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Every year around Christmas, my daughter and I make sugar cookies with a hard glaze, and paint all sorts of things on them. It's a lot of fun, we always make a mess and have a great time!
I've never been satisfied with the food coloring/paintbrush combo, as the food coloring is pretty runny and hard to work with. This year, I was looking at a package of markers, and noticed the "Non-toxic" mark on the back, and got to thinking . . . and eventually this instructable was born!
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Signing UpStep 1Gather Materials
This is a very simple project. For you need only two things:
- A package of non-toxic washable markers
- Food coloring
I got food coloring from the dollar store--you can pay 5-6 bucks at a regular store but I think this will do. As near as I could tell comparing it to the stuff I bought from Albertson's, it's exactly identical.
As to tools, you'll need:
- Several small glasses (like shot glasses)
- Eyedropper
- Lots of paper towels
- A surface that's either protected or you don't mind staining
- Pliers
- Watertight jar
- Toothpicks
- Plain white paper
- A heat gun or hair dryer
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I recommend the licensed character marker sets which are 12/$1 at Target's Dollar Spot, Michaels, etc. They fit Cricut machines perfectly with no adapters and the end cap pulls right out so no pliers or anything is required. Provocraft promised compatible edible ink markers when the Cake machine was released but never delivered.
So if you want to rig these up in a 12 inch plotter to mark on rice paper or frosting sheets grab a Cricut Cake as they are selling for around $50 now. The 6 inch machines are even cheaper.
Asking to be liked on FB is annoying. Please stop doing that. It is an act of desperation, and that isn't attractive at all.
I am not playing chemist, I am dripping food dyes into non toxic markers. I suspect it's safe, and that we all come into contact with much worse in day to day life. If you're really worried about bisphenol A then you should probably worry less about whatever tiny exposure I'd be getting here and be much more concerned about the BPA present in many receipts. Oh, and the non-toxic dyes present in these markers are going to end up in the water supply by hook or by crook any way you slice it unless you burn the paper they were written on. This way at least they end up at the water treatment plant rather than washed directly into the ground water in a landfill or something.
Again, if this isn't for you, that's fine. I think it's probably safe, but then again I don't worry about this sort of thing much. Let's just all try to follow the "be nice" comment policy.
Oh, and regarding facebook: how you expect me to get FB followers? That's where I share the cool DIY stuff I do that doesn't end up on instructables, and some people want to know about it. Everyone asks for likes, and I think a tongue in cheek "My ego needs a boost" is a decent way to go about it. What's the alternative? "I have a facebook page . . . just sayin'."
And as for Facebook, crack on! Why shouldn't you develop a fan base, you're the one that spent ages writing content for the site, not the nay sayers!
Great instructable, brilliant idea. The icing pens I've seen available in shops in the UK have been ridiculously expensive! If the inks in the pens you used are safe for kids to use, then once you've washed them out they'll be even safer :p They're categorised as "safe" with the expectation that toddlers are going to be sucking on them and licking their felt tip pen covered fingers.
Of course, you already knew everything I said above, but after the negativity of other commenters I thought you'd like to hear someone was on your side :)
I for one think it's great that you spend quality time with you kid doing creative things and come up with great ways to make crafts easier for the little ones. More parents need to be doing exactly that.
One thought, if this person is so against wasting marker ink... make them after you use the markers up. It's called recycling. Now you don't have to wash the ink down the drain. I would rather it end up at a treatment facility than in the ground water.
And if this was Facebook I'd hit the "Like" button. Great Job!!
Check out the vids for how to use it and some of the funky effects you can create. You can even do some stencilling on your food. I picked one up many years ago and it's a pretty fun toy.
Great 'ible. Don't listen to the self-crowned paternalistic rude people. They should be banned right away.
I've always had the detail problem with food colouring and paint brushes.
You have lifted my spirits to heaven this is so useful!!!!!!!
very cool idea. I may dig out my older Crayola Markers for this project or find them at a thrift store. The ends may be easier to pop off on the older ones.
Expensive but really cool.
Also, I noticed that some of the blue and black cookies are especially dark. Do you think the food coloring could be diluted and still give an pleasant, even coloring?
You can definitely dilute to make the colors lighter, I did that for a couple of the pens, such as pink, grey, and light blue.