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Make salt dough ornaments with flour, salt, and water: knead the dough, roll it about 1/4 inch thick, cut shapes, and make a hanging hole before drying. The oven method below follows Food Network Kitchen’s recipe; keep the raw dough away from children’s mouths and wash hands and work surfaces after handling it.
What you need
Food Network Kitchen’s recipe makes about two dozen ornaments, depending on cutter size. Its stated timing is one hour of active time and 2 hours 30 minutes total, including cooling; these are the publisher’s estimates, not guaranteed durations.
- Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting; 1/2 cup kosher salt; 1 cup warm tap water.
- Equipment: Large bowl, wooden spoon, rolling pin, holiday cookie cutters, two baking sheets lined with parchment, and a straw or wooden skewer for the hanging holes. A small offset spatula can help transfer shapes. Optional items include a fork for imprints, decorations to press into the dough, clear acrylic spray sealer, and ribbon or string.
See the Food Network Kitchen recipe for its full method and supply list.
How to make the ornaments
- Mix and knead. Stir the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the warm water and mix until a sticky dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured surface for 5 to 7 minutes, adding flour as needed until the dough is smooth, pliable, and less sticky.
- Roll and cut. Roll the dough evenly to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut shapes and transfer them to the parchment-lined baking sheets. Gather the scraps and reroll them to make more ornaments.
- Make the hanging hole. Before drying, use a straw or skewer to pierce a hole near the top of each shape. Leave enough dough around the hole to support the string. If you press decorations into the dough, check that the hole remains open afterward.
- Add details, if you like. Press seeds, spices, nuts, or other small decorations at least halfway into the dough to help them stay in place. A fork can create simple imprints. The Royal Horticultural Society’s activity also suggests optional food colouring, essences, or glitter; it decorates shapes after drying. The Pampered Chef recipe lists food colouring, acrylic paint, and opaque paint markers as decoration options.
- Bake until firm. Food Network Kitchen bakes its ornaments at 300°F for about one hour, until they are dry and firm. It recommends checking that they feel and sound hard when tapped. Treat the time as guidance for that recipe, not a guarantee: thickness, size, and oven conditions affect drying.
- Cool, finish, and hang. Let the ornaments cool completely before decorating or sealing. For a sealed finish, Food Network Kitchen recommends several coats of clear acrylic sealer on both sides, allowing each coat to dry and following the product label. Thread ribbon or string through the hole and tie it; its recipe uses pieces roughly six inches long.
Can you air-dry salt dough ornaments instead of baking?
Air-drying is a possible craft approach, but the sources cited here do not establish a reliable universal air-dry duration or a tested comparison with oven drying. Drying will depend on the ornament’s size and thickness as well as conditions where it is left. If you need a more defined method, Food Network Kitchen’s recipe gives an oven temperature and a readiness cue: bake at 300°F until dry and firm, checking that the ornament feels and sounds hard when tapped.
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Crayola Air Dry Clay (5lbs), Teacher Supplies, Natural White Modeling Clay for Kids, Sculpting Material, Bulk Craft Supplies for Art Classrooms
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Make the design personal
- Choose shapes: Cookie cutters produce repeatable outlines; handprints and pressed details make individual keepsakes. The North Dakota Forest Service’s tree-print ornament activity also uses a straw or skewer for hanging holes and includes painting as an option.
- Keep thickness consistent: Rolling to about 1/4 inch follows Food Network Kitchen’s recipe and Pampered Chef’s guidance. Try to make ornaments of similar thickness so they dry more evenly.
- Pick a finish: Leave the baked dough plain, paint it, or use a clear sealer as described above. These are options offered by the cited craft and recipe sources, not a tested ranking of finishes.
Raw-flour safety and cleanup
Do not eat the dough or let children play with it while it is raw. The CDC warns that raw flour can contain germs and explicitly includes homemade craft dough, such as holiday ornaments, in its guidance. Wash hands after handling flour or dough, and clean bowls, utensils, counters, and other contacted surfaces with hot, soapy water. This is a craft project, not an edible activity. Read the CDC’s raw flour and dough guidance for details.
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Tiny Ideas DIY Baby Handprint Ornament Kit, No Mess Keepsake, White
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Baby Handprint Ornament Making Kit with Paint Set, Easel & Ribbons, Makes 2
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Baby Handprint Footprint Keepsake Ornament Kit (Makes 2) - Bonus Stencil for Personalized Christmas, Newborn, New Mom & Shower Gifts. 2 Easels! Non-Toxic Clay, Air-Dries Light & Soft, Won't Crack.
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Little Hippo Baby Ornament Keepsake Kit (Newborn Bundle) - 2 Easels, 4 Ribbons & Letters! Handprint and Footprint Clay Casting Kit for Baby Shower Gifts, Boys & Girls
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