversation, all the advices from others are helping to solve all the crafting problems.
Thank you for sharing your problems.
they aren’t reallyfailures, but just commen crafting problems , so don’t give up;-D
i think we all have them.XD
sorry for my awful english
Oh my gosh! Barbie fashion plates! You totally just made me reminisce about my childhood. Oh how I loved those.
I never had them, so when I saw them at a yard sale — they HAD to be mine!