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Salt flour ornament recipe


The Best Salt Dough (for Ornaments and Crafting!) to Make with the Kids

Learn how to make classic salt dough with the kids, with baking, painting, and storage info. This method is straight forward, easy, and thorough—and they a perfect kids holiday gift for grandparents, teachers, and loved ones!

Salt Dough 

This salt dough is a staple of childhood and I love doing this Christmas activity with my kids each year—and throughout the rest of the year too! We love to make salt dough handprints, ornaments, and sometimes, just any old shape they want to. It’s an easy project that we can do together—and then share as kid-made holiday gifts, keepsakes, or house decorations.

Salt Dough Recipe

Making salt dough at home is as easy as combining three pantry staples together into a dough. It’s fairly fool proof (as long as you follow the measurements!) and is a recipe that even little kids can help make.

Ingredients in Salt Dough

To make this recipe, you’ll need:

  • table salt
  • all-purpose flour
  • water

TIP: That’s it! (I buy store brand, cheap flour for this since project to keep it very budget-friendly. )

How to Make Salt Dough Ornaments Step-by-Step

Here’s a look at how to make the dough for this salt dough. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full information. 

  1. Measure out the flour and water. (photo 1)
  2. Add the water. (photo 2)
  3. Stir with a wooden spoon. (photo 3)
  4. Keep stirring until the dough is mostly together and is hard to stir any longer. (photo 4)
  5. Knead a few times with hands to bring the dough together. (photo 5)
  6. Place dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll out. (photo 6)

TIP: You can divide the dough in sections so multiple kids can have their own dough to work with.

How to Cut Out, Bake and Decorate Salt Dough Ornaments

Once you start rolling, here’s a look at what will follow if you want to make these into ornaments. (Skip the hole poking if you want to just make these as shapes for the kids to paint. )

  1. Roll out, changing directions occasionally, until about 1/4-inch thick. (This may not get precise if you’re working with kids and that’s okay!) (photo 1) 
  2. Stamp cookie cutters. (photo 2)
  3. Remove the dough around the shapes, then either transfer the whole piece of parchment paper to a cookie sheet OR transfer just the shapes to a parchment-lined cookie sheet. (photo 3)
  4. Poke holes so you have a place for a string to hang as ornaments. (photo 4)
  5. Press in a hand to make a handprint, if desired. (photo 5)
  6. Bake, let cool and decorate! (photo 6)

TIP: Re-roll any remaining dough after Step 3 here to make additional ornaments.

Salt Dough Handprint Ornament

Capturing a handprint in salt dough is a perfect grandparent gift, or a keepsake ornament to make for your own tree. I love pulling out our little collection year after year. Know that getting a good print may take a few tries if doing a baby’s hand!

TIP: Check the size of your round cookie cutter against your child’s hand to make sure that it’s big enough. You may need one that’s 4-5 inches in diameter.

Best Paint for Salt Dough Ornaments

If the kids are wearing smocks, the table is protected, and you are reasonably sure they won’t paint all over their hands and faces, I like using regular acrylic craft paint since it holds up best on crafts. With younger kids who may wind up wearing more of the paint, I’d recommend tempura washable paints.

TIP: We put our paint into the base of old egg cartons since we always have those on hand. You can also use paper plates.

How to Preserve Salt Dough Ornaments

To help preserve your finished dried ornaments, you can coat with a layer or two of Mod Podge or spray with a sealer. Either work well. I’d recommend coating or sealing both sides, so do one side and let it dry, and then do the second side. If using the sealer, do it in a well ventilated area without the kids too close by.

TIP: To store these ornaments from year to year, you’ll want to wrap in bubble wrap. Store in a container that won’t be banged around, dropped or exposed to excess moisture.

Why is my salt dough puffing up?

If you mistakenly use self-rising flour, they may puff. And sometimes it happens randomly. Keep the oven temperature low and if it happens consistently, you can try baking at an even lower temperature for a slightly longer amount of time.

Tips for Making the Best Salt Dough Ornaments

  • If the dough is too wet and sticky, knead in a little more flour. If it’s too stiff, add a little more water. There is a big range in the way different flours absorb liquid, so there is a normal range of variation in liquid needs. It should be easy to work with—soft and not too stiff and not excessively sticky.
  • Use paper lollipop sticks or a skewer to make your holes.
  • Use a 4-5 inch round cookie cutter to make handprint ornaments.
  • Tie on baker’s twine or thin ribbon to hang as ornaments.
  • Try to get the dough to an even thickness before baking so the ornaments bake evenly.
  • Bake for the time indicated and then longer if your ornaments still feel soft. They should be firm to the touch without much give.
  • Let cool fully before painting.
  • If you want to paint the background of a handprint ornament, do that before you paint the inside of the hand. Let dry before adding a second color. Some people like to paint the whole thing white or cream to give it a more finished look.
  • Use acrylic craft paint for older kids who can be trusted with paint and tempura washable paints with younger toddlers.since it holds up best on crafts. With younger kids who may wind up wearing more of the paint, I’d recommend.
  • To help preserve your finished dried ornaments, you can coat with a layer or two of Mod Podge or spray with a sealer.

I’d love to hear your feedback on this project and what your kids thought of it, so please comment below to share!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Author Amy Palanjian

Cuisine American

Course Holiday

Calories 1kcal

Servings 2 dozen ornaments

  • ▢ 4 cups flour
  • ▢ 1 cup table salt
  • ▢ 1. 5 cups water

  • Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl using a wooden spoon. When it becomes too stiff to stir, use clean hands to bring the dough together.

  • NOTE: If the dough is too wet and sticky, knead in a little more flour, about 1 tablespoon at a time. If it's too stiff, add a little more water, about 1 tablespoon at a time. There is a big range in the way different flours absorb liquid, so there is a normal range of variation here. It should be easy to work with—soft and not too stiff and not excessively sticky.

  • Knead a few times until the dough is uniform and soft, about 3-5 minutes.

  • Divide dough into 2 or 4 sections and roll out to about 1/4-½ inch thick between two sheets of parchment paper. This will help prevent sticking.

