Salt Dough Plants
I've got Ron Gallo on the speaker and a mocha nearby. Things are not so bad friends. Not so bad at all. How about you? Tell me about your life, your troubles and everything in between. Maybe you need to take your mind off things? I've got the trick, homegirl.
Salt dough plants were one of the first things we made with salt dough. More precisely, we made Salt Dough Cactus! We made these before we had this site actually. I've been meaning to write a tutorial for some time now. The mood is right. The mood is now.
I thought we'd expand upon the cactus to other types of succulents including the Snake Plant! I really love a good Snake Plant. I've had three and somehow killed them all. Why? I'm pretty good in the outdoor garden but man, indoor plants seem to suffer under my care. Maybe it's all the hot air coming out of my mouth hole?
We also made a Prickly Pear, Golden Globe and Night Blooming Cereus Cactus! SO many choices for you to take that mind and wander...
Let's get on with it.
Gather:
*Salt Dough
*Acrylic paint in colors of light green, emerald green, bright yellow, white and brown, optional purple/pink
*Bristle and small foam brushes
*Beans
*Vessel to hold plants such as a mug
*12 inch Bamboo skewers
Create:
1. Set oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Make salt dough:
-Combine 2 cups of flour with 1 cup of salt and 1 cup of warm water. Mix until it forms a non sticky dough. Add more flour or water depending on your consistency. You are looking for a play dough like feel. It should not stick to your hands or counter top. This amount will make two of the four of these plants.
2. Decide which plant you would like to make. I will briefly describe how to make each one.
For the Prickly Pear:
Split dough into multiple balls of varying sizes. Flatten each piece into a paddle shape about a 1/4 inch thick. Include a little protruding bit for a the flower if desired.
Cut a skewer in half and insert into the base of the paddle. Be sure to keep it in the center!
For the Golden Barrel Cactus:
Form ball with the salt dough. Use the skewers to create indentations in the sides around the perimeter. Place upside down and place half a skewer in the middle of the bottom.
For the Snake Plant:
Roll your dough to at least a 1/4 inch thick. Cut long strips about 1.5 inches wide at the widest point, tapering to a point. Insert half a skewer.
Smoosh the sides down and smooth out the dough. Create a Snake Plant shape.
For the Night Blooming Cereus Cactus:
Roll the dough into several long logs differing in length. Use the skewer to create indentations in the dough, length wise. Insert half of a skewer.
Place all the pieces on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 2 or more hours until the dough is *mostly hard.
*The dough does not need to be fully hard. If the very center is still pliable, it is ok. You can still paint it. It will harden over time.
See my daughter's pieces? :)
2. Let the salt dough cool and paint it. To paint each plant, begin with a base coat of light green.
For the Prickly Pear: Add white dots with a skewer end. Paint the blooms purple/pink.
For the Golden Barrel Cactus: Add white streaks along the protruding parts.
For the Snake Plant: Use your foam brush to apply the dark green variegation. Add yellow to the edges for contrast.
For the Night Blooming Cereus Cactus: Use your bristle brush to crudely paint down the indentation with dark green.
Use the skewer end to paint dots of brown down the protruding sides. Once that has dried, paint white dots over to resemble thorns.
3. Fill your vessel with beans. Plant your plants, you divine creature.
