Mind Jars: Success!!

I did a bit of further research on the glitter being suspended in water topic and the only thing I came across that I had not tried the other day was using cheap hair gel with the glitter glue.  So I went to the nearest Family Dollar and bought "Cra-Z-Art" Glitter Glue Sticks and Family Dollar brand "Mega Mega Hold" styling gel.  My total investment today was $3.

Here's what I came up with:

I feel entirely satisfied with the results!  The glitter doesn't get clumped at the top, nor does it sink to the  bottom within 15 seconds.  It did take some trial and error though.  These were my supplies:

That is a 20 oz. bottle of hair gel and I used more than half of it today for just these 3 jars.  The two taller Mind Jar bottles are 20 oz. each and the smaller one is 12 oz. so there is quite a lot of gel in each one.

For the entire project you will need:

• Empty jars or bottles (I chose plastic, in case one gets dropped... or thrown)
• Cheap Hair Gel
• Glitter Glue - 1 tube per bottle
• Loose Glitter (the smaller, fine glitter worked best for me)
• Food Dye
• Pyrex Measuring Cup for mixing (or any mixing bowl)
• Spoon
• Hot Glue Gun (if you plan to secure the lid to the bottle, which I'd recommend if you plan to have children handling the jars)

I started with a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup and filled to the 1 c. line with very hot tap water.  I added one full tube of the glitter glue and stirred until dissolved.  I then added 1/2 c. of the hair gel and stirred that until it was dissolved.  Then I added additional glitter -- I used fine glitter rather than course... approximately 1/2 tbs.  I stirred that in and then sifted off additional bubbles and found that some of the glitter had gotten clumpy on the top so I smashed the clumps with my fingers and just kept stirring.  Eventually I realized that at least some of the glitter had defeated me and I just scooped the remaining clumps off the top with the spoon and dumped what I had left into the bottle.  

At that point there were a few inches of space at the top of the bottle and, in my opinion, the glitter was still not staying suspended long enough after a good shake, so I filled the remaining portion of the bottle with half warm water and half hair gel; in total, I estimate I used between 8-10 oz of hair gel in each jar!  

I gave it a few good shakes and watched as the glitter slowly swirled around and eventually settled to the bottom.  Success!!  I also added 1 drop of food dye to each bottle once I was pleased with the consistency.

I noticed that as the water in the bottles cooled, the glitter remained suspended for longer durations.  It takes less than 10 minutes for the glitter to settle so I think it's going to be a helpful tool in lieu of "time out" for my nephew.  He'll be able to shake the bottle and relax for a few minutes... while both he and the glitter settle down.

Here are a few more pictures:

If *I* can make these, anyone can ;)

Suspending Glitter in Water: FAIL!

In my efforts to find a way to get glitter to successfully stay suspended in water without immediately sinking to the bottom, I wasted approximately $17 and found quite a number of methods that simply do not work.  This doesn't mean I'm giving up though... I'm dying to make a "mind bottle" for my nephew.  A bottle of tinted water with glitter that he can shake up and look at if he needs a time-out.  He's nearly 5 years old now and he's hit a defiant stage, but that's another story all together.  

What I'd like is to have a creative way to work him through a time-out since he currently just fights it the entire time.  I think it might help to have him shake up a glitter bottle and watch the glitter settle as his mood calms (like the glitter.... get it?).  However, so far all that I have managed to do is get the glitter to sink right away -- and I mean within maybe 30 seconds max -- or it floats to the surface in blobs.  Let's take a look at my experiments:

First I tried Light Karo Syrup.  I experimented with both coarse and fine glitter and using both small and large amounts of Karo Syrup.  It was just a mess.  Basically the Karo Syrup caused the vast majority of glitter to float.  I shook the bottles and snapped a picture as quickly as I could and within 30 seconds there was no glitter suspended in the water:

I then tried straight mineral oil (baby oil)... what a mess.  The glitter stayed suspended indefinitely and tons of it just stuck to the bottle.

I found another blog whose author posted a picture that appeared she'd had success by using glitter glue AND loose glitter, but the glitter sunk inside of 1 minute and the water was murky because of the glue.

I did further research and decided to try salt water which is supposed to do something with the viscosity of the water and work with natural gravitational forces to magically suspend objects in water -- like a person floating in the ocean, ya know?  FAIL.  I tried 100% glycerin added to the water as well... a few drops up to 1/4 of the bottle.  FAIL.  I put glitter in plain tap water.  FAIL.  I tried Elmer's School Glue to thicken the water.  FAIL.

I didn't photograph all efforts... just most.  Above, from left to right, we have a few drops of glycerin, a few drops of baby oil, and plain water.  

What a waste of time and supplies, LOL -- I'm not done with this.  I will find some way to get glitter to stay suspended in water.  Any and all suggestions are welcome and I'll experiment with as much as I can... I'm done researching for the day though, because I came across a site that said success could be found with Cationic Surfactant Systems Comprising Microfibrous Cellulose and that just blew my mind.