  • Cut out with cookie cutters. Transfer shapes to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

  • Repeat rolling and cutting out shapes to use up the dough.

  • Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

  • Do a 4-5-inch circle and press in a child's handprint if desired.

  • Use a paper lollipop stick or a skewer to make a hole to hang as an ornament.

  • If making ornaments, bake for 90 minutes to 2 hours; if baking handprints, bake for 2-3 hours. Continue baking both ornaments and handprints as needed until they are until just firm to the touch, checking every 20 minutes. (It's not a problem if yours take longer than the initial baking time—it varies based on thickness and size...which will likely vary if you are baking these with kids!) They do not need to be rock hard, but should not feel squishy. Handprints will likely take longer than smaller ornaments and may take closer to 4 hours.

  • Remove from oven, let cool, and paint if desired with acrylic or washable tempera paint.

  • Once paint is completely dry, seal with Mod Podge if desired.

  • Mixing Bowl

  • parchment paper

  • Mini Cookie Cutters

  • Divide the recipe in half to make a smaller portion of dough if desired.
  • Use paper lollipop sticks or a skewer to make your holes.
  • Use a 4-5 inch round cookie cutter to make handprint ornaments.
  • Tie on baker's twine or thin ribbon to hang as ornaments.
  • Try to get the dough to an even thickness before baking so the ornaments bake evenly.
  • Bake for the time indicated and then longer if your ornaments still feel soft. They should be firm to the touch without much give but do not need to be rock hard. It is not a sign of a problem if yours take longer than mine did to bake—flours and ovens vary!
  • Let cool fully before painting.
  • If you want to paint the background of a handprint ornament, do that before you paint the inside of the hand. Let dry before adding a second color.
  • Use regular acrylic paint for older kids who can be trusted with paint and washable tempera paint with younger toddlers.
  • To help preserve your finished dried ornaments, you can coat with a layer or two of Mod Podge or spray with a sealer.

Calories: 1kcal, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 1g, Calcium: 31mg, Iron: 6mg

Tried this recipe?Rate in the comments and tag @yummytoddlerfood on IG!

Salt Dough Ornaments (+ How to Make Salt Dough)

Jump to How-To

Salt dough ornaments are the sweetest little homemade gift and such a fun Christmas tradition!

You can make them for the whole family or classroom with hardly any effort and there are plenty of fun personalization options. Kids will have a great time making these!

Click HERE to save this recipe for Salt Dough Ornaments to Pinterest!

Making Salt Dough Ornaments

When my daughter, Madeline, was in elementary school she received a homemade salt dough ornament from one of her friends.

I thought that was the cutest idea for kids to gift to one another and I loved that it was a fun friend gift that didn’t cost a lot of money.

Christmas crafts as gifts for school friends aren’t something I’d really considered before – surely buying stuff was easier? But after she came home with that adorable ornament, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

In years past, usually on a snowy afternoon when everyone is tired of playing in the snow, we whip up a batch of these cute Salt Dough Ornaments to hand out to friends. We keep it simple with solid colors, and classic shapes like Christmas trees and snowflakes, but red and white candy canes or yellow bells would be super cute and festive, too.

Salt Dough Ornaments are actually really easy to make and are the perfect activity for kids to do during the month of December. Especially on days that are too cold or snowy to play outside. Usually those days are abundant here in Colorado.

When Kevin and I got married, we decided on decorating two Christmas trees each year — one downstairs in the formal living that is all matchy-matchy and perfect.

It sits in front of the windows and looks so pretty with the tree’s white lights and ornaments in shades of blue, silver, and gold glowing through the windows at night.

Even though it is a decorator tree, there are a few special-to-me ornaments on it that just happen to fit the color scheme, and every year we try to add a couple new ones.

Upstairs in the hallway outside of the kids game room is a tree with all of their collector ornaments. That tree contains all of the cute handmade things the kids made in class in years past, and multi-color lights. It’s totally tacky in the best way possible.

This year, we made a couple extra of these salt dough ornaments to put on our memory-filled tree and I look forward to more in years to come. I don’t think making salt dough ornaments is an activity that kids will ever really grow out of.

Salt Dough Ingredients

This is the best salt dough recipe! If you’ve never learned how to make salt dough, don’t fret — it’s so easy to make your own homemade ornaments! Here’s what you will need to make a batch of this salt dough:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Salt
  • Water
  • Essential Oils for scenting (optional!)

In addition to these key ingredients to make the dough, you’ll also need some additional materials for shaping and decorating your homemade ornaments:

  • mixing bowl
  • mixing spoon
  • rolling pin
  • cookie cutters
  • food coloring or acrylic craft paint (or keep them naturally colored)
  • drinking straw (this helps cut the hole for threading ribbon or twine to string the ornament)
  • parchment paper
  • twine or ribbon

That’s it! Any other tools you use are up to your personal preference depending on how you’d like to customize your homemade salt dough ornaments.

For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.

Click HERE to save this recipe for Salt Dough Ornaments to Pinterest!

How to Make Salt Dough Ornaments

Salt dough ornaments are super simple to make yourself at home! Here is an overview of the steps you’ll need to follow. For full details, make sure you scroll down to the free printable recipe card which you can keep for your records and use year after year.

  1. To make this salt dough ornament recipe, you first need to whisk together the salt and flour.
  2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the water and food coloring (or paint).
  3. Make a well in the flour mixture and slowly pour in the colored water, mixing after you’ve added half of the liquid.
  4. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes on top of parchment paper or baking mat until the dough is smooth and colored throughout.
  5. Roll out the salt dough, then cut it out using your cookie cutters of choice.
  6. Place the salt dough ornaments on a parchment paper lined baking tray, then cut a hole near the top with a drinking straw.
  7. Then, bake at 200 degrees F for an hour, or until dry (varies on size and thickness of ornament).

Can I Make Salt Dough Ahead of Time?

Yes, you can make salt dough ahead of time, up to 5 day. Store it in the refrigerator in a completely air tight container or sealed ziplock bag. You can also use a vacuum sealer if you have one.

