**Editor's note** I've found the recipe below (shared from Macaroni Kid Central) produces too thin of dough. Double the flour to 2 cups for a more pliable dough.**
--Sandy Wallace, Lynchburg Macaroni Kid
Every year I like to make a Salt Dough Ornament with my kids and hang it on the tree. This is such a simple craft to do with your kids and can make great gifts for grandparents or a gift for neighbors or your child's friends. it takes just 3 simple ingredients.
Ingredients:
1 cup of flour
1 cup of salt
1 cup of water
Other materials:
1 straw
Red acrylic paint
White acrylic paint
Skin color (your choice) acrylic paint
Black paint pen or permanent marker
Embellishments, as desired
Sealant (I use Mod Podge)
String, yarn or ribbon
Instructions:
1. Mix ingredients together.
2. Add more water and flour as needed to make the dough smooth and no longer sticky to touch. Make sure you knead it until this happens.
3. Flatten the dough either with your hands or a roller, but not too thin to make a circle big enough to fit your child's hand inside.
4. Use a straw to make a hole in the palm.
5. Bake for 2 hours at 200 degrees, or until dry (mine always tend to cook longer than 2 hours), or you can let them air dry for about 3 days.
6. Once the ornaments are dry, let them sit for a day, and then you are ready to paint!
7. Paint the palm with the red paint for Santa's hat.
8. Paint the fingers with the white paint to look like Santa's beard. Add white trim at the bottom of the hat and tassel at the tip.
9. Use the the skin-colored paint to add the face between the hat and the beard.
10. Draw in Santa's eyes with a black marker or black paint pen. And add a dot of red paint for his nose.
11. Add embellishments and outline as desired (see our photo), then coat with a sealant and let dry.
12. Once dry, thread the string through the hole, tie a knot, and hang the ornament on the tree or wrap it up for a gift.
I have done this since my boys were infants so my tree is getting pretty heavy now! I also have a couple dog ornaments as well. These are really is fun to make and are a great present.
