DIY Starfish Craft

Salt dough is such a useful craft idea! It is basically like clay, and you can shape it into anything you want. Once it dries out in the oven, you can paint it, and display it. When I was getting supplies for the Beach Baby Shower I was throwing for a couple of my friends, I was at the craft supply store, and they had really pretty starfish, BUT they were like $15 for 5 of them. Yeah…I’m not doing that. There had to be a better way. I also thought about doing this with clay, because clay is so pretty, and shapes into anything you need it to as well, but salt dough is sooooo easy and inexpensive.

Salt dough is a mixture of salt, flour, and water. Of course, flour and water basically make glue, and the salt prevents it from being glue, and allows it to come together like clay. When making the dough, if it is too crumbly add more water, and if is too sticky or soft, add more flour. I also had a bunch of extra dough, this recipe makes a lot, so I did a handprint for my son. This dough opens up the doors for a lot of other crafts as well.

DIY Starfish Craft

Supplies:

2 cups flour; plus more for dusting the counter

1 cup salt

3/4 cup to 1 cup water

toothpick

baking sheet lined with parchment paper

paint, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl

Add in half of the water and mix

Add enough water to make a dough; if it becomes too sticky add more flour

Sprinkle some flour onto a work surface, and knead the dough until it becomes a smooth ball of dough

Grab a small amount of the dough and place it on a floured work surface

Shape into a small flat disk, and use a toothpick to make the shape of a star fish; cut off the excess dough

Use your fingers to shape the starfish

Use a toothpick to add in little dots, and a line down the center, or however you would like them to look!

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Repeat with the rest of the dough; this will make a lot of starfish

You can add a hole in one of the arms (or are they legs?) of the starfish if you want to hang it like an ornament

Bake at 200 degrees for about 3 hours; then allow then starfish to cool and dry out for a few more hours

Paint them if desired

If you have extra dough, you can use it to make a handprint with your kids!