Storing it air tight is necessary because you don’t want to let the dough get dried out before you’ve had a chance to roll it!

Making salt dough ahead of time is a perfect way to eliminate some of the to-do the day you want to make the dough if you don’t have time to do it all in one day.

This works best when left naturally colored or colored with food coloring. I don’t recommend making it ahead of time if adding acrylic paint as the paint could dry out or degrade when stored for a length of time in the refrigerator.

How Do You Add Color To Salt Dough?

There are two different ways to add customized colors to salt dough – using food coloring or using acrylic paint.

Adding Food Coloring to Salt Dough

Food Coloring To add food coloring to the salt dough, you’ll only need a few drops unless you are looking to achieve very deep colors. You can mix different colors to create different hues beyond the typical food coloring color options.

I prefer the gel food coloring over traditional food coloring because you don’t need to use a whole bottle of coloring to achieve intensely colored dough.

What Paint Can You Use In Salt Dough?

Acrylic Craft Paint is best for using with salt dough in my experience. For solid colored salt dough, add 6 ounces of acrylic craft paint to the water and mix, then combine (slowly) with the flour and salt mixture. Stir until mixed, and then knead.

When adding paint to the salt dough, make sure you cover all surfaces with parchment paper or butcher paper so you don’t end up damaging your kitchen surfaces.

You can also use an old baking mat if you don’t care about it potentially getting stained. I prefer butcher paper or parchment paper because it makes the mess easy to clean up.

When you are kneading the salt dough, you will want want to wear gloves so that the paint doesn’t transfer to your hands. You can use surgical gloves or kitchen cleaning gloves (again, they might stain!).

This time around, as you can see in my photos, I decided to add white acrylic chalk paint to my salt dough to achieve a brighter white color and a matte finish. Then, I stamped the dough using a snowflake rubber stamp.

If the dough is too sticky, simply add extra flour and salt in a 4:1 ratio (such as 4 tablespoons flour and 1 tablespoon salt) until the dough is easily handled. It should be firm but not dry.

Can You Paint Salt Dough After Baking?

Yes, you can bake salt dough after your ornament has completely dried. I recommend acrylic paint for this as well. You can use small paint brushes to add details to your ornament, which works especially well if your ornament has three dimensional texture to it.

Can You Add Glitter to Salt Dough?

Yes! Adding glitter to salt dough gives a nice affect and can provide fun customization options. Keep reading to learn how to add glitter to salt dough ornaments – there are 3 different ways!

There are a few different ways that you can add glitter to your salt dough.

  • One way to add glitter to your salt dough recipe is by adding flakes of glitter – 1 tablespoon at a time until you like the ratio of glitter to dough.
  • Another way to incorporate glitter in your salt dough recipe is by adding acrylic paint that contains glitter or shimmer to your water, and then mixing that into the flour and salt when you prepare your dough. When I add paint to my dough, I add 6 ounces of paint to the recipe as written.
  • Lastly, you can incorporate glitter in your salt dough ornaments by painting clear craft glue onto parts of your ornament that you want to have glitter and sprinkling loose glitter flakes on top of the glue. The ornament should be dry before this method is used.

How to Personalize Salt Dough Ornaments

You could make salt dough ornaments for your family, the classroom, coworkers – you name it!

And your limitations are only set by the cookie cutters you own. If you want to take it one step further, you can even personalize the ornaments for the recipient!

All the different combos you could make, all the Christmas cookie cutters I just happened to have in the pantry… the possibilities are endless.

Here are some of my favorite ways to personalize these salt dough ornaments:

  • Take some mini ABC cookie cutters and stamp the middle with the recipient’s last name initial, monogram, or first name.
  • Stamp the ornament with that year’s date, or a date of special significance.
  • Lightly stamp a design within the cookie cutter using another, smaller cookie cutter.
  • Hang two ornaments together on the same string, for example two shapes that have significance for the person you’re giving them to.

How to Stamp Salt Dough Ornaments with Texture

If you want to add interesting textures or patterns to the surface of your salt dough ornaments, you can do so by pressing different types of materials, tools, or other items that you might have in your home into the surface of the dough before baking.

Some great options for adding texture to your salt dough are:

  • lace
  • cookie stamps
  • leaves
  • rosemary sprigs
  • pinecones
  • pine needles
  • rubber crafting stamps
  • ribbon
  • bottoms of crystal vases

Press the dough firmly with these items to leave an imprint in the dough but don’t press all the way through. You just want to create a texture on the surface that will remain after baking.

Objects or stamps with deeper more pronounced textures and grooves give the best finished appearance after baking and drying. Items that have very small, intricate details will not yield ideal results.

Scented Salt Dough Ornaments

Did you know that you can make scented salt dough ornaments, too? Adding essential oils to your salt dough will give it a great scent that you can enjoy in your home!

Have an artificial tree but love the smell of fresh, real Christmas trees? Scented Salt Dough ornaments are a great way to give an artificial tree a natural pine scent. Simply add 5-15, depending on your preference, drops of Fir Essential Oil. I like Siberian Fir best!

Another great scent to add to salt dough ornaments is Cinnamon Essential Oil! This will make your house smell like Christmas! A Christmas-y blend that I like is Holiday Joy, which has cinnamon along with orange and a few other essential oils.

The sky is the limit, really! You can add any essential oil scent you like, it doesn’t have to be a holiday themed smell.

For best results, you will want to air dry any salt dough ornaments that you have added essential oils to so that the scent remains longer.

When adding essential oils to your dough I definitely recommend wearing gloves when handling the dough as some people are sensitive to essential oils on their skin.

Have a Salt Dough Ornament Making Party

Pair this fun activity with a mug of your favorite hot cocoa and a round or two of Christmas Book Bingo by the fire.

Grown ups will love this Spiked Peppermint Mocha Hot Chocolate  and kiddos will like a mug of Candy Cane Hot Cocoa. If mulled ciders are more your style, try this Spiced Pomegranate Apple Cider.

Just make sure your favorite Christmas Tunes are playing in the background!

That sounds like just about the most perfect winter afternoon I could ask for. I hope it does to you too.

