Every year I like to make a Salt Dough Ornament with my kids and hang it on the tree. This is such a simple craft to do with your kids and can make great gifts for grandparents or a gift for neighbors or your child's friends.
What You Need:
- 1 cup of flour
- 1 cup of salt
- 1 cup of water
- A straw
- Red acrylic paint
- White acrylic paint
- Skin color (your choice) acrylic paint
- Black paint pen or permanent marker
- Embellishments, as desired
- Sealant (I use Mod Podge)
- String, yarn, or ribbon
What You Do:
1.) Mix flour, salt, and water together.
2.) Add more water and flour as needed to make the dough smooth and no longer sticky to touch. Knead the dough until this happens.
3.) Flatten the dough either with your hands or a roller (but not too thin) to make a circle big enough to fit your child's hand inside.
4.) Use a straw to make a hole at the top so you can add string later and hang it.
5.) Bake for two hours at 200℉, or until dry (mine always tend to take longer), or you can let them air dry for about three days.
6.) Once the ornaments are dry, let them sit for a day and then you are ready to paint!
7.) Paint the palm with the red paint for Santa's hat.
8.) Paint the fingers with the white paint to look like Santa's beard. Add white trim at the bottom of the hat and tassel at the tip.
9.) Use the the skin-colored paint to add the face between the hat and the beard.
10.) Draw in Santa's eyes with a black marker or black paint pen. Add a dot of red paint for his nose.
11.) Add embellishments and outline as desired (see our photo), then coat with a sealant and let dry.
12.) Once dry, thread the string through the hole, tie a knot, and hang the ornament on your tree or wrap it up for a gift.
I have done this since my boys were infants so my tree is getting pretty heavy now! I also have a couple dog ornaments as well. These are really is fun to make and are a great gift too.
Want more keepsake ornament ideas? Try these!
