Do you have a jacket or top that needs a touch of artistic originality? Instead of paying a fortune for an artsy pin from an art gallery, why not create your own? It's quick and easy to create one of a kind art pins out of ordinary dough. This is also a fun project to keep kids busy on a rainy afternoon. Here's how to make your own pins out of inexpensive dough you whip up in your kitchen:

Gather Your Supplies

The supplies needed to make dough pins are minimal. You'll need flour, salt, acrylic paints in the colors of your choice, pin backs, and a high gloss acrylic spray finish. The flour and salt, you probably already have in your kitchen. A quick trip to the craft store should be sufficient to get the acrylic paints, pin backs acrylic spray finish. You'll also need a rolling pin and cookie cutters in various shapes.

Mix The Dough

To make you need to create your pins, mix two cups of flour with 1/3 cup of salt. Slowly add a half cup of warm water while stirring the mixture thoroughly. Once the mixture is firm enough, begin kneading it until it's free of clumps. Once the dough is smooth, roll it out on a flat, non-stick surface. Cut out shapes with your cookie cutters to serve as the base for your pins. Once you have your cut out designs, place them on a cookie sheet and bake for about fifteen minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Continue baking until the dough cut outs are hard to the touch.

Decorate Your Pins

Now it's time to get creative! Use your acrylic paints to create unique designs on your dough cut outs. Let your creative artist run wild by swirling colors and adding abstract decorations. You can even use various items around your house to stamp onto the surface of your clay cut outs. Create holiday themed pins such as heart motifs for Valentine's Day and egg pins for Easter. The possibilities are unlimited.
Apply The Final Finish To Your Pins

Once your paints have dried completely, spray the front and back surface of your pins with two layers of high gloss acrylic spray finish. When the acrylic finish is dry, use two part epoxy glue to apply a pin back to your new creations. They're ready for you to wear.

This is a project you'll definitely want to get the kids involved in. Children love the creativity of making dough pins. Plus, it's such an easy and inexpensive project. Why not give it a try?