Puffy Paint Recipe (& a Heart Garland for Valentine’s Day)

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More fun for Valentine’s Day! Ever tried your own Puffy Paint Recipe? It is so easy to make ad super fun to work with. Turn your puffy paint art into fantastic Valentine’s Day Cards for Kidso r gorgeous Heart Garlands! A lovely Valentines Day Activity for Preschool!

DIY Puffy Paint Recipe. Make these gorgoues puffy paint hearts for Valentines Day. They would make a great Heart Garland or puffy paint heart card for toddlers and preschoolers. Wonderful ine motor art activity #valentines #hearts #puffypaint #art #recipes

Today I welcome the lovely Jackie from Happy Hooligans who shares with us her wonderful Puffy Paint recipe and Puffy Paint Project for Valentine’s Day. Make these adorable DIY Puffy Paint hearts as Valentine’s Day Cards or string them up into a beautiful garland. Puffy Paint is something that I have NOT yet done with my kids, but I know we NEED To change this soon. It just looks so irresistible and fun! Over to Jackie and her Puffy Paint how to!

A big thanks to Maggy for inviting me to participate in Red Ted Art’s “31 Days of Love” series. I’m Jackie from Happy Hooligans, and I write about all the art, crafts and play activities that take place here in my small home daycare. We love craft-time here at Happy Hooligans, and there’s no better time to get crafty than when there’s a holiday approaching. Valentines’ Day is one of our favourites! Today I’m excited to share one of our coolest homemade paint techniques with you. We’re using our easy 3-ingredient puffy paint recipe to create Puffy Paint Hearts which you can use to make cards, garlands and other Valentines decorations.

Homemade puffy paint recipe:

Puffy Paint Recipe Valentines Hearts (4)
  • 1 tbsp self-rising flour
  • food colouring (I used Wilton icing gels for their vibrant colour)
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • little bit of water (start with 1/4 tsp)
  • small bowls

The ingredients above are the measurements needed for one paint colour. Mix and colour as many batches as you’d like.

To make your paint, simply combine the flour and salt in a small bowl. Add a little bit of water and stir until you get a smooth, thin paste (about the same consistency of stirred yogurt). Stir in your food colouring, and mix well.

To make our puffy paint hearts, you’ll also need:

  • Q-tips (also known as cotton buds or cotton swabs) – these will be your “paintbrushes”
  • piece of thin, white cardboard
  • black crayon
  • scissors
  • microwave
  • hole punch and yarn (if making a garland)

Using your puffy paints to make your hearts:

Puffy Paint Recipe Valentines Hearts (5)

To start, cut a square of white cardboard for each child. Our squares measured approx 5″x 5″.

With a black crayon, draw the outline of a heart on your cardboard. Make your lines nice and dark.

Cut out your heart, snipping just outside of the black outline you’ve drawn. Note: If you will be stringing your hearts into a garland, punch a hole in the top of each heart before painting.

Puffy Paint Recipe Valentines Hearts (2)

Using your Q-tips to paint with, decorate your heart with the puffy paint. Be generous with your application. A thick layer of paint will puff up more than a thin layer will.

When you’re happy with the look of your heart, it’s time to puff it up!

Place your heart in the microwave, and heat for 20-30 seconds on high. Watch in amazement as your artwork is transformed right before your eyes.

Puffy Paint Recipe Valentines Hearts (3)

Now you can use your puffy hearts to decorate for Valentines! Make cards, buntings, fridge magnets, or whatever you like! With a little imagination, the possibilities are endless.

Easy Puffy Paint recipe

Want to see more of our fun and easy crafts and activities for kids? Check these out:

22 Things to Make with a Cardboard Tube

20 “Frozen” Crafts, Treats and Activities

40 Useful Gifts for Kids to Make and Give

Isn’t this Puffy Paint recipe simply fabulous? So much fun and a bit of magic for the kids. If you have been inspired to make some puffy paint cards or if you are looking for more Valentine’s Day Card Ideas? Check these out…

14 Valentine's Day Cards for Kids to Make
40+ Handmade Card ideas for Kids Valentine’s Day

And many more great Valentines Crafts for Preschool here:

Adorable Preschooler Valentine’s Day Ideas