DIY Shamrock Shirt with 4-Leaf Cover Stamp

When the kids are home on a weekday because school is out we find an excuse to craft! And with St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, we decided to make a festive t-shirt for my daughter to wear to school on the holiday. With a cardboard roll, some q-tips, and green paint, you can easily make a shamrock shirt in 30 minutes. 

And, if your child is as excited to craft as mine was, you may also end up with a rainbow and pot of gold over your four leaf clover too! Painting with q-tips is fun and using items from around the house to create things allows the kids to think outside of the box! We share some more tips in the Facebook Live video we did below: 

DIY Shamrock Shirt with 4-Leaf Cover Stamp

What you’ll need: 

  • white shirt
  • green paint (plus rainbow colors if you want to add a rainbow)
  • cardboard tube
  • q-tips
  • hot glue gun
  • scissors

What you do: 

1. Cut cardboard tube into 4 sections. 

2. Make a heart with each section by flattening the tube and turning one point into itself.  

3. Glue all 4 hearts together to form a shamrock. 

4. Position shamrock onto shirt. Using the q-tip, dot green paint onto shirt following the shamrock outline. 

5. Add a rainbow, pot of gold, or sun to your shirt to finish it off. 

6. Let dry fully before wearing. 

How do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? 

Looking for more ways to celebrate? Here are some great recipes to check out! 

Irish Soda Bread Biscuits

Rainbow Cupcakes

Here’s a Quick Way to Make Turkey Napkin Rings for The Kids Table

Looking for ways to make your Thanksgiving table festive? These turkey napkin rings will do just that! Grab a few supplies and get crafting!

Turkey Napkin Rings resized

Looking for ways to make your Thanksgiving table more festive? Well, these turkey napkin rings will do just that!

Plus it’s an easy craft to get the kids involved in and they’ll be able to tell everyone around the table how they helped.

This is a craft you can easily do ahead of time if you already have the napkins you’re going to use. So check one more thing off of your holiday list and start crafting!

Don’t want to make them yourself? Buy a set of 4 for $10 on Etsy

Turkey Napkin Rings close up

Turkey Napkin Rings

What you’ll need:

Turkey Napkin Rings materials

What you do:

1. Cut brown paper widthwise into 2″ strips. Cut as many strips as you need napkin rings. Set aside.

Turkey Napkin Rings cut strips of brown paper

2. Grab pipe cleaners and start making feathers. Bend pipe cleaner in half and then make two loops. Use ends to wrap everything together so the loops stay closed.

Turkey Napkin Rings making feathers

3. Repeat with rest of colors (I used 4 colors). Using the excess of one colored pipe cleaner, wrap all feathers up together.

  Turkey Napkin Rings attach feathers together

4. Using a light brown pipe cleaner, make a circle by spinning the pipe cleaner around in a spiral. Tuck in the end of the pipe cleaner so that it stays together and is not visible.

Turkey Napkin Rings pipe cleaner turkey head

Turkey Napkin Rings glue gun

5. Grab your glue stick or glue gun and adhere brown circle to the feathers. (side note: I became frustrated with my glue stick and opted for the glue gun but my kids used the glue sticks.)

Turkey Napkin Rings fold paper in half

6. Grab brown strips of paper and fold in half lengthwise.

Turkey Napkin Rings measure and cut paper

7. Wrap around napkin and cut off any excess (ends of paper should overlap by about an inch).

Turkey Napkin Rings tuck in ends

8. Tuck one end of the paper into the other end to secure it.

Turkey Napkin Rings glue turkey to napkin ring

9. Add a dab of glue on the seam of the tucked in paper and adhere turkey body to the napkin ring.

Turkey Napkin Rings glue turkey eyes and beak

10. Add googly eyes, beak, and anything else you might want to include onto the face of the turkey.

Turkey Napkin Rings close up

You’re all set! Now repeat this until you have enough napkins for everyone coming over. Once everyone is ready for dinner all they have to do is tear the back of the paper to access their napkins or simply tug the napkins out.

How awesome is that?

What’s your favorite turkey craft?

