Craft clay recipes: none but the next-to-last one have been tested yet, but I'm preparing to experiment and welcome your contributions and recommendations.

Table of Contents:
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Sand Clay
Flour recipes
Cocoa clay
Cornmeal
Bread dough clays
Oatmeal
Cinnamon
Paper/lint
Sawdust


Permanent Sand Castles:

1 cup sand
1/2 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup liquid starch

mix sand and cornstarch in an old pot
mix in liquid starch

Cook over medium heat while constantly stirring, until mixture thickens and turns into dough.   Remove pot from heat and let cool.  Remove clay from pot and knead for 20-30 seconds before using.  Sculptures will harden after drying.  You can add 1 tablespoon of powered tempera paint to add color.
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Sand Clay II

Warning – use only enough water to mix it, or the clay will be gooey and unworkable.
4 c sand
2 c cornstarch
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
3 c hot water

(no progressive instructions come with this one)
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No-Bake Clay

1 Cup Salt
1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Water

Stir salt and flour together in a medium bowl.
(Add food coloring or unsweetened Koolaid to water to achieve desired color.)
Pour water into salt and flour mixture and knead until mixture is doughy, adding more flour or water as necessary.  Some recipes call for a teaspoon of vegetable oil, and a tsp of alum or cream of tartar.

Store in airtight container. Objects made with this clay will air dry in about 48 hours.

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No Bake Clay Frosting
1 cup flour
1 cup water
1 cup salt
food coloring

Mix together and put into squeeze bottles. When this goop dries, the crystals shine.

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This is more like Pla-Do, and I wouldn’t use one of those bright red flavors that are sure to stain.

Mix in a pan:
3-ounce package of sugar-free fruit-flavored gelatin
2 cups flour
1 cup salt  
4 tablespoons cream of tartar

Add 2 cups boiling water and 2 tablespoons cooking oil.

Stir over medium-high heat until the mixture forms a ball. Place the ball on waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container. Use different flavors to make different colors and smells.
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Clay you can Eat

1 cup cocoa
1-1/4 cup powdered milk
1-1/4 cup powdered sugar
1  cup corn syrup

Mix cocoa, powdered milk and powdered sugar.  Add the corn syrup slowly, mixing well. Mold into shapes on waxed paper.
*Self: does this dry properly?  Test it.   
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Cornmeal clay

2 cups cornmeal
2 cups flour
½ cup oil

Mix all ingredients, adding water to reach the desired consistency.
(no instructions for heating while mixing, or directions to bake the results)
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Bread Dough Clay (bakeable but you have to knead it)

4 cups Flour
1 cup salt
¼ cup instant coffee
1 ½ cup warm water

Dissolve the coffee in the warm water.  In another bowl, mix the flour and the salt. Make a well and add 1 cup of the coffee water into it.  Mix with a fork or hands until smooth. Add more coffee water if needed. Dough should be smooth and satiny, not sticky or crumbly.  Store in a plastic bag to prevent drying. Bake finished designs in a 300-degree oven for 1 hour (until hard).
Add 2 coats of shellac to preserve.
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Bread Clay

Six slices white bread
Six tablespoons white glue
One-Half teaspoon detergent
Food coloring

Remove crusts from the bread and knead, with the glue. Add detergent and continue kneading until substance is no longer sticky. Add food coloring for color. Create something with the clay and then brush with a mixture of glue and water (about half and half).  Allow creation to dry overnight.  You can then paint it.
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Oatmeal clay (2 versions)
1 C Flour
2 Cups Oatmeal
1 Cup Water

Gradually add water to flour and oatmeal in bowl. Knead until mixed. This dough is sticky, but unique in texture. Model as with clay.
Variations: Add cornmeal or coffee grounds in small amounts, for texture.

Oatmeal Dough II

1 Cup Oatmeal
2 Cups Flour
1/2 Cup Salt
1 ½ Cups Water
½ Cup Oil

Mix all ingredients to the desired consistency; add more water or flour as needed. The oil in this version means the clay can be re-used, so expect it to stay soft for a long time.  
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Apple Cinnamon Clay

One part cinnamon
One part applesauce

Stir together cinnamon and applesauce with a spoon until the dough becomes stiff, then use your hands to create a ball of dough. Place the ball of dough on a sheet of waxed paper and make creations. Let dry for a day or two, until completely hard, and then decorate.
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“Clean mud”

2 rolls toilet tissue, torn into pieces
1 1/2 bars Ivory soap, shaved
2 qt. warm water

Combine all ingredients in a big plastic dishpan or large bucket. Knead by hand until soft and gooey, adding more water as necessary.
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Lint Clay
2 Cups Dryer Lint (firmly packed)
1/3 Cup Warm water
6 Tbsp. White glue
1 Tbsp. Clear dishwashing liquid

Tear the lint up into little bits. Mix everything in a bowl and knead until workable. Make things. Let them dry for several days.
(alternate recipe)

3 cups drier lint
1 cup cold or warm water
2/3 cups flour
3 drops oil of cloves, optional
old newspapers
saucepan
boxes, bottles, balloons or other objects to mold

Stir lint and water in saucepan, add flour and stir to prevent lumps. Add oil of cloves to keep recipe *fresh*.  Cook over low heat and stir until mixture forms peaks.  Pour out and cool on newspapers.  Recipe makes 4 cups.

Shape over boxes, bottles, balloons or press into a mold or use like papier mache
Dries in 3 to 5 days, very hard and durable; dries smooth if pressed into a mold; texture is rougher if it’s been shaped over an object
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Clay for making Beads

1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup corn starch
tempera paint
3/4 cup cold water

Mix baking soda & corn starch together with hands in saucepan. Add the paint to the water, stir until dissolved & pour into saucepan. Cook dough over medium heat, stirring constantly just until mixture solidifies. Roll beads into desired shapes and use pencils or tootpicks to poke holes in them (depending on how big you want them)  Set out to dry
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Wood clay I

2 Cups Sawdust
3 Cups Flour
1 Cup Salt

Combine all. Add water as needed. This dough becomes very hard and is not easily broken.

Wood Clay II

2 cups sawdust
1 cup wallpaper paste powder
Water

Blend the dry stuff, add water to make it workable. I used this for a couple big craft projects in high school, back in the Pleistocene Age, and the mix took so long to dry it began to get moldy before it was hard.  I'd use it again but would use some combination of heater and fan to dry it faster.  I'd also try to smooth the surface before drying, because while it can be sanded it's hard as rock.  

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Wood Clay III

1 Cup Fine Sawdust
Food coloring
1 Cup Thin Paste or Paper Paste

Old newspaper

If desired, dye sawdust with food coloring. Drain and spread on newspaper to dry before using. Mix sawdust and paste to a thick dough-like consistency. Knead until thoroughly mixed. The amounts of paste may vary according to the kind of sawdust used. If the sawdust is coarse, more paste may be needed to obtain the proper consistency.
Uses: Model as with clay. Articles molded with this compound have a lovely woodgrain appearance.
TO USE: Pieces of dough may be added to the basic piece by moistening and sticking them down. Within two to three days, the finished article will harden. To speed up drying bake in a 200-degree oven for 1 to 2 hours, depending on the size of the article. To give the article a permanent finish, spray with shellac or varnish. They can also be sanded to give a smoother finish.

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