Looking for more fun Christmas activity ideas for kids to pair with making these salt dough ornaments? Check out my post on Tips to Prepare for a Fun Winter Break with Kids

Save this recipe for Salt Dough Ornaments to Pinterest!

How Many Ornaments Does this Salt Dough Recipe Make?

The number of ornaments you will get from this salt dough recipe varies based on the size of the ornament, however this recipe made approximately 18 three inch sized circles in my most recent batch.

After you cut out the shapes for your ornaments, combine any leftover scraps and knead until smooth and combined, then re-roll and cut out more shapes. Repeat until you don’t have any salt dough left.

What Type of Salt Should I Use?

To make this recipe for salt dough, you will use regular table salt! There is no need to buy anything special.

Tips for Making Salt Dough Ornaments

The hardest part of making these salt dough ornaments is simply making sure that your work surface remains dye-free.

I recommend covering your work surface with parchment paper or a plastic table cloth. Something inexpensive that you don’t care if it gets stained or that you can just throw away, the dollar store is great for this. Large sheets of butcher paper also works incredibly well!

Wearing gloves and aprons will help make sure that clothes and fingers aren’t dyed red and green when you’re making your salt dough ornaments.

The number of ornaments you will get from this salt dough recipe varies based on the size of the ornament, however this recipe made approximately 18 three inch sized circles in my most recent batch.

After you cut out the shapes for your ornaments, combine any leftover scraps and knead until smooth and combined, then re-roll and cut out more shapes. Repeat until you don’t have any salt dough left.

Why Does My Salt Dough Puff Up?

Are you wondering why your salt dough ornaments turned out puffy? Typically there are two things that cause salt dough to get puffy: either your oven is too hot or you used self-rising flour.

The first reason that your salt dough ornaments might be puffing is the temperature you bake at. You want your oven to be pretty low. This recipe calls for a 200 degrees F oven.

If you find that your salt dough ornaments are still turning out puffy, then try an even lower temperature. Temperatures lower than 200 degrees F work just fine for baking your salt dough and result in less puffiness. Your ornaments will just take longer to bake and dry out at the lower temperature.

The second reason that a salt dough ornament might puff after baking is because you used self-rising flour. In this recipe it is important to use all-purpose flour as it contains no leavening agents (baking soda, baking powder, etc).

Can You Air Dry Salt Dough Ornaments?

Yes you can make salt dough ornaments without baking them, however I don’t typically choose to make them that way.

No-bake salt dough ornaments take a lot longer to harden because you’re letting them dry out naturally. The benefit to making no-bake salt dough ornaments is that air drying the salt dough eliminates all chance of puffiness.

To air dry your salt dough ornaments, prepare the recipe as instructed, eliminating any cooking spray. Then, place them in a warm, dry place on a flat surface (such as a cookie sheet).

Let the salt dough air dry naturally for about 3-5 days, larger or thicker ornaments may take up to a week to air dry.

How Long Do Salt Dough Ornaments Last?

Properly prepared salt dough ornaments that have fully dried will last for decades! The most important tip for long lasting salt dough ornaments is to make sure that you let them dry out all the way – and that you don’t let them get damp. If they dampen, they can mold.

That means, when you pack your Christmas Ornaments up after the Holidays that you need to store them in a way that they won’t get wet.

I recommend air tight plastic ornament bins rather than cardboard boxes, which can get wet and damp due to humidity or leaks in your home. You can even add silica packets to your ornament storage to help mitigate any dampness that does occur.

Salt Dough Ornaments that have gotten wet or have already begun to mold, unfortunately should be thrown out for health reasons. Better safe than sorry!

More Homemade Gift Ideas:

If you love to make homemade gifts for friends, neighbors, teachers, or anyone else on your holiday gift list, you might like to try a couple of these ideas, too.

Instead of throwing out broken bits of crayon, learn How to Make Recycled Crayons and try melting down your scraps and reshaping them into something new. For Christmas-themed crayons, look for silicone molds that are Christmas Tree or snowflake shaped.

Featuring lemon, oil, sugar and salt, this All-Natural Moisturizing Kitchen Hand Scrub is a simple DIY gift to prepare – perfect for the holiday season. Teachers will love this pampering item. For something extra special, pair it with a mani/pedi gift card or some fun new nail polish colors.

This Rosemary Mint Sugar Scrub is another homemade gift any woman in your life would love. It’s easy to make and can be used all over your body.

Homemade bookmarks make fun crafts for kids and also super cute gifts for them to pass out to friends at school; check out these 8 Cute DIY Bookmark Ideas.

And there are 45 more Homemade gift ideas here!

What are your favorite homemade holiday gifts?

Love this recipe for Salt Dough Ornaments?
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Materials

  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 cup Table Salt
  • 1/3 cup Water, plus 1 tablespoon
  • Food Coloring or Paint (6 ounces acrylic craft paint)
  • 1 Drinking Straw
  • Nonstick Baking Spray
  • Parchment Paper
  • 1 roll Colorful Ribbon (1/8 to 1/4-inch wide), Twine, or String

Tools

  • Mixing Bowl
  • Mixing Spoon
  • Surgical Gloves, or kitchen gloves
  • Rolling Pin

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 200°F. Place the rack in the center position.
  2. Prepare a large baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. Next, line the work area with butcher paper to prevent your counters or table from becoming stained.
  3. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt until well whisked. In a glass measuring cup, stir in the water and food coloring or paint.
  4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and slowly pour in the colored water, starting with half the amount and adding more as needed to form a firm dough that is moist but not sticky. Stir well.
  5. While wearing the surgical gloves, knead the dough with your hands for approximately 10 minutes (on top of the parchment paper), or until the dough has become smooth and the color is distributed throughout.
  6. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 1/4-inch thickness on the parchment paper. Use whatever shaped cookie cutters you’d like to cut out the dough. Additionally, you can stamp the dough with various items to create texture or with ABC stamps to personalize the ornaments with someone's initials, last name, or year.
  7. Combine any scraps that are leftover and knead, then re-roll with the rolling pin and cut out additional ornaments. Repeat until all of the dough has been used.
  8. After cutting the ornaments, transfer the cut shapes onto the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Use the straw to cut a small hole near the top (where you’d like to hang the ornament from). Discard the small circular piece of dough that you remove to create the hole.
  9. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour, or until dry. Flip the ornaments half way through baking so that the underneath side can dry out as well.
  10. When done baking, remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack. After cooling, thread the ribbon or string through the holes and tie to hang.

