saltdough ornaments

Unleashing creativity with saltdough - Christmas ornaments and so much more

Saltdough was one of my favorite crafting materials when I was a kid. It’s versatile, budget-friendly and always quickly available with its basic kitchen ingredients.

Its simplicity and ease of use make it an ideal medium for a wide range of creative projects for both beginners and experienced crafters.

I’ll show you our latest Christmas ornaments we made and provide you with a step-by-step guide to creating your own masterpieces.

The Basics of saltdough

Saltdough is a homemade modeling material made from only 3 ingredients – flour, salt, and water.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup salt

1 cup water

Instructions:

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt.

Gradually add water and knead the mixture until it forms a smooth, pliable dough.

It shouldn’t be sticky and it shouldn’t be crumbly, so if needed add a little extra flour or water. You can not do anything wrong with it and the 2-1-1 ratio usually works really well.

For the ornaments:

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to your desired thickness.

Now use cookie cutters or mold the dough into festive shapes and put them on a baking tray.

If you want to, decorate them with different seeds or just leave them bare for coloring later.

Poke holes into the ornaments so you are able to string them.

Preheat your oven to 200°F (93°C) and bake your creations for 2-3 hours or until hardened.

After cooling, use acrylic paints, markers, or varnish to add the finishing touches.

You can hang your ornaments on the Christmas tree or gift them to friends and family.

But with saltdough the possibilities are really endless!

Here are a few more ideas to kickstart your creativity:

Handprint keepsakes

Capture precious memories by making handprint or footprint keepsakes. Press your little one’s hand or foot into the saltdough, bake, and decorate for a timeless memento.

Easter or birthday ornaments

Create personalized ornaments for other special occasions like Easter or birthdays.

Mini sculptures

Sculpt miniature figures or animals with saltdough. Or make fruit veggies and baked goods for your little one’s shop. Let your imagination run wild as you shape and mold the dough into your desired forms.

Educational tools

Craft educational tools for kids, such as letters, numbers, or shapes. Use cookie cutters or freehand cutting to create fun and interactive learning aids.

Decorative bowls

Shape saltdough into bowls or trays, bake until hardened, and paint or varnish for unique decorative pieces to enhance your home.

Make it colorful

Spice up your saltdough adventure with a pinch of creativity. Mix in some food coloring to create a rainbow palette or add a dash of glitter for that extra sparkle. Your dough, your rules – make it as vibrant or understated as your heart desires.

Lessons in imperfection

Embrace the quirks and charming imperfections of your saltdough creations. Each crack, crevice, and unintended squiggle tells a unique story of the creative process. It’s not about perfection; it’s about the joy found in the journey of making.

Saltdough offers a world of possibilities for young and old looking to unleash their creativity. Its simple recipe, combined with the ability to create a wide variety of projects, makes it the perfect crafting material. 

So, roll up your sleeves, gather your ingredients, and let the saltdough adventures begin!

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