Salt dough and holiday festivities go hand in hand in our family, it is a tradition that started with my mother and that I am whole heartedly passing down to my children…. it is the one time where I toss out my crafting insecurities and embrace what garish ornament I manage to create because I know that with each year, our salt dough collection grows and so too does the memory of our kitchen crafting adventures together.
Join us in creating a Salt Dough tradition. Watch my quick eHow tutorial on painting salt dough and then let the magic move you. Wishing you and your family a very festive and memorable holiday season filled with snow flakes, chocolate drops and giggles to keep you warm at night. Happy Holidays!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup of Table Salt
- 1/2 Cup of warm water
- 1 Cup of All purpose Flour
- Optional vanilla extract or mulling spices to scent the dough
Directions:
In a dry mixing bowl add the salt and the flour and mix until fully blended, then add the water and kneed until the surface is soft and smooth. If you are adding spices or extract, add it now. Roll into a large ball and portion out smaller balls to each person making ornaments. Cover with a slightly damp cloth to keep the unused balls from drying out while you are busy creating. Either opt for the simple option of rolling out the dough into thin slabs and cut with a cookie cutter to create your shapes, or get busy sculpting more elaborate decorations.
Once your ornaments are complete, place a toothpick at the top of each ornament to create the hole needed to string it later. Bake at 200F for 4-6 hours to completely evaporate the moisture from the dough (we were in a hurry so baked them for 2 hours and then let them air dry on a shelf overnight). Once dry, use acrylic paint to decorate, then spray with clear varnish to seal the ornament and give it a bit of holiday shine.
Essential Tools:
- Parchment Paper, great for using as a worktop surface that can be transferred right on to a baking sheet;
- Rolling pin;
- Cookie Cutters, Play-dough equipment, potato ricer, butter knives, forks, and anything that you can think of to give your ornament a little razzle dazzle;
- Toothpicks or wooden skewers to pierce a whole;
- Various baking sheets;
- Acrylic Paints, Paint Brushes and cupcake wrappers to use as paint pots;
- Clear Varnish;
- Ribbon, wire, or string to hang your ornament.
