Every Christmas season, our home is filled with the warmth of several traditions. Some of our favorites include trying our hand at fun Christmas crafts and filling our tree with decorations to commemorate milestones, which we’re doing this year by making salt dough ornaments. This elementary holiday craft – just four cups of all-purpose flour, one cup of table salt, and one and a half cups of balmy water – gives you the foundation for a cherished holiday activity that’s as much about family as it is about crafting.
This year, our three-year-old daughter eagerly joined in the process, pressing her minuscule hands into the dough with excitement about the mess and the memories. Since our family’s second child will be born in 2025, I can already imagine making this holiday craft again in future years as I watch our children grow up.
Salt dough decorations are perfect for little hands (or paws, the fur babies in your life) because the process is elementary and forgiving – mix, knead, shape, bake and decorate. Add a bit of paint or glitter and suddenly you’ve created a keepsake that you can wear with your tree for years to come.
Our Christmas tree decorations are as much time capsules as they are decorations for our family. Each year, as we unpack our collection, we reflect on the milestones they represent – a minuscule handprint, a pet’s name, or a year marked by special memories. The beauty of this tradition is its ability to preserve moments, celebrating the ordinary and the extraordinary year after year.
Salt dough ornaments also make a great gift, perfect for grandparents or friends who appreciate the thoughtfulness behind a handmade keepsake. Whether you’re just getting started with this craft or it’s a tradition you’ve enjoyed for years, this activity brings families together in creativity, laughter, and the joy of making memories.
When decorating your tree this year, consider adding some homemade ornaments to the mix. They will remind you not only of the holiday season, but also of love and time spent with those who make this season truly special.
Homemade salt dough decorations
Perfect for holiday crafts. Salt dough ornaments can be shaped, baked and decorated to create lasting keepsakes to commemorate family memories.
Give: 0
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup table salt
- 1 1/2 cups balmy water
- cookie cutters
- Paint, glitter etc for decoration
- Modge Podge
Cake mix
-
Mix desiccated ingredients in a gigantic bowl. Slowly add water while stirring. Finish mixing with your hands.
-
Knead the dough until tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Assembling the decoration
-
Preheat oven to 300°F.
-
Cut the dough in half and place it between two sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch hefty.
-
Remove the top of the parchment paper and employ cookie cutters and other tools to cut out shapes. Remove excess dough and transfer the parchment paper with the cut out shapes to a baking tray.
-
Poke a hole in the top of the decoration and bake for an hour until the cake is firm.
Decorate!
-
Leave the decorations to frigid on the counter.
-
Once cooled, decorate with different materials such as acrylic paint or glitter.
-
Once desiccated, apply a coat of modge podge or polyurethane to preserve the decorations for many years.
-
Thread a ribbon or wire through the hole and hang!
