Salt Dough Ornaments-Holiday Project #1

Most of you if not all have your Christmas Tree up with sorts of AWESOME decorations. During this time of the year I'm always looking for little crafts for me and the little one to do("Creating Memories"). I was sent this e-mail from a friend a few weeks ago ( we just finished last weekend) and decide to share). Below is the recipe and some of the ornaments the Lil Diva made..... 

Salt Dough Ornaments
Flour: 4 cups
Salt: 1 cup (yes, it’s a lot)
Hot Water: 1-1/2 cups

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Knead and roll out the dough as you would for sugar cookies. Cut into fun shapes. Poke a hole with a pencil point through the top of each ornament. This will be where you’ll run your string or ornament hook through. You must do it before baking or lose your chance. Once the dough hardens, there’s no good way to make a hole without shattering the cookie.

Bake the dough in a toaster oven for a few minutes until it turns golden. Or you can bake at a low temperature (300 degrees) for three or four minutes. Watch the ornaments as they bake so they don’t burn. Let the ornaments cool. Then decorate, paint, glue on eyes, or add clothing. String a ribbon through the hole.

If you use a good craft shellac, you can preserve these ornaments from year to year. Ask at your craft store for craft shellac that will work on dough ornaments. It’s easy to find and you will have no trouble using it. Brush it on with a paintbrush on the front and back and sides of the ornament. Just remember to throw out any brushes you used for paint (or wash and put them away for another craft). Don’t use the brushes for food-grade ornaments you plan to eat. It’s ok to wash and reuse any cookie cutters on food as the dough is perfect

Shauna