Salt dough

Have you ever kissed a frog? I did once, before I met My Officer Godmother, of course... sadly the frog didn't turn into a Prince, then again... I did find him on a toadstool...

Anyway I digress. Have you seen Disney's The Princess and the Frog? We love it Chez Nous. It is set in 1920's New Orleans during Mardi Gras with a backdrop of voodoo, jazz and The Bayou.

Minnow being mad about 'jewels', the plasticer the better, she spotted the brightly coloured Mardi Gras beads or 'throws' as they're called. They're usually thrown from the floats of the carnivals during the Mardi Gras celebrations.

We had a parade outside our house last year for the Queen's Jubilee. Very similar except the carnival was a little less frivolous and and all I got was some sawdust in the eye. But then, this is not New Orleans.

Anyhoo, this is how we go about making salt dough Mardi Gras beads...

You will need:
2 Cups of flour
1 Cup of salt
3/4 Cup of water
2 tbls vegetable oil
Food Colouring

Combine the ingredients to form a pliable dough and away you go.

We rolled it into balls and then skewered them like kebabs. They went in the oven for 30 mins at 50 degrees. Tap them to see if they sound hollow. If not turn up the heat and leave in a little longer.

Thread them together and...

...Bob's your Uncle!

In other news, this month's competition is sponsored by Sorbet Turkish Towels.
I swear by these little beauties, they are so good for holidays. Soft to lie on but easy and comfortable to wear too. And they roll up so small they even make room in your case for extra shoes! Here we can see Minnow modelling the child's version on Sarigerme Beach, (the unlikely birthplace of Irish dancing).

Any new members of the blog will be entered into a prize draw to win one just like it.