Aprons & playdough

In the past I've mostly avoided wearing aprons when I cook as they tend to make me look like even more of a 50's housewife than I feel already! But there's no denying that cooking (and particularly cooking and playing with little kids) is a messy business. And as our washing pile is continually mountainous I figured it was time to clean up my act a bit and make myself some aprons. My little helpers would of course need one each too. And what mother-daughter relationship is complete without a few matching items of apparel, right?

I used this white, blue and green tree patterned Ikea fabric from my stash. It's pretty thick and 100% cotton so should be good for all the hand wiping and splattering that goes on during a cooking session. And hey, maybe I can get to school pick-up without food smeared over my clothes for a change... but there's still the baby and toddler to do their bit - no apron will save me from the dreaded vegemite fingers :-)



I just cut a simple rectangle (big for me, small for the girls), hemmed the edges and sewed on a length of grosgrain ribbon that had been passed on from a costume designer friend when she left to live in London (sigh). And to stop the ribbon ends fraying I used a little trusty superglue.



So to test out the aprons the girls and I made a batch of playdough. I think I love playdough almost as much as the girls do. I find it one of the more enjoyable things to play with them (as opposed to those where you'd rather stick pins in your eyes ;-)

Fresh out of the saucepan, the cooked mix is so tactile and resembles a big lump of bread dough (maybe that's the appeal!).

Then with the addition of some food colouring it seems to take on a life of it's own.

And all sorts of creatures and shapes are made by girls big and small!



Playdough (the cooked version)

Mix in a saucepan:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup cream of tartar (near the flour in the supermarket)

Then add gradually:
2 cups water
2 tablespoons oil

Stir til smooth then cook over low heat, stirring, til mixtures congeals. When cool enough to handle turn out onto bench top and knead a bit, adding a bit of flour if sticky. Add food colouring and have fun!