Looking for more Thanksgiving inspiration? Read on! 

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This post was first published on October 30, 2013

DIY Bird Feeder for Kids inspired by Americano

This DIY Bird Feeder for Kids is a fun and easy craft for kids to make. Once they hang it up they can enjoy the birds who come to eat from it and explore nature up close.

My kids love to be outside. Whether it be taking a walk, playing in the front yard or visiting the local wildlife trails, they are always able to spot the wildlife before me and enjoy pointing out the different birds and animals we have living around us.

For the past few mornings, we’ve been awoken by the wonderful sound of a neighborhood woodpecker. Upon discovering his location my son wakes up and asked if we could track him down. On our adventure to see what phone pole the woodpecker was pecking we started talking about birds. 

After hearing all the fun and wonderful things birds like to do and eat my son asked if we could make a bird feeder. So while I was at the local pet supply store picking up dog food later that day I grabbed a pound of bird feed and we got to work. It ended up being simpler than any of the crafts we’ve attempted so far.

Plus, it was the perfect tie-in to teaching the kids about the wildlife around us. Since all of my children are animal lovers, I knew they’d love the new movie Americanocoming out on DVD and Digital HD on June 13th. We were invited to the San Diego Zoo for a fun outing to meet the filmakers behind the movie and hear a little bit about how the movie came to life on the big screen. The kids got to meet some animals up close and explored the zoo to learn other fun facts.

Americano is an animated film about a Mexican parrot named Cuco (voice of Rico Rodriguez) who gets bored with his family’s bird circus and tries to change things up. But when Cuco’s acrobat father, Gayo, gets hurt, rival bully bird Martin swoops in to take over the show. So, Cuco does what he has to do and heads for Hollywood, hoping to learn daring action stunts from his favorite TV star, El Americano. 

My kids enjoyed the film and connected with Cuco’s story and his quest to meet his hero in person. They were so inspired that they asked to make some bird feeders so they could see their own local birds up close in our back yard. We used the same method we did years ago when the two oldest were little. Such a fun and easy craft! 

DIY Bird Feeder

What you’ll need:

  • bird seed 
  • canister or paper roll 
  • peanut butter 
  • string/twine 
  • sharp pointed tool 

What you do: 

1. Remove paper from canister to expose the cardboard. Remove lid and discard. Using sharp pointed tool, poke a hole in the bottom of the canister.

2. Cut about a yard of twine and string twine through canister. Tie off at the top.

3. Set out the peanut butter and seeds so that it’s easy for your child to assemble the bird feeder. Grab a plastic knife or spreader for the peanut butter and place the bird seed into a container or on a paper plate.

4. Let your child spread the peanut butter all over the canister sides. Be careful not to get covered in peanut butter by holding onto the inside of the canister on the open top.

5. Once the peanut butter is covering all of the canister, roll the canister into the seed. Place your (or your child’s) hand into the container to apply pressure. This will maximize the amount of seed that adheres to the canister.

6. Hang the bird feeder up on a sturdy hook or post and wait for some feathered friends!

Do your kids love to pick out the fun birds they see? 

Love what you read? Read more! 

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This craft was originally published on Apr 3, 2012

DIY Bouncing Ball

Make DIY bouncing balls with your kids and share the fun of science in the process!

Have you ever wanted to make your own toys? See your creation unfold from idea to reality? My kids absolutely love balls. They always ask to buy more and our front yard is filled with them. So when I saw this tutorial on About.com on how to make polymer balls I had to give it a try.

Result? A pretty fun experiment and toy all in one! And while the ball doesn’t bounce quite as high as the ones you buy from the machine outside of the grocery store it still provides hours of entertainment for children and adults alike. Whether you are looking to teach your kids about a little chemistry or just ready to make a fun toy, this is the perfect craft for a lazy afternoon. 

This post contains affiliate links.


