Cinnamon Scented Glitter Play Dough Valentines

My kids and I wanted to try making some Valentine's Day play dough this past weekend, so I made up an easy batch of play dough using this recipe.  I mostly stuck with the recipe, but I added cinnamon and lots of red glitter to make it extra special and fun to play with!  This sparkly play dough kept my kids busy for a while, especially my four-year-old daughter.

While she was happily rolling and cutting, I realized that this would make a cute Valentine's Day treat (that's not candy!) for her to give to her little friends!  I bagged up this batch, just to test, and it easily made 7 balls of play dough to give away for Valentine's Day.  I rolled it all back into one big ball for her to keep playing with, but will whip up a couple new batches as it gets closer to Valentine's Day.

Would you like to give away non-candy Valentines too?  Our kids get soooo much sugar on Valentine's Day, I would love for them to get something like this instead that won't rot their teeth, and will keep them entertained :)  We also made some cute heart tags to go with the bags of dough that I'll show you how to make...

Best of all, this is a no-cook 4 minute play dough recipe, so it is really fast and really easy.  You can even mix it up in your Kitchen Aid using the dough hook, and avoid the stirring with a spoon. Couldn't be easier!

Four Minute Cinnamon Scented Glitter Play Dough:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup salt
• 2 Tbsp. cream of tartar
• 2 Tbsp. cinnamon
• UP to 2 cups of boiling water- (start with less, then add more as needed)
• Red food coloring
• Glycerin (optional- a few drops)
• Red glitter

1.  Mix the first 5 ingredients in a mixing bowl.  The Kitchen Aid is an easy option- just use the dough hook!

2.  Add the hot water, red food coloring, a few drops of glycerin (optional, but it gives the dough more shine), and lots of red glitter.  Turn on the Kitchen Aid for a few minutes and let it mix and knead the dough.  (If you are not using a Kitchen Aid, then stir until the dough turns into a big sticky ball,  and then knead it for a few minutes on the counter.)  The kneading is what makes the stickiness go away, so don't skip this part!  You can also add some flour if it is still sticky.

Recipe adapted from here.

Glitter Embossed Heart Tags:

These tags were very easy and quick to make, and are red and sparkly like the play dough.

Supplies:

• Red ink pad
• Heart stamp (bought at Michaels in a 2-pack for only $2.50)
• Red glitter embossing powder
• Embossing heat tool 
• Tags (optional- you can also just cut pieces of card stock)

1.  Press your stamp into the red ink, and firmly press the stamp down centered towards the top of the tag.

2.  Sprinkle red embossing powder over the whole stamped heart, and then gently shake off the excess onto a sheet of paper. You can use a dry paintbrush to brush off all of the excess pieces of embossing powder that are not a part of the heart. 

3. Turn on the heat tool, hold it about 6 inches away from your tag, and move it back and forth over your heart.  You will notice that the heart looks like it is melting and getting shiny.  After about 10 seconds with the heat tool, you're done!

4.  Cut off the extra space at the bottom of the tag, and tie it around your little bag of play dough.  You could also have your child sign their name at the bottom of their tags first if they are giving them to their friends.

Aren't they cute?  All of the other parents will be so impressed! AND happy that their kid didn't get more candy ;)

If you liked this project, please follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin', and Instagram.

XO, Laura

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