Lots of people have fond memories of making salt dough Christmas ornaments as a kid (unfortunately I'm not one of them), but have you ever thought about doing other things with them? I've never made anything out of salt dough, but I'd like to try using it instead of store-bought, possibly chemical-laden clay.
Since 'tis the season, I'm thinking of making little pumpkins and spiders for Halloween (our household is seriously lacking in seasonal decorations and money to buy them) and probably more holiday goodies as the time comes.
Have you used salt dough for anything aside from Christmas ornaments? Post pictures of your favorite ornaments! Have you been able to do anything intricate or larger than the average ornament? I don't know if it's as workable or detailed as clay.
Here's a Salt Dough recipe from
About.com 1.
Salt Dough:
* 4 cups of flour
* 1 cup of salt
* 1-1/2 cups of hot water
* 1 t. vegetable oil
2.
Mix the salt and flour together. Gradually add tap water until the dough becomes elastic. If you want the dough to be colored, add food coloring to the water. Add the vegetable oil and continue kneading. If the dough is more sticky than you would like, simply add more flour. If it's too crumbly, add just a little more water.
3.
If you are using cookie cutters, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick and cut out just like cookies. Use a toothpick to add a large hole for hanging at the top. Bake at 200 degrees until dry and hard.
4.
You can use anything you want to decorate your ornament - like glitter, paint, and beads. They can be painted or simply use felt tip markers. When finished, spray completely front and back with clear varnish or polyurethane spray.
5.
You can also use the dough for modeling - rolling it into balls or ropes and other shapes. These thicker creations need a longer baking time, so adjust the time given. Again spray completely with a varnish or polyurethane.
6.
Store your salt dough in a sealed container in the refrigerator for no more than a couple of days.
Even if the ornaments are not perfect and end up a little lop-sided, you will cherish the time you spent with your kids doing this fun project. And that lop-sided ornament will become your most cherished Christmas decor.
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