DIY Bouncing Balls

What You’ll Need:

  • borax (found in the laundry section of the store)
  • cornstarch (found in the baking section of the store)
  • white glue (makes an opaque ball) or blue or clear school glue (makes a translucent ball)
  • warm water
  • food coloring (optional)
  • measuring spoons
  • spoon or craft stick to stir the mixture
  • 2 small plastic cups or other containers for mixing
  • marking pen
  • watch with a second hand
  • ruler
  • ziploc bag

[Read more…]

DIY Rose Hair Tie inspired by Beauty and the Beast

In celebration of the new Beauty and the Beast that hit theaters last week, my daughter asked me if I could make her a special hair tie to wear when I take her to see it. And since I’m always up for a challenge, I got to work to quickly make a cute DIY rose hair tie for her to wear. 

Since she also had some leftover hair clips from St. Patrick’s Day, we used a few of those to make rose clips as well. We always try to craft with what we have around the house so feel free to adapt and create as you go to make the perfect rose hair accessory for you or your little one! 

What I love about this craft is how easy it is to put together. You can have a super cute hair accessory in less than 5 minutes! 

Here’s how: 

DIY Rose Hair Tie

What you’ll need: 

  • red felt
  • green felt
  • scissors
  • hair ties or hair clips
  • hot glue gun or crafting glue

What you do: 

1. Cut a 2″ circle out of the red felt. The size of the rose will be determined by the size of the circle so you can adjust to a larger circle for a bigger rose or smaller circle for a smaller rose. 

2. Cut out a spiral into the circle leaving a small center to use as the base of your rose. 

3. Take your spiral and cut a scalloped edge on the outer edge of the spiral to create the petals of your rose. 

4. Gather the spiral scallops and, taking the center, start to tightly wrap the petals around the center of the spiral until a rose forms. 

5. Using the glue, secure the edge of the rose to the side so that it doesn’t unravel. 

6. Cut out some leaves out of the green felt. Start by cutting out a marquis first and then cutting into the marquis to form a round center with two petals coming out of it (see video for visual instructions). 

7. Take your hair tie and glue the leaves onto the bottom end of the seam of your hair tie. Then add glue onto the hair tie and leaves to adhere the rose to the center. 

8. Let set completely before pulling your hair into a pony tail to show off your new hair tie! 

Did you see Beauty and the Beast yet? What did you think? 

Read our review here

DIY Nebula in a Jar Necklace

This DIY nebula in a jar necklace tutorial is a fun and easy way to get your daughter involved in STEM based crafts. 

DIY Nebula in a Jar Necklace Tutorial

We’re pretty big on STEM learning here. With a passion for sharing the love of science, technology, engineering, and math with our kids, we’re always trying to figure out how to incorporate STEM activities in our daily lives. 

This craft was great for STEM learning because it opened up the doors of communication with my kids about space, stars, and constellations. Not only did we talk about where stars came from (nebulas – which lead to a whole other conversation about the birds and the bees) but we waited until dark to count the stars and find constellations. We also talked about the full moon and moon cycles since we just had a full moon. Let’s make some nebula in a jar necklaces!


DIY Nebula in a Jar Necklace with stopper

DIY Nebula in a Jar Necklace

What you’ll need: 

DIY Nebula in a Jar Necklace supplies

What you do: 

1. Cut cotton balls into small strips and set aside. 

2. Add water to the jar, about 1/3 of the way up. 

3. Using the small stick, add a few drops of one color paint to the jar then add some cotton ball pieces to fill up 1/2 of the jar. 

DIY Nebula in a Jar Necklace - use a syringe to add water DIY Nebula in a Jar Necklace - use a stick to add paint and cotton ball

4. Sprinkle some glitter into the jar. 

5. Add a few drops of the contrasting color paint and some more cotton. 

6. Fill with water but not to the top. Leave room for the stopper. 

DIY Nebula in a Jar Necklace close up DIY Nebula in a Jar Necklace add glitter DIY Nebula in a Jar Necklace glue stopper to bottle

7. Grab the glue and the stopper with eyelet. Add a dab of glue to the eyelet and screw into stopper. 

8. Add glue to stopper making sure to cover all around the bottom 1/2 of the stopper that will be touching the jar when inserted in. 

9. Place the stopper in the jar