Make Your Own Plaster of Paris

Need a small amount of plaster of Paris, but don't want to make a trip to the store to get it? That was the situation I found myself in this weekend. I searched the Internet and found this simple recipe. Put a 3 parts flour to 2 parts warm water in a container and mix until it is smooth. Use as you would plaster of Paris. It does not dry white as plaster of Paris does and does have minor cracks so it won't work in some applications.

I needed something to hide the look of a Styrofoam wreath before gluing seashells on and it worked great for this purpose. The off white color was perfect to go with the seashells. After placing the wreath on waxed paper I brushed the plaster of Paris on with a pastry brush. I then placed the whole thing in my oven with the light on and in 48 hours, it was dry. It turned out great.

By Ann Winberg from Loup City, NE