This is the first Christmas Chris and I will be spending as a married couple. It isn't Dante Peaches' first Christmas with us, but it is Lilly Bugs! I decided that Lilly and Dante Peaches needed special ornaments of their own, and salt dough seemed like the best way to go. For those of you who don't know what salt dough is, it is a really super simple dough that can be used to make keepsakes, like a paw imprint, a baby's hand print, and even a bird's feather! There are so many possibilities when working with salt dough, so don't be afraid to try something new!
Salt Dough Recipe: (makes 3 medium ornaments)
-1 cup of flour
-1/2 cup salt
-1/2 cup water
Directions:
-Combine ingredients in medium sized bowl
-Stir until thoroughly combined. There shouldn't be any clumps
-Break off smaller sections of dough and roll into a ball using the palms of your hands
-Flatten dough into desired shape. I just used my hands but you can use a rolling pin
-Once the desired imprint has been made place the dough on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
-Poke a small hole in the top of the ornament and make sure it goes all the way through the ornament. I used the small end of a chop stick to do this. If you do not want to hang your ornament up with ribbon you can skip this step.
-bake at 250*F for 2-3 hours, or until completely hardened.
-Cool completely before decorating.
I feel the need to say that I did not bake Dante Peaches' ornament with his feather on it. I make the impression of the feather and removed it before baking the ornament. I then glued it on during the decorating process.
To decorate the ornaments I used different materials for each one. I used red paint and glitter I had on-hand to decorate Lilly's ornament, and I used food coloring for Dante Peaches'. I realized in the middle of decorating the ornaments that I didn't have any glue! I quickly turned to Google and found out that you can make your own glue at home by heating flour, sugar, and water over the stove. It is honestly some of the best craft glue I have ever worked with and it worked perfectly for the ornaments.
There are so many variations that can be done from these. Don' t be afraid to experiment! I will say the only down side I have found with these is that Lilly thinks they are supposed to be her next snack. Keep them out of the reach of fur babies and human babies.
I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season! Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!
And as always...
Love, Lilly Bug