# Cold Porcelain: a homemade modeling dough



## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

I'm a huge fan of the homemade modeling dough called cold porcelain, a mix of cornstarch and glue. I discovered it almost twenty years ago and I still have lots of fun creating flowers and small sculptures with it. Is any of you a cold porcelain enthusiasts? If yes, please feel free to post pictures of your creations here.

These are eggs I covered with a thin layer of cold porcelain and then covered with flowers and leaves:










And this how they turned out once painted and sealed:


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## Ruby296 (Nov 1, 2008)

I've never heard of this! Your eggs are so pretty! Would you be willing to share the recipe?


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## kaotickitten (Jan 9, 2011)

I've never heard of this either.  Yet your eggs are inspiring me to look it up.


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

Ruby296, you can find my recipe here:

http://monicalaporta.com/2012/01/17/amazing-modeling-dough/

If you have any question, feel free to ask


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

Kaotickitten, did you find anything interesting?


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## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

Wow, this is nothing like what I thought it was going to be. What great work you've done.


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## sherylb (Oct 27, 2008)

Wow, those are cool! I love the flowers after painting.

Growing up, we had white bread and glue dough. Very versatile and easy to work with. I think mom would tint it with food coloring.


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

Bethany, now I'm curious... what did you think it was going to be? 

Sherylb, now that you mentioned it I remember my mom making a modeling dough with white bread. I'll have to ask her how she made it!


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## Not Here (May 23, 2011)

momilp said:


> Bethany, now I'm curious... what did you think it was going to be?


lol Well I saw porcelain and thought toilets.  So much better than toilets.


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

Bethany B. said:


> lol Well I saw porcelain and thought toilets.  So much better than toilets.


Thankfully, I wasn't drinking anything... You made me laugh so hard 

Edit:
I modified the title of the post, just in case


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Bethany B. said:


> lol Well I saw porcelain and thought toilets.  So much better than toilets.


I have to admit that was my first thought too. My grandparents didn't have central heating; only the living room and kitchen were heated, and only during the day. On winter mornings, getting out of bed in unheated bedrooms was no fun, but when you got into the unheated bathroom... Yikes! Yep, this thread is _much_ better. Those eggs are very pretty. Do they last indefinitely? And what do you do with that many?


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## mom2karen (Aug 15, 2009)

Beautiful!  What kind of paint do you use?


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

Susan in VA said:


> I have to admit that was my first thought too. My grandparents didn't have central heating; only the living room and kitchen were heated, and only during the day. On winter mornings, getting out of bed in unheated bedrooms was no fun, but when you got into the unheated bathroom... Yikes! Yep, this thread is _much_ better. Those eggs are very pretty. Do they last indefinitely? And what do you do with that many?


Susan, isn't it interesting how words can evoke different images depending on the person reading them? I'm glad I changed the title, then 
I have pieces I made almost twenty years ago and they are still fine. The eggs were favors for my niece's baptism, we gave them to family and friends after the ceremony.


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

mom2karen said:


> Beautiful! What kind of paint do you use?


I use acrylics colors and then I seal them with a glossy or matte finish depending on the final effect I want to achieve. The eggs were sealed with a matte finish.


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## Beth Dolgner (Nov 11, 2011)

Those eggs are beautiful! How sturdy are the pieces once they've dried?


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

Beth, the pieces are quite sturdy when completely dry and if properly cared they can last decades. I still have some I made almost twenty years ago.
Here is another example:


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## Lisa Scott (Apr 4, 2011)

those are gorgeous!  My daughter loves making things with clay.  this will be a whole new world for her!  Thanks for sharing.  I'd never heard of it.


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

Thank you, Lisa. Depending on your daughter's age there are several books about modeling that I'd recommend.


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## Ruby296 (Nov 1, 2008)

momilp said:


> Ruby296, you can find my recipe here:
> 
> http://monicalaporta.com/2012/01/17/amazing-modeling-dough/
> 
> If you have any question, feel free to ask


Thanks so much!!


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## ayuryogini (Jan 3, 2010)

Those are absolutely gorgeous. 
You made so many of them, are they for anything special?


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Gorgeous flowers!  Do you think that the techniques for making flowers for cake decoration would work for modeling dough?  Or do you need different special tools?


