Create custom, air-dried ornaments using a simple salt dough recipe. Kids will learn how to mold shapes and decorate them with glamorous paints and pearls for a festive touch.

Tools

• mixing bowl
• rolling pin
• cookie cutters
• metal straw or pen lid (for holes)
• oven rack (for drying)
• paintbrushes
• tweezers
• white glass marker pen (1)
• black marker pen (1)

Materials

• all-purpose flour (2 cups)
• salt (1 cup)
• water (approx. 3/4 cup, added gradually)
• acrylic paint (brown, rose gold, black, white - 1 bottle each)
• small decorative pearls (1 pack)

Safety

• Adult supervision required when using tweezers and marker pens.
• Ensure children wash their hands before and after handling the dough.
• Be careful not to ingest the salt dough as it has a very high salt content.
• Adult supervision required for hot materials. Burn risk.
• Adult supervision required for sharp objects.
• Small parts pose a choking hazard. Supervise young children.
• Protect work surface. Materials may stain clothing.
• Adult supervision required for children under 8.

Steps

1. In a mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of flour and 1 cup of salt and mix well.
2. Gradually add water to the mixture. If the dough is too dry, add a tiny bit more water; if it is too wet, add a bit more flour.
3. Knead the dough with your hands for a few minutes until it is soft and pliable.
4. Roll out the dough to an even thickness using a rolling pin.
5. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes like gingerbread men, bells, stars, or candy canes.
6. For added detail, roll tiny bits of dough into 'snakes' for scarves or small balls for buttons and press them firmly onto the ornaments.
7. Use a metal straw or the lid of a pen to poke a hole at the top of each ornament for hanging.
8. Place the ornaments on an oven rack and leave them to air-dry for approximately 2 to 3 days until completely hard.
9. Once dry, paint the base colors using acrylic paint (e.g., brown for gingerbread men, rose gold for bells). Let the paint dry completely.
10. Use the white glass marker to outline the shapes for definition and add decorative patterns.
11. Add glamorous details using the black marker for stripes or the gold pen for accents.
12. Using tweezers, carefully apply small decorative pearls to the ornaments to give them a high-fashion, glamorous look.