How to Create Cotton Ball Puff Art

Here’s a craft that the whole family can enjoy together, and a bonus is that you probably already have everything you need. Kids and parents alike will have fun using their imagination while making brightly colored animals and other objects. You simply dip cotton balls into a flour and water mixture tinted with food coloring and you’re ready to create. Finished products can serve as decorative objects, toys or even holiday ornaments.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Cotton balls
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup water
• Food coloring
• Pam or other brand cooking spray
• Large mixing bowl
• 2 small mixing bowls

How to Create Cotton Ball Puff Art

1. Making the batter

   Pour one cup of warm water into a large mixing bowl. Slowly add one cup of flour, mixing slowly until all of the flour is thoroughly mixed in.

2. Spray a cookie sheet (or one for each participant) with Pam or another cooking spray. Set the oven for 300 degrees.

3. Add food coloring.

   Divide the mixture into two small bowls. In each, add food coloring until you reach the color you desire. If you want to work with more than two colors at once, simply make more batches of the mixture and divide and color accordingly.

4. Dip the cotton balls into collored batter.

   Take a cotton ball and push it down into one of the bowls, rolling it around until it is covered with the mixture. Carefully pull it out and set it on the cookie sheet. Continue dipping cotton balls in the various colors of mixtures and place on a cookie sheet in whatever design you like. The cotton balls must touch so that they will attach to one another during the baking process.

5. Place on a cookie sheet.

   Consider trying the designs pictured in this article before moving on to other original ideas.

6. 

   Bake your cotton puff art for an hour. Let cool slightly and remove from the cookie sheet with a spatula. After items are totally cool, ydecorate them using markers.

Tips & Warnings

• Add paper clips (as in caterpillar pictured), beads, feathers, and other items to make individual features.

• Do not let children remove items from oven or cookie sheets as they will be very hot.

Resources

• Online source for large quantities of cotton balls