Amanda Vs. Pinterest

I'm not sure what it is, but I am definitely NOT on a roll lately.  Starting with my debacle at the March for Life, and then this Pinterest attempt, let's just say, things have not been going according to plan.

I've been taking it easy with the baby activity pins lately, because from prior experience, Logan just hasn't seemed that into them.  Remember this failed attempt??  Yeah, not so much!  But when I saw this pin for homemade edible finger paint, it seemed too fun to pass up.  Logan has been really into art lately.  It seems like all of the sudden he wants to draw, paint, and hand-print all the time!  So this seemed like an easy way to have a fun afternoon.

Unfortunately, this pin was not idiot Amanda-proof.  It seems simple enough, right?  It's only 4 ingredients and one of them is food coloring for crying out loud!!  

The directions state that you need:

* 2 cups of corn starch
* 1 cup of cold water
* 4.5 cups of boiling water
* Liquid food coloring

You basically just mix the corn starch and cold water, add the boiling water one cup at a time, stirring in between, and then separate into small containers and add food coloring.  However, there was a disclaimer.  The blogger mentions that some of her readers were having trouble getting the paint to thicken, so she offers two things to try if this happens to you.  1.  Add another cup of corn starch or 2. Bring the entire mixture to a boil until it begins to thicken.  

I followed the instructions to a tee, but I fell into the group of "not thickening-ers" so I decided to try adding another cup of corn starch.  I added it, and nothing happened.  There was only a little bit left in the box, so I added that too.  Still nothing.  I waited.  Nothing.  I put it in the fridge, hoping that would thicken it up.  Nothing.  So then I decided to try the other suggestion to make your paint thicken, and throw my mixture into a pot over the stove.  Almost immediately, my "paint" started to thicken.  

And thicken.  

And thicken some more.

  

And then it thickened a little bit more.  It definitely passed right on by liquid and straight on to solid.  It became so solid that I could tip the pot over and nothing came out.  

It was also a super weird consistency.  It was sort of waxy, but a bit gelatinous as well.  Maybe something you could make soap out of?  Or maybe fake zombie skin? The words cottage cheese also come to mind.  And did I mention the smell?  I don't even want to go into what it smelled like....

Not one to be defeated, I decided that we were going to take the most watery part of my mixture and try to finger paint with it.  I added the food coloring and got Logan all set up and ready to go.  

Looking promising.....

I tried to show him how to do it, but it was so thick at this point that it was more intuitive to just pick up a glob of it than try to paint with it, so that's exactly what that little boy did.  Then he promptly popped that golf ball sized blob into his mouth and swallowed it.  YUCK!  But I guess it's technically ok to eat, right?  

The face says it all!

I think this goes without saying, but that was the end of our science experience.  Total pin fail!!!  The only (semi)good thing that came out of this, was that Logan didn't get sick!!! 

Maybe it would have made better crayons?

Has anyone out there had any successful Pinterest projects lately?  I would love to hear about something that went exactly according to plan... it's been a while since that happened to me!!
Speaking of Pinterest, follow me, won't you??