Notes

Do not ingest this dough. It is not intended for eating.

WHAT PAINT CAN YOU USE IN SALT DOUGH?

Acrylic Craft Paint is best for using with salt dough in my experience. For solid colored salt dough, add 6 ounces of acrylic craft paint to the water and mix, then combine (slowly) with the flour and salt mixture. Stir until mixed, and then knead.

If the dough is too sticky, simply add extra flour and salt in a 4:1 ratio (such as 4 tablespoons flour and 1 tablespoon salt)

When adding paint to the salt dough, cover all surfaces with parchment paper or butcher paper so you don’t end up damaging your kitchen surfaces. Wear surgical gloves when kneading the dough so paint doesn’t transfer to your hands.

CAN I MAKE SALT DOUGH AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes, up to 5 days. Store it in the refrigerator in a completely air tight container or sealed ziplock bag. You don’t want to let the dough get dried out before you’ve had a chance to roll it! This works best when left naturally colored or colored with food coloring. I don't recommend making it ahead of time if adding acrylic paint.

HOW MANY ORNAMENTS DOES THIS SALT DOUGH RECIPE MAKE?

The number of ornaments you will get from this salt dough recipe varies based on the size of the ornament, however this recipe made approximately 18 three inch sized circles in my most recent batch.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Gel Food Coloring

  • Adjustable Rolling Pin with Removable Rings

  • Non-slip Silicone Pastry Mat

  • Christmas Cookie Cutters Set

  • Mini ABC and Number Cookie Cutters

  • Baking Sheet

I originally shared this fun recipe for Salt Dough Ornaments on Food Fanatic, but I thought you’d like to see it here on Good Life Eats.

The perfect salt dough recipe. Tips for beginners

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› The perfect salt dough recipe. Beginner Tips

From plasticine

A real miracle when a shapeless plastic mass turns into a playful kitten or a fabulous house. I suggest you feel like a magician and prepare the perfect salty dough for future masterpieces.

1243 t.0

Weight, which keeps its shape perfectly floats and does not deteriorate over time, - dream of all lovers modeling. And the dream of all parents - safe plastic mixture without allergens and harmful additives . Salt dough skillfully brings everything together these qualities and thanks to baking better preserved than plasticine.

figurine from salt dough will become an exquisite decoration of your rooms and a wonderful tool for games. How to make salt dough soft and pliable, and even for a long time to keep flour mixture? Desert Boy Knows answer!

Classic salt dough recipe

modeling from salt dough is not a new occupation. The origins of this type of creativity are lost deep in the history of our culture. Remember only Kolobok from a folk tale and the custom of baking larks on Candlemas. Hold the basic salt dough recipe for crafts - continue traditions of ancestors with pleasure!

For making salt dough for you will need:

  • 1 glass of fine salt
  • 2 cups of flour
  • half a glass water,
  • 5 Art. l. sunflower oil,
  • natural juice or gouache (optional).

K cause!

AT In a deep bowl, mix dry ingredients: salt and flour. Add sunflower oil and pour some water. Knead the dough. To give the mixture a certain color, carefully stir in the carrot (beetroot) juice or diluted in water gouache. If necessary, small add water or flour in portions to adjust the viscosity of the dough.

Important! It is best to store the finished dough in refrigerator no more than a day, tightly wrapping the mass with cling film.

Salt dough recipe for sophisticated works

If a you plan to make thin embossed figurines or miniatures salt dough, to the classic recipe you have to add a secret ingredient. Which? Read on - I'll tell you everything!

For making salt dough in a special way the recipe you will need:

  • 1.5 cups of flour
  • 1 a glass of salt
  • 125 ml of water
  • 1 Art. l. PVA glue or starch
  • food dye.

K cause!

Prepare deep container. Mix flour and salt and add 125 ml of water. Mix thoroughly Ingredients. Now add a dining room a spoonful of starch or PVA glue. Starch increases the plasticity of the mass, and the glue increases its strength. PVA can be replaced 2 tsp wallpaper glue diluted in water, according to instructions. At the end add food coloring and mix well. If you need a lot of different colors, divide the dough into several pieces and add the colors you want. Merry creativity!

Preparing tools for working with salt test

From salt dough can be made that anything - toy products, animals, flowers and luxurious paintings. But so that your the work looked original and intricate, you will need different tools. You don't need to buy anything, use items that are at hand.

For creating unique patterns on the surface salt dough is ideal:

  • curly rolling pin or water bottle
  • toothpicks (for punching holes)
  • caps from markers,
  • rod from a ballpoint pen
  • knife for plasticine,
  • molds for cookies,
  • buttons,
  • beads,
  • pasta,
  • lace and other stamps for embossing,
  • press for garlic.

Boldly Experiment with patterns and shapes! AT in case of failure, the item is easy to fix or blind again.

How to dry products from salty test?

To the finished craft pleased the eyes for a long time your guests, it needs to be right dry. Remember: the main rule of drying salt dough products - no sudden changes in temperature.

There are two ways to dry figurines from salt dough:

1. The simplest is natural. Just leave the figurine to dry room temperature for several days or weeks. In no case can dry the product on a hot battery - it will crack or crumble. Too humid room is also not suitable - the dough, like a sponge, absorbs moisture and can easily get wet. The natural way is extremely easy, however, oh-so-very slow. And to us want to go faster, right?

2. Drying in the oven. Put figurine on parchment in a cold oven and bake on low heat, gradually increasing the temperature. Regularly turn the product over so that it baked evenly on all sides. After finishing work, the craft immediately do not take it out - let it cool in the oven.

Vo drying time for salt dough refer to the following table.

