Saturday, June 5, 2010

Dorodango

Dorodango are polished spheres, formed out of mud and the skill of your hands. They are a traditional past time of children in Japan. They are an exercise in patience and a great tool for meditation. The translation of the phrase Dorodango is doro: mud and dango: a type of round rice flour dumpling. Here's what you need to make your own (also HERE is a link to the site where I learned to do it.....this person has done MANY....this is the only one I have done....you may want to refer to this link *wink*) :
  DIRT!!!!
You want some dirt with a good amount of clay (that's what holds the whole project together). Add some water to make a mud ball and shape it into a sphere. Once it hold the shape, add some dry dirt to it and use the curve of your thumb to begin shaping it into a ball. Like THIS:
Add dirt, but you want to avoid getting to the paint where cracks start to form. If that does happen just add a little water and it should reform. Once you've reached that stopping point, put the ball in a  ziplock bag and set it down on something soft (so it will retain a round shape) in the shade. The moisture will come out of it and line the bag. Take it out after a while (maybe an hour) and repeat the last step.  Set it in the shade again and let the moisture wick out of it again. I kept mine it the bag overnight after that. The next day I took some extra fine sand and added it to the ball. Then I put in in a ziplock and put it in the fridge (this pulls the water out much faster) for 20 minutes. I repeated that step as many times as I could until when you bring it out of the bag that wasn't any moisture left in the bag. I sifted on the finest dirt I could get and began the process of polishing. Using a piece of satin (you want the softest cloth you can find), I polished it until it got to the highest shine I could make. You want to be careful because it is possible to over-polish it and work right down to the layer of sand beneath. Some dorodango can get to a really high shine and some will only make it a little of the way. The trick is to get the finest dirt possible for the last layer that is placed upon it.

When we went on vacation in April we were on the beach and I first tried this craft as I was plunked down on the sand. It is possible to get some really fun hard sand spheres....but they will not get shiny....it's the clay that really makes it all work. 
It was still a lot of fun, though!! If you have the inclination the next time you are on the beach, you should make some of these and just leave them around. You will no doubt bewilder the next people to pass that spot on the sand. :-)
All this dirt came right from my garden. Pretty cool, huh?? I plan to find a variety of different colored dirt and make some other dorodango....all the colors of the rainbow. Here are some of the many possibilities....look how shiny this artist makes them. I've got a lot of work to do. :-)
Here are some of the parties I linked up to, check them out and be inspired!!



Thifty Thursday
Frugalicious Friday
Frugal Friday
Saturday Nite Special
Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays
Works For Me Wednesday
Penny Pinching Party
Thrifty Thursday
Frugalicious Friday
Frugal Friday
Friday Favorites


















Get your craft on Thurs.

The Girl Creative
























Join us Saturdays at tatertotsandjello.com for the weekend wrap up party!MakingSumo Sweet Stuff
UndertheTableandDreaming







































The DIY Show Off


giveaways












Get your craft on Thurs.



Favorite%2BThings%2BFridaybig%2Bbutton.jpg










Punkin Seed Productions






Funky Junk's Sat Nite Special


It's a Blog Party

Its So Very Cheri
DIY Club
Beneath the Rowan Tree

32 comments:

  1. Very cool in a very offbeat way...

    speaking offbeat - I've been on a posting freak and so you might have missed the Tree of Gondor Shield as it is already down on the second page. ;0

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  2. Wow this is so unique and very cool! Thanks so much for sharing this - every intersting! Yours looks fabulous! Hope you are enjoying your weekend! ~ Stephanie Lynn

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  3. Wow, I have never heard of these before, very cool!

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  4. That is crazy my boy's and I are amazed that that is just made from dirt and water, way cool!

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  5. Okay this is so neat! I have never of heard this. Very cool indeed!

