I Got Slimed!

If you have kids you've no doubt been introduced to the dual sensory trends sweeping schools right now: fidget spinners and slime. Our schools had to ban these items due to children playing when they should be paying attention and the toys getting lost. Plus, whenever something becomes this trendy all kinds of cheap copies pop up and those can be dangerous. I've seen both items selling for as little as $1 and have already heard reports of children choking on pieces of fidget spinners and all sorts of things. I worry especially about the cheapest versions, because I can tell you the slime, at least, is not inexpensive to make!

Sticky Slime Gel

My daughter is completely addicted to slime making and my son enjoys it as well. So far we are over $100 spent on supplies. It requires a lot of glue, which isn't all that cheap. Then there are the questionable recipes floating around. A really heavily-advertised recipe includes contact lens solution and baking soda. Don't try that one! My daughter tried it and liked it at first so she made several batches. Well, it turns out baking soda isn't a stable emulsifier. After a few hours all the liquid began to seep out of the slime, and even out of the plastic containers. The dye and baking soda got all over my white painted dining room furniture. It was a huge mess. The slime turned from supple to rock hard lumps. It was a an enormous waste of money and I feel like calling Elmer's Glue Company, who is circulating the recipe, and demanding they come repaint my furniture! That recipe isn't the only failure we've had; it was just the most spectacular failure.

Rose Gold Star Slime

Lucky for you, my daughter worked through several recipes in her extensive product-testing and came up with a few winners. She wanted to sell her slime and I agreed to stock it in my Etsy and eBay shops since she can't take it to school. If I can get rid of some of our overstock and help other parents save money and time buying it pre-made I'm happy to do it! We use recipes that include glue, Borax, and water, as well as add-ins like food coloring, glitter, and sequins. These aren't safe to eat, so I recommend them for older children. For a while my daughter was scenting them with essential oils but I thought that was too dangerous. It makes the slime smell like lemon or peppermint or other foods and I worried kids might want to taste it. I even had an adult ask if it was edible! Why you would look at this stuff and want to eat it I don't know, but if it has a chemical gluey smell I think that's best.

Frozen Slime

The kids spent the entire day making slime Sunday, since it was raining and they couldn't go outside. Literally from around noon until my daughter left for church at 6 they made batch after batch, so we are well-stocked! We have sticky slime and stiff therapy putty slime and gel slime. We have Galaxy Slime and Rose Gold Slime and three colors and two textures of Frozen Slime in containers printed with pictures of Olaf the Snowman. We even have the ONLY slime keychains on eBay and Etsy, so you can carry your slime with you! I made the keychains by hand. You can open them whenever you're feeling stressed and remove your slime to play with it. I have to say, I haven't ever considered slime putty for stress relief, but it is rather soothing to play with it or even just to watch videos of people squishing it. You can find our videos on Instagram @ateliermandaline so I hope you'll stop by and give us a follow. Our least expensive mini-egg slimes are nearly sold out already on eBay and Etsy so if you want the best selection please visit ateliermandaline.com and link to my stores. The Etsy shop has the greatest selection at the moment. I have forbidden any more slime-making for now. We are out of containers, and with two band concerts and a banquet this week I haven't had time to pick up any more. Happy Squishing!

Atelier Mandaline's exclusive slime keychains

We have assorted colors ready to ship on eBay and Etsy.