A homemade DIY paw print represents for many dog and cat owners much more than a decorative object, because after the death of your beloved pet, that paw print becomes a magical memory. design of a paw print you can buy a ready-made paw print kit. Most of them use plaster as a base. Although plaster is largely harmless for your pet, it can get caught in the fur. And in this respect, working with plaster can be a challenge, not only for your beloved four-legged friend. To save your fur ball the annoying mess, we recommend you create a paw print on salt dough. In today's blog post, we'll explain what you need and how best to ensure that your pet leaves a beautiful paw print.
DIY paw print made from salt dough: The dough
To a DIY paw print of your dog or cat you need a few ingredients to make the salt dough. The materials required are not only very inexpensive, but can even be found in every average household.
Ingredients list for DIY salt dough:
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup salt
- 1 cup of water
- 1 teaspoon of oil
- Bowl
- baking paper
- food coloring, watercolor, acrylic paint
If you have the paw print of your dog or cat If you want to embellish it later, you should also have acrylic paints or water colors on hand. For preservation, some clear varnish. If you want to color your dough before baking, you should Mix in food coloringIt is neither harmful to your pet's paws nor does it affect the consistency of your salt dough.
DIY salt dough for paw prints: The production
In the first step, mix all the ingredients and stir them into a smooth dough. Roll out the dough carefully and make sure that it is not too thin. This is the only way to ensure that the Imprint of the paw at the end plastic The oil also helps to give your dough a smooth consistency. The oil also prevents air bubbles that normally form during baking.
Roll the dough about 1cm thick on the baking paper Take the baking paper with the dough and put it on the floor. Encourage your dog or cat to walk over the baking paper and step into the dough. Sometimes it takes more than one attempt, as some animals are shy and skeptical of new things. If necessary, you have to lure your animal to step into the dough. If your dog is not too heavy, you can also lift it and use the front paw on the dough. In cats, this method should generally not be a problem due to their manageable weight.
Do you have a created a passable paw print Cut it into the desired shape with a knife or pizza cutter. Depending on your taste, this can be round or square. If you want to be absolutely sure and like design, you can also use a cup or a larger bowl for "cutting out the paw print" use.
If you want to hang the paw print later, we recommend that you poke a hole in the dough with a straw or skewer. your dough needs to restIdeally overnight. If you bake the dough immediately, this can lead to air bubbles forming or the paw print being distorted.
Heat your oven at 80 degrees circulating air Let the dough bake for about an hour. Then increase the temperature to 120 degrees and bake your DIY paw print in the oven for another 2 hours. If you increase the temperature too quickly, form unsightly cracksBake the dough until it has taken on a light brown color. The Tapping test should sound hollow.
After baking, the paw print must cool down. Once it has cooled down properly, you can paint as desired or simply spray with clear varnish to preserve it.