Short products (thickness up to 2 cm) Volumetric work (more than 2 cm thick)
one hour at 50 °C 1–2 hours at 50 °C
1-2 hours at 75 °C 2-3 hours at 75 °C
one hour at 100 °C 1–2 hours at 100 °C
one hour at 125 °C 2 hours at 125 °C
0. 5–1 hour at 150 °C one hour at 150 °C

Dry dough products can be turned off oven. Warm it up properly and put it down figurines in heat. Wait until the oven cool down. Repeat the process for several once.

In time to work with salt dough fail inevitable. However, don't be upset and put your hands down. If during the drying the craft is cracked or fell away from it detail, return the toy shape will help construction glue PVA or Moment.

cracks and irregularities can be smoothed out by small files for metal. Such for sure found in dad's tools.

Finished it is better to varnish the product - so it longer pleasing to the eye his talented master.

More sculpting ideas here:

  • Mushroom polymer clay panel,
  • Animals plasticine,
  • Interesting plasticine products.

Tags: DIY toys

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Magic paper house

Salt dough product for the New Year.

We will send the material to you by e-mail

Autumn is quickly flying by, and the time is about to come when you want a fairy tale to break into the house. But we, adults, understand that we create magic ourselves, with our own hands. Therefore, today the editors of the site suggest starting to make New Year's crafts from salt dough - these are figurines, figurines, jewelry, candlesticks, panels that will perfectly decorate the decor for the winter holiday.

You can look at the photos as much as you like and admire the salt dough crafts, but it's better to try to make them yourself. In order for the first attempt to be successful and leave pleasant impressions and memories, you need to carefully read the instructions for making the working substance.

How to prepare the dough?

This modeling material is based on three products: flour, water and fine salt. There are variable recipes that include, in addition to the three main ingredients, starch and hand cream. Someone uses a recipe with wallpaper paste. It makes sense to start getting acquainted with such material, starting with the main recipe, but if you have experience in modeling, then it makes sense to use recipes with cream or vegetable oil. This is especially true if the product involves a lot of small parts.

Premium flour contains a sufficient amount of gluten, and finely divided salt of a brand like "Extra" will allow products to achieve the desired smoothness.

Standard recipe:

  • a glass of flour;
  • glass of salt;
  • 125 ml water.

Different craftswomen insist on different proportions. It is proposed to take flour in two parts, and salt and water one by one. More salt will add strength to the product.

All ingredients are mixed by hand or with a mixer until smooth. For testing, tear off a piece and roll it into a ball. Dimples are made on the ball with a finger: the ideal dough will retain its shape and not blur.

Tip! If you add a little vegetable oil or hand cream while mixing the ingredients, the dough will not dry out during modeling and will not become excessively sticky to your hands.


How to paint the working material? Gouache, liquid watercolor, food coloring, cocoa, beetroot, carrot juice, cherry and spinach juice.

What crafts can you do and how to save leftover dough

There are many ways to use this material for modeling. This is work with children to develop fine motor skills and imagination, and apartment decor, and holiday decorations, and figurines, and photo frames, and toy gifts.

Figurines are made flat or three-dimensional, they use a base or not. In general, the work is not very different from plasticine modeling, but products made from salty material can be stored indefinitely.

Store the rest of the dough in the refrigerator, remembering to tightly wrap the substance in cling film or place it in a plastic container with a lid.

Tip! Dough will last longer if you add a sachet of citric acid to it for two cups of flour.

Material without citric acid is stored in the cold for 2-3 days, with acid - up to two weeks.

How to dry and dye items

Several drying options.

  1. Leave items to dry at room temperature. The process is very lengthy.
  2. Drying handicrafts on the radiator is somewhat faster.
  3. In the oven, the products are not dried for so long, while the heating temperature is varied. First, crafts are dried in an oven at 50 ° C, then they are slightly browned at 150 ° C.

To make the product shine, it is varnished or glazed. Glazing is used for crafts in white, and colored items are varnished.
They also use the method of coating with an aqueous solution of salt and drying in an oven at low temperatures. Coating the finished product with egg white or yolk gives a pleasant golden brown hue.

If you want the thing to remain white, it is glazed and dried at a temperature of 50 ° C until it is completely ready.

Related article:

Do-it-yourself symbol of the New Year (pig) : crochet, how to make origami out of paper, a plasticine pig-toy for the New Year, pastries in the form of pigs, a potato pig for the New Year's table - read in the publication.

Tips for making salt dough crafts for the New Year

Let's try to make crafts that will give you a good mood! There are several types of products that can be made using the modeling method: we use the layering of parts, we make volumetric products and we include small details in the work. The work welcomes the use of molds - convenient plastic or metal molds (you can take ready-made molds for baking cookies, buy or do it yourself from an aluminum can), any textured surfaces, toothpicks, a plastic knife for plasticine, covers from felt-tip pens, tree leaves.

Salt dough crafts to make: working with a preschooler

Fine motor skills in preschool children are usually not very well developed, and modeling lessons form all the necessary skills, develop fantasy and imagination. The advice of a kind adult nearby will help the baby cope with difficulties.

Snowman "Shmyak"

The child is able to make a good friend for winter games in the house. The help of an adult as a good adviser and leader is obligatory. Use a recipe where starch is added. You just need to take into account that how much starch is put in, it is better to remove so much flour. It will be useful to add 125 ml of hand cream.

Make sure that the lumps are not too large, such work will take a very long time to dry and cracks may occur. Install the frame. It can be a rod stuck in a salt dough cake, a small stable object that can be used as a rod. The child makes three koloboks, putting each one on the rod in descending order. Help shape eyes and hands. For fixing parts, the place of gluing is lubricated with water.

Salt dough commemorative panels

It will be difficult for a preschooler to create something artistic, but there is a way to let the child participate in the work and cope with it almost independently.

Related article:

crepe paper, kusudama, origami, paper flowers; New Year's ball made of felt and fabric, decoration of a New Year's ball on the Christmas tree by various means - read in the publication.

