So we made some more, and then ended up making a fourth batch so we could make these hand print ornaments. The kids love painting them (even the burned ones) so it wasn’t a complete loss. I’ll give you a brief rundown of how to do it and if you have any questions you can refer to my original salt dough tutorial here.
Make your dough using 1 c flour, 1/2 c salt, and about 1/2 c of warm water. (I usually double this.) Combine the flour and salt and then slowlly add in enough water to form the dough. If you are wanting to make hand prints out of your salt dough – you will add more water because you need a looser dough. You want to be able to easily press your hand into the dough so make sure it is nice and soft. (You can also add food color to the dough if you want it all the same color.) Knead the dough for 10 minutes and then let rest for another 40 minutes.
Roll out the dough until it’s 1/4 inch thick. My third batch this year I actually split the dough and rolled it out on two cutting boards so each of my boys could do what they wanted with “their” dough. Cut out the shapes using cookie cutters or even a knife will do. For the hand prints I used the top to a pitcher – it just happened to be the right size and worked great!
If are making ornaments be sure to poke a hole where you will be hanging the ornament from. Make sure it goes all the way through and that any extra dough is removed. Place the ornaments on a parchment-lined baking tray and bake for 4-6 hours (or until hard) at 200 degrees. You can also air dry but plan on several extra days for that.
Once the ornaments are hard and dry it’s time to decorate! Paints, glue, glitter, ribbon – you name it! I just let the kids go crazy and do whatever they want (plus I had lots of extras!) Let the paint and glue dry.
I used a polyurethane spray on the ornaments to seal them so that they will keep beautifully but this step is optional. Hang up your fabulous creations with a pretty ribbon and enjoy! I just love this project because it’s super affordable and you can make it using whatever you have on hand. There’s no need to run out and buy a whole bunch of supplies. Here are some of our creations…
Lyndee says
How do you get your glitter to stick on the handprints? Do you spray/brush? This is the cutest idea ever…def going to be a new Christmas eve tradition for us!
Adorable blog 😉
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I dilute glue with a little water so the kids can “paint” it on. Sprinkle the glitter on top and let dry. I also like to spray a coat of polyurethane on top so I don’t have any glitter flaking off. Thank you for stopping by Lyndee! Merry Christmas!
Kelly says
Just made the dough- it was so extremely sticky that I couldnt knead it at all. Ended up adding almost a whole extra cup of flour, and its still really sticky. What gives?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I’m not sure 🙁 I’ve never had that happen to me I’ve made this dough many, many times. I can only suggest that you double-check the measurements and add more flour and salt. Good luck!
Lindsay says
These are too adorable so I decided to try them with my little one, but I keep having an issue with them puffing up while baking. 🙁 Any clue what I could be doing wrong?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
You could try a lower temperature or just letting them air dry. If you air dry them, put them in the warmest place in your house so they dry faster. Good luck!
Ginger@gingersnapcrafts.com says
My kids would LOVE this! 🙂
JANET says
I did this last year with the kids…
http://janetsmith0718.blogspot.com/2011/12/craft-time.html
I can’t wait to do it again this year and compare the two!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
They are just too fun!
Jackie says
I’m going to make these with my daughter! What kind of paint did you use?
Katiria says
You’re my new favorite site! I love these so much I’m going to try them this weekend. I looked around your site and I love your style. So glad I found you!
Sara says
So cute! How did you get the glitter to stick?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I diluted glue with a little bit of water and gave the kids paint brushes to “paint” on the glue. Add your glitter and let dry. I also sprayed a coat of polyurethane so I wouldn’t have glitter falling off 🙂