Jell-O Studio

The studio is open.I resisted but now my kitchen and living room are committed.

Pretty simple. I use the formula of 6 dry ounces of gelatin in two cups of cold water. Let it bloom for ten to fifteen minutes and then melt it in the microwave (mine takes about 3 minutes, but go slowly as you do not want it to boil.) Skim off the foam, pour into smaller jars, add dye, spread thin and let dry.  If you are going for jiggle and not making the dried gelatin I like so much, you will not need to concentrate it so thick. The regular Knox packets are something like a quarter ounce each and seem to get smaller every time I buy them. Buying in bulk is definitely the way to go if you want to really explore the medium, but if you are just wanting to play with the actual Jell-O brand, just follow the Jigglers recipe, maybe making it a bit stiffer if you don't want to refrigerate it. I've found you can get it so you can pry it out of the molds without breaking, but it's a bit chewy if you plan to serve it. These instructions are just for the dried kind.



Every eight to twelve hours flip it over or form it into whatever pieces you are planning to use. It will stretch, fold, and do any number of magical things if you want it to, and sometimes if you don't. I have a set of dishes I reserve for non-food use, as the really dry gelatin is incredibly tough and has taken chips and shards right out of the Pyrex, making it dangerous to eat out of.

If it gets too dry, get it wet and wait a minute or two, then it will become flexible and can be manipulated like paper to make flowers or whatever you envision. You can remelt it many times, as well.

It can get moldy, so dry it as quickly as you can in a warm location such as atop the furniture in a heated room. Glue pieces together with molten gelatin.

Photographs really don't show the shapes and nuances of the floral pieces but they always look very beautiful as you turn them and view them from different angles, as the light plays through the colors and combinations.

Certainly you can make more things than flowers. I may make a bird series this year if I can get myself to stop rolling roses and lilies. I may never get tired of making magical botanicals, but have made life-size birds and many other items, including a couple of pairs of wearable wings and lots and lots of fascinators. Store it in a container if you don't want to dust it all the time.