Salt Dough Crafts for School Children

We have already looked at photos of New Year's salt dough crafts and want to offer excellent options for working with dough for school-age children. They will cope with everything themselves, having listened to parting words and instructions. This does not mean that you need to go away and leave your son or daughter to their fate. Our task is to give an idea and explain the principle of operation. It’s good if adults nearby also try their hand at such an exciting technique.

What are the best salt dough products for children?

Depending on the age of the children, the topics and the level of complexity of the work are selected.

Younger children can easily be trusted to work with molds. Those who have skills in modeling are entrusted with the manufacture of complex or voluminous figures. Salt dough angels

Angels are the perfect theme for Christmas decor.

Salt dough candle holder

Let's prepare everything you need for crafts from salt dough and study the master class. We take a small round candle, ready-made dough, a garlic press, a plastic knife, a workplace, a rolling pin.

Illustration Action description
Tear off a small ball from the material and roll it into a tight ball. Put the kolobok on a plastic cutting board and turn it into a small cake.
Take a candle and punch a hole in the cake, moreover, make it slightly wider than the candle.
Place a piece of dough in a garlic press, at this time dip the brush in water and grease the place where the Christmas tree needles will be located.
We tear off the "vermicelli" and lay it in the form of spruce branches.
We complement the product with decor. For leaves, use a plastic knife.
We make roses by rolling a strip of dough like a roller.
We start to make a large rose in the same way as a small one, but add others around the central petal, one after another.

The product is dried and painted. After the varnish is dry, you can insert a candle and light it, admiring your own creation.

More Christmas Salt Dough Ideas

Salt dough products are not only painted and varnished. They are also decorated with rhinestones, sequins, beads. In this case, the crafts are dried naturally so as not to damage the decor.

Let's get acquainted with such a way of decorating crafts as decoupage.

Decoupage of finished products

To work, you need a New Year's napkin with a suitable pattern according to the size of the finished product, PVA glue and a brush.

Flat Christmas decorations

Let's learn how to make figures from salt dough, this will help a small master class.

Illustration Action description
We will need dough, a string, a juice tube, molds for toys, acrylic paints - white, silver and gold, a brush, beads.
Roll out the dough with a rolling pin and use the molds to make figures.
In each figurine we pierce holes for the rope with a tube. Dry the figurines.
We paint finished products with white paint.
For decoration, it is better to use gold and silver paints. But you can use any color of your choice.
We paint some of the figures with small strokes and leave the paint to dry.

There is nothing cuter than New Year crafts made together with your child. Colored and shiny, a little uneven and this makes it even more touching and memorable.

On New Year's Eve, every adult, not to mention children, wakes up with a desire to create cute little things that bring a feeling of comfort and warmth into the house ... And although the shops are full of factory-made toys and New Year's accessories, I want to make something of my own, unique, inimitable .

Elegant toys for the New Year's green beauty can be made from paper, fabric, thread. And you can use salt dough - another interesting and quite affordable material. How to make for the New Year? This is what will be discussed now.

How to make salt dough?

First, you need to prepare the right salt dough. To do this, prepare in advance one measure of fine salt and two measures of flour. Dissolve the salt in warm or hot water, and when it has cooled, gradually pour the salt solution into the flour, stirring constantly. You can add a little sunflower oil to the dough - it will make the mass more elastic and less sticky. However, it is more difficult to mold something from dough with the addition of butter, since its pieces do not stick together well. This option is good for simple single-layer crafts.

The dough should be firm enough to hold its shape. Let it stand for the gluten to disperse, and get to work. Salt dough Christmas decorations are easy to make with cookie cutters.

DIY Christmas crafts

The figurines made in this way are very reminiscent of traditional gingerbread cookies and create a feeling of being at home. You can make cute hearts, Christmas trees and stars: just roll the dough into a thin (about 1 cm) sheet and invite your child to make figures out of it.

If there are no ready-made molds, you can cut them out of cans from drinks, bending the edges inward so that the baby does not get hurt. Even simple round pendants that can be made using a glass, a glass or a small jar will look beautiful. Don't forget to make a hole for a loop in each figure.

Spread the cut out figures on the net and let them dry thoroughly; if drying on a dense, flat surface, periodically turn the crafts over. You can use the oven by carefully drying the workpieces at a low temperature.

Dried figurines are painted with bright colors and covered with sparkles.

On top of the crafts, you can cover with a transparent varnish - this will give them a beautiful gloss.

We thread a ribbon or a thick thread - and the decoration is ready.

Salt dough herringbone.

Salt dough heart.

Christmas decorations made from dough can be colored with paints.

From the imprint of a child's hand, a charming Santa Claus is obtained. The craft is made in the same technique. Let the piece dry well.

Apply a layer of white paint.

We color the craft and varnish it. Santa Claus is ready!

Salt dough can be used to make a wonderful Christmas decoration “pig with wings”.

Do-it-yourself New Year crafts made from salt dough for children in this way will become especially expensive, and the children will be happy to join the process of decorating the main symbol of the New Year.

DIY Christmas crafts from salt dough (video)

Christmas decorations from salt dough (sweet and pink):

Tatyana Shemetova

Very soon, in a few hours, the most cheerful and noisy, joyful and magical, most long-awaited New Year will silently enter the doors of our houses and apartments! What he will bring us - we do not know, but to give our children joyful moments of communication and make together with them New Year's table decorations - of course we can. This lesson will not take you much time, but you get such a beauty!

We are starting! If you have flour, salt "Extra", water, thick paper (not necessarily whatman paper, stapler and paints - it will take no more than 10 minutes to prepare.

The diameter of the circle depends on what size you want to make a Christmas tree. Cut the circle in half and twist the resulting parts into cones, pressing the edge with a stapler. . Half a glass of fine salt, half a glass of flour, water - knead dough like dumplings , add some sunflower oil (teaspoon) . Add green paint and mix everything until smooth (if you mix not very thoroughly, then Christmas tree will turn out even more original).


Wet the cone with water, cover it completely with a layer of dough , and then carefully, with your finger, pull the dough down . We do this in a circle, starting from the bottom of the cone to the very top.

We got such beauties!


From the remaining test you can make toys for the Christmas tree.


A thin layer of dough dries quickly even on Christmas you have a finished decoration on the table. Christmas tree is good , but you can decorate it as you wish.

