How to Make Simple Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments: A Step-by-Step Guide

JUMP TO INSTRUCTIONS

It's the Christmas season and we are setting up the tree in the Letkeman household. Growing up, it was a tradition for us children to receive a new Christmas ornament every year, tied to our stocking. Every year we would receive an ornament that always represented something from our lives: the farm, piano, art, a framed photo. These ornaments have become tiny snapshots of my childhood and the happy moments within it. The tradition served a purpose as well: when we moved out, we would already have a small stock of Christmas ornaments to decorate our own trees with.

Now that I have kids of my own, I want to keep this tradition alive, but with a bit of a twist. Instead of purchasing an ornament and handing it to them, I want to craft them together. It's a way to help us slow down in the middle of the holiday rush and spend quality time together - something that was always missing from my childhood holiday season. So, me and my kids will spend time side-by-side at the kitchen counter together, making messes and memories.

This year, we're crafting cinnamon salt dough ornaments. This craft is so simple, kid-friendly, and full of homemade charm. We'll create some for our own tree as well as some extras to tie onto gift wrap for grandparents, aunts and uncles, and friends. These are also adorable on a homemade wreath for the front door.

What makes these salt dough ornaments special?

• A classic Christmas decor - these ornaments are beautiful, rustic, and nostalgic.

• Perfect for homemade gift giving - these make great teacher gifts or mementos for loved ones. Add them to the top of gifts as a gift tag or gift them in a card or Christmas stocking!

• Include the kids - these are so quick and easy to make, and the kids will have so much fun cutting and decorating them. Best of all, it's simple enough that you don't need a ton of adult supervision so even young children can participate.

Salt dough Recipe Tips and ideas:

• Change up the spices! I use just cinnamon, but if you want to change it up a bit you can add some nutmeg or ginger to create more of a pumpkin spice scented ornament. The fresher the spices, the better since they'll be more fragrant. You can also use essential oils - these should be dropped onto the ornaments after they dry.

• Cutting shapes - cookie cutters work the best for making shapes with this dough.

• Make it fancy - use a rolling pin with a design on it to get stamped ornaments!

• Incorporate the garden! After you've rolled the dough, late herbs or flowers on top and roll once more to stamp the dough with tiny herb or pine sprigs for a natural, rustic finish.

• Hanging tip - before your dough dries, punch holes out of the top of each ornament with a straw or chopstick so you can thread some string or ribbon through.

• Bake upside down - this will help create a flat, dark design on the right side and prevent the white tinge that can happen from the salt.

• Can I air dry? Absolutely! This method can take quite a bit of time, several days if you've rolled them out thicker. But, the benefit of air drying is your ornaments won't puff up like they can if baked in the oven. However, you can expect them to turn whiter from the salt.

• Get creative - let your kids paint or colour them with markers after they've dried to add an extra personal touch to these!

• How long do they last? As long as you keep them dry, they'll last forever. Make sure you store them in an airtight container. I keep mine with my Christmas decor.

Use an embellished rolling pin to get an embossed effect on your Christmas ornaments.

Ingredients for Salt Dough

1. All purpose flour

2. table salt

3. water

4. cinnamon (and other spices if desired)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 250 F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined. Roll into a ball of dough.

3. Roll the dough approximately 1/4 inch thick. If you leave it too thick, the ornaments will take longer to dry!

4. Cut the ornaments using cookie cutters. You can reroll this dough and recut to use up all the dough. Then, using a straw or chopstick, make a small hole in the top of each ornament for hanging.

5. Bake for 2 hours, or let them air dry until completely dry.

6. Once the ornaments are dry, add a ribbon or string through the hole.

Do you love simple, handmade traditions? You'll also love my DIY dried citrus ornament post!