How to Make Salt Dough Ornaments

Want a fun way to spend the afternoon with your kids and have them create something they can hang on the tree for years to come? Then try this recipe for Bakers Clay. Its easy and the nice thing about it is that you don't even have to know how to bake (because these are not to be eaten).

As you can see, I didn't just make Christmas ornaments, we made gifts to give to Grandma, Mother's Day, Father's Day, sporting events and, yes, even pictures of our animals (they count too).

As you can also see, you do not have to be an artist. My daughter and I spent about two hours painting these while just talking and having fun. In the recipe that follows, watch for little hints.

Salt Dough Ornament Recipe

• 4 cups, Flour
• 1 1/2 cups, Salt
• 1 1/2 cups, Water
• Cookie Cutters

What Can You Use to Decorate Salt Dough Ornaments

• Acrylic Paints
• Paint brushes, various sizes
• Varnish

How to Make Salt Dough Ornaments

Combine flour and salt together in a medium bowl, slowly add the water and mix until a soft ball forms. This is when I usually roll up my sleeves and go to it with both hands and knead the dough for about 2 minutes, or until it is mixed.

The dough should be the consistency of a pie dough or bread dough. If it is too sticky add a little more flour, if too stiff, add a little more water.

Take half the dough and flour your board. Roll out the dough to about 1/4″ thick.

You'll definitely want to use lots of flour to make sure the dough doesn't stick to the surface when you start making shapes for the ornaments.

Take your cookie cutters and make shapes in the dough, making sure you press down evenly so your shape is solid.

Tear away your unused dough from around the shapes. Use a spatula to pick up the shapes and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet. 

If using cookie cutters that have no designs, just take a toothpick and draw some designs in them before you bake. This is also when you'll want to add the a hole for the twine or ribbon to hold the ornament.

How Long Do Salt Dough Ornaments Cook

Bake at 300 for approximately 25 minutes (or until hard, but not brown).

Decorating Salt Dough Ornaments

Wait about 15 minutes for the cookies to cool completely and decorating can begin! We would always write the kids' names or year, and of course make fun shapes just as sweet keepsakes.

How to Seal Salt Dough Ornaments

After the paint has dried for at least a day, you can wipe varnish over each ornament to preserve them.

Cinnamon Salt Dough Ornaments

If you want to make some cinnamon scented salt dough ornaments, you can add either ground cinnamon or cinnamon oil to the mixture before baking. The measurements for either ingredient to add to this recipe would be:

• 1 cup, Cinnamon, ground OR
• 25 drops, Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil

Keep in mind that the cinnamon powder will cause the ornaments to turn brown. If you still want to decorate or paint with a white palette, the cinnamon bark oil would be a better option to have the fragrance without discoloring the salt dough.

Arts & Crafts For Preschoolers

Easy Playdough Recipe

DIY Sidewalk Chalk Paint

Mickey Mouse Popsicle Stick Craft

Homemade Salt Dough Ornaments

Snow Paint

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