Related publications:

Dwarf's house made of salt dough Far away in the edge of the forest Once upon a time there was an old, old dwarf. The gnome had an old house: He lived in it for three hundred years. I.

Consultation for parents "Modeling from salt dough" Advice for parents. Salt dough craft. Salt dough modeling is a very entertaining activity. they may well not get carried away.

Master class "Basket with roses" from salt dough, teacher of MADOU "Kindergarten No. 6", Perm Drozdova Nadezhda Ivanovna Dear colleagues.

You will need: Glass vase Plastic knife (stack) Oil for lubrication Gouache or watercolor Brush Ribbon Salty recipe.

I was a bit late with the topic, but still I really wanted to post our work with children on the site. We did the model and the children's work is shown.

Theme: painting from salt dough “Under the Mushroom” Prepared by: Martynova LV Recently, in my work with children, I have received a lot of attention.

At the beginning of my work, when the children were still small, I always kneaded the dough in the presence of the children. Gives you the opportunity to participate.

I have looked at Christmas trees from salt dough more than once, not only on this site, but also on others. I repeat again , I use my method of making a Christmas tree with children, and it differs from the rest. at the beginning of my master class, I wrote that there are similar master classes, but mine is just a lightweight version, for example, Larisa Ivanova has a version for adults — it’s hard for children to squeeze garlic out of garlic, and then turn it off ..... secondly, I twist the cone very quickly from everything that comes across and at the same time I do not decorate it and do not make it from colored cardboard. The last Christmas tree for little ones is designed by me. especially for kids, I wasn’t inspired by anyone. My - master class is exactly my experience - how easy and affordable it is to work with children . Tell me why I have to point someone and put links on someone? The only inspiration for me is

Her idea to use a garlic press was taken as the basis, but again, she doesn’t have a voluminous Christmas tree - everything was invented as she worked.

My photos are commented and it seems to me very detailed, none of the users asked again and everything is clear to everyone.

Manual

Start by preparing the salt dough. Pour 1 cup of salt into a bowl. It is best to take finely ground salt, then the dough will turn out to be more plastic and homogeneous. Pour it with one glass of hot water and stir until completely dissolved. Once the water has cooled to room temperature, add 1 cup of flour to the bowl. Knead the dough well.

To make sculpting more interesting, color the dough. To do this, divide it into as many parts as there are different colors. Add food coloring or gouache dissolved in water to the dough. Knead it again and check that all parts are the same in density. And if necessary, add some flour or water.

Roll the colored parts of the dough into koloboks and arrange in bags to avoid chapping. When in contact with air, a salt crust appears on the dough, which needs to be cut off from time to time. Once the dough is ready, you can immediately start sculpting.

To make a dog toy, roll up a ball for the torso and draw it out into a bean shape. Decide where the dog will have a nose and where the tail is. Make paws from the dough and attach to the body. If the dough does not stick very well, run a wet brush over the junction of the parts. Shape the ears and tail and pin them in place. Make holes for the eyes and nose.

Place the sculpted toy in the sun to dry. In a day, it will be covered with a crust and will look quite strong, but this impression is deceptive - inside it will still remain raw. The craft will dry completely only after a week. If you are in a hurry, you can dry the toy in the oven. Preheat the oven to 70 degrees Celsius, put the toy on a baking sheet and leave the door open. For 0.5 cm of product thickness, 1 hour of drying is required.

Paint your craft with gouache. Just keep in mind that the paint should be quite thick so that the dough does not have time to get wet. Let the paint dry for two days and coat the toy with wood varnish if you want it to last.

Dough crafts are not exactly cooking. This is already art. And besides, it's a good gift. You can make a variety of toys from the dough, and then decorate them with paints: gouache, watercolor or food coloring. The main thing is that the dough should be salty.

You will need

    • Flour - 3 cups;
  • Salt - 2 cups;
  • Water - 1 glass;
  • Paints and brushes for painting figurines.

Manual

First, mix the ingredients to a consistency that does not stick and also to the bowl. As you cook, add a little more salt or vice versa, water. It all depends on how thick the dough will be. Don't be afraid to experiment with consistency.

Now you can mold any kind of ready-made dough, for example, figurines of little men, fairy tales, animals and whatever your heart desires. After that, the finished figures must be dried. You can dry at room temperature, especially if the figures are small and not very voluminous. And you can dry in the oven at a temperature of 120-140 degrees Celsius. In large figures, it is necessary to make a puncture inside for better and faster drying.

Color the figurines. You can use watercolor and add PVA glue to it, and then use this mixture. This will keep the paint much better.

Related videos

Sources:

  • how to make a figurine

Salt dough can be used to make a lot of crafts with children. Unlike plasticine, this material is suitable for kids of any age. Even if the child pulls the dough into his mouth, nothing will happen.

You can make such crafts at home with your child - all the ingredients are available and inexpensive. It is especially pleasant to make New Year's toys from salt dough. You can make them as many as you want and the way you want. Even the smallest children feel that they, along with everyone else, have worked hard for the holiday if the toys they made are hanging on the Christmas tree.

For the dough, take 2 cups of plain wheat flour, a glass of salt, 250 g of water. Mix everything well. The degree of readiness of the dough is determined during kneading - if it crumbles, add water, if it stretches, sticks to your hands, add flour. Roll the dough into a ball - if it holds its shape well, you're done. You can add a little vegetable oil - then the finished mass will not stick to your hands.

Christmas tree salt dough crafts

Salt dough Christmas decorations can be made using cookie cutters. Even kids with their help perfectly cope with cutting out figures from rolled out dough. Such figurines can be dried and left as is or decorated.

Try taking a cocktail straw and using it to make a lot of small holes in the cut out flat figure. Openwork products are obtained. You can also decorate with beads, sparkles, you just need to take into account that toys cannot be dried in the oven, otherwise the decorations may melt. In addition to beads, shells, cereals, buttons, nuts, coffee beans, and so on can be used to decorate products.

There are wonderful lacing toys for the development of fine motor skills in a child.

Learn more