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  6. This is absolutely fascinating! I'm going to bookmark this post and share it with my children, I'm sure they'd like to try it. God's earth constantly amazes me! Thanks so much for sharing the Dorodango! I'd love for you to come see me - I'm giving away 3 gorgeous Sam Moon cuff bracelets here:
    http://sceneofthegrime.blogspot.com/p/domestic-detective-wants-to-cuff-ya.html
    Have a lovely day, ♥Laurie

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  7. That is really really neat! I think I may have to try it.
    Looks like a very soothing thing to do.

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  8. This is so cool - it looks like a bocce ball. I wonder if it's hard enough to play bocce:)

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  9. Love this idea! I'll try it on vacation at the Oregon coast next month, I love the idea of leaving them on the beach for others to find.

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  10. This is unbelievable; love such a random purposeful art. Thank you so much for sharing this technique - it's the first time I've heard of it.

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  11. Nice! Working in a Japanese kindergarten I've made more than my fair share of the sand type, ut have never tried the polished ones.

    One tip is don't make them too small, or they'll be tricky to shape. The kids at work add finer and finer sand by pouring it over the dango and then passing the all from hand to hand to work it in without rubbing.

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  12. Now that is very cool. I've never heard of such a thing.

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  13. Don't consider my self a crafty person - but this is DOABLE!!! Thanks!

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  14. Love this idea! So unique and creative. Thanks so much for linking to the Sunday Showcase party! I greatly appreciate it! Hope you are having a fabulous week! ~ Stephanie Lynn

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  15. Hi Missy! I’ll be featuring your spheres today! Stop by and grab a featured button if you like. Thanks again for joining the Sunday Showcase Party! ~ Stephanie Lynn

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  16. That is a really neat project!

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  17. WOW -- I LOVE this kind of thing. It's crazy amazing. I really want to make one. Thanks for sharing this unique "bragable" on the Boardwalk Bragfest.

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  18. This has to be a one of a kind post.
    Fascinating. I know I will be trying this with different types of soils and sand.
    Thank you.

    http://dogsmom.wordpress.com

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  19. Very interesting.
    I swear there is a monster on Zelda with that name.

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  20. That is really neat! Thanks for sharing that with us! :) I can't believe how shiny dirt can get!

    ~Kim

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  21. I sent this link to two of my sisters, and I swear we're gonna try it! To me, it seems akin to whittling, some little something to do to relax. Thanks for showing us how!

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  22. What a special item you have created, thanks for sharing.

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  23. Wow, I've never seen this before. This would be a great accessorie for a garden, placeing them in sets of three in different spots for visual effect.

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  24. I have never heard of these! It's so neat, and I love the marbled coloring. Are they very fragile once they are completely dried/polished? I wonder if they would last sitting in a garden bed or if they would absorb moisture and fall apart? So interesting, glad I came across this! :)

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  25. What a marvelously quirky tutorial! Love it!!!

    Was wondering whether you would be interested in featuring in my monthly round robin: Get Crafty. This months theme is "Man Made" - though i think it may have fitted better last month (Nature), this is too fun not to include.

    Here is Nature Get Crafty as a reference! http://redtedart.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/get-crafty-june-2010-inspired-by-nature/

    Let me know by leaving a comment!!! And DO grab a button too ;-)

    Look forward to hearing from you!

    Maggy x

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  26. How interesting! Thanks for linking up for Friday Favorites!

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  27. This is crazy. Wow...who would have ever thought this is possible. I am going to try this with my son.

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  28. Wow, what a neat idea. I think I might have to try this with a few of my crafty sisters.

    Saw you at Funky Junk Interiors.

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  29. wow, waaay cool

    Feel free to stop by and link up to my Make & Share 1st edition today and come back every friday thru saturday!

    ~ Christy

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  30. These are so pretty! I love how shiny they are. I'll have to see if my soil has enough clay in it, cuz it sure looks relaxing to do, too.

    Pinning this on pinterest. :)

    Cheers,
    Tracy Screaming Sardine

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