Salt Dough:
- 4 cups of flour
- 1 cup of salt
- 1-1/2 cups of hot water
- 1 t. vegetable oil
Mix the salt and flour together. Gradually add tap water until the dough becomes elastic. If you want the dough to be colored, add food coloring to the water. Add the vegetable oil and continue kneading. If the dough is more sticky than you would like, simply add more flour. If it's too crumbly, add just a little more water.
If you are using cookie cutters, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick and cut out just like cookies. Use a toothpick to add a large hole for hanging at the top. Bake at 200 degrees until dry and hard.
You can use anything you want to decorate your ornament - like glitter, paint, and beads. They can be painted or simply use felt tip markers. When finished, spray completely front and back with clear varnish or polyurethane spray.
You can also use the dough for modeling - rolling it into balls or ropes and other shapes. These thicker creations need a longer baking time, so adjust the time given. Again spray completely with a varnish or polyurethane.
Store your salt dough in a sealed container in the refrigerator for no more than a couple of days.
Even if the ornaments are not perfect and end up a little lop-sided, you will cherish the time you spent with your kids doing this fun project. And that lop-sided ornament will become your most cherished Christmas decor.
- Spread an inexpensive used plastic tablecloth over your workspace. When you are finished, all the drips, accidents, and stray glitter can just be gathered up and thrown away.
- Use disposable foam brushes for painting.
- Flour
- Salt
- Vegetable Oil
- Water
- Cookie Cutters
- Craft Paint
- Glittler
- Permanent Markers
- Spray can of clear varnish or polyurethene
- Toothpicks