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

Ruby296, you're welcome   And, if you have any question feel free to ask away.

Ayuryogini, thanks  The eggs were for my niece's baptism, and the boxes were for her sister's first communion. In Italy we give favors (called bomboniere) to the guests as a memento for weddings, baptisms, graduations, etc.

Susan in VA, the techniques and the tools are the same. I actually used the model from a Wilton's flower book to make the Easter Lilies on the boxes. There aren't lots of books about cold porcelain, but there's plenty about polymer clay, gumpaste, etc.


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

This is a candleholder piece I made for one of my Mom's Christmas dinners. As you can see, from the date I couldn't manage to crop out of the picture, I made it several years ago and it still shines today at my Mom's 










A closer look


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

A spring flower bouquet to enlighten your morning


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

Recently, I made two cake toppers for a very special occasion.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

These are fun.  I've been feeling crafty lately, but never did much with clay and the like.  Might be interesting to make some custom jewelry pieces with, though I guess they would be pretty delicate.


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

Scheherazade, depending on the shape, cold porcelain pieces can be quite sturdy. A few years ago, I made a pair of rose earrings for a friend and they are still intact. The thinner you work the dough, the more fragile it is once dry, but if you take a minimum amount of care pieces can last a long time.


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## GreenThumb (Mar 29, 2009)

Wow!  Your work is gorgeous!


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

GreenThumb said:


> Wow! Your work is gorgeous!


Thank you, neighbor 
Your handmade journals and kindle sleeves are great!


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## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

Your work is gorgeous!
Are you spraying a fixative or anything on it after it is dried?
I ask because of the shiny appearance--I wasn't sure if the dough naturally dried that way or if you're applying a gloss finish to it.

Thanks--this is a great thread!


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

Thank you, Amy 
Depending on the final effect I want to achieve, I either spray the pieces with gloss or matte finish. The eggs at the beginning of the thread were finished matte, while the bouquets for the wedding cakes were sealed with a triple glossy finish (after they were used on the cakes, of course). This is how the smaller bouquet looked on the cake, before sealing it with the gloss finish:


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## Amy Corwin (Jan 3, 2011)

Thank you for the reply.
I'm interested in this because I used to do ceramics but have since lost access to kilns and I like the idea of making my own "clay" and just creating what I want. I used matte or glossy spray on ceramics after hand painting them when I didn't want to use a glaze that had to be fired. So I thought you might be doing the same sort of thing.

I really want to make myself some "flower" earrings. I used to be able to get leather ones in various flowers, but I can't find them any longer and lost one of my favorite poinsettia earrings, so I'm thinking I could make my own with this technique. I've also tried various methods to preserve my roses (drying, waxing, etc) but have not been satisfied long term, so again, making my own from scratch would work beautifully.

Thanks so much for this thread--it is incredibly useful to me. I don't know that I'd ever get as good as you are with making flowers, etc, but I'm going to give it a shot.


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

Amy, please try! And, come back here and post your work! When I started this thread, like the painting gallery one, I meant it as a place where we could share our pieces  I'm also sure you'll do great!


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Okay, so is cornstarch flour the same as just plain old cornstarch or should I be looking for something else?


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## ayuryogini (Jan 3, 2010)

Momilp, your work is just so gorgeous, and I'm sure even more beautiful in real life.
Have you thought about selling on Etsy?


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

Scheherazade said:


> Okay, so is cornstarch flour the same as just plain old cornstarch or should I be looking for something else?


One and the same, the cheaper the better.


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

ayuryogini said:


> Momilp, your work is just so gorgeous, and I'm sure even more beautiful in real life.
> Have you thought about selling on Etsy?


Thank you 
Since I moved to the States, I haven't tried to sell my work anywhere, apart from the occasional request from friends.


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

momilp said:


> One and the same, the cheaper the better.


Thanks. Once I figure out what I want to make I have all the makings for a batch. I figure you want to use it as soon as possible due to how it's made.


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## momilp (Jan 11, 2010)

Scheherazade said:


> Thanks. Once I figure out what I want to make I have all the makings for a batch. I figure you want to use it as soon as possible due to how it's made.


If sealed in an airtight bag/container it can last up to two weeks, but I normally prepare smaller batches and use them right away. If it dries while you're using it, mix some glue to the dough to make it softer.


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