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the gemstone air dry clay was very liquidy and not at all able to "roll" into balls or gems...has anyone else had this trouble? Thanks!

Don't know the answer but I'll be watching this thread b/c we'll be there next week... hope you get some good advice!

4arrows,

Our gemstone clay turned out well with both our boys, but at times depending on the weather/temperature/humidity (or how well the boys measure and knead) the clays can turn out sticky sometimes.

I don't have my guide with me right now, however if the clay in this project is flour based, I would add more flour until it gets to the rolling consistency. If instead, the clay is cornstarch based, I would add more cornstarch until it gets to the rolling consistency. If the clay is based on a different dry ingredient, I would add more of that ingredient (a little at at time until it gets to the desired consistency).

Just as in baking, sometimes more of a dry ingredient can be needed to firm up a sticky concoction.

We pray you will enjoy this project as much as we have! I know there are pics from other moms of this project in the weekly check-in. I'm just not sure where right now. It really is a great learning experience.

Blessings,
Carrie

Gggggg

Thanks you ladies,
We will try again...this recipe didn't have flour. So I will try adding more cornstarch and toothpaste this time...although my DD already used a couple small tubes of toothpaste. or thought I would try using another recipe for air dry clay in the guide. Any suggestions which one would work? Thanks so much! Not giving up! Just don't want to reinvent the wheel when I know lots of you wonderful mamas have already done these great projects. Loving HOD so much this year and running 4 guides with a toddler. I feel like we get so much done with HOD.
Thanks so much Carrie for all your hard work. The Lord has truly blessed you!
Elizabeth

I had the same problem. Kept adding cornstartch and it would not thicken-it was just pure liquid! I dropped it by spoonfulls on to waxed paper...the large rocks for Unit 7 didn't work-they just blobbed together and I had to throw the whole thing away; I did, however, get the small "rocks" to work for Unit 8's project. They dried up really nicely, it was just a very messy project to get them out on the waxed paper! I had dd complete the project for Unit 7 using paper cut outs, instead. Not nearly as neat a final product as the rocks would have been, but I guess it got the main point of the project across.

We've done this twice now - once 4 years ago with my oldest, and once last school year with my middle ds. It worked both times, but I do remember adding cornstarch and flipping them to get them totally dry. I wonder if the kind of toothpaste makes a difference? We used Crest paste, and ours had a bluish tint. I think anything that's sort of gel based would get sticky, and of course there are the environmental things that make a difference too, that Carrie mentioned.








You can either try it again and use less toothpaste, more cornstarch, and maybe more drying time - or, you can chalk it up to not all artistic creative endeavors work out with total success (and sometimes there is great learning in that too ). Hope something here helps!

In Christ,
Julie

P.S. Ladies who have been on here awhile, can you believe how YOUNG and LITTLE my oldest ds Wyatt looks? He is now 13 yo and 5 foot 9 inches tall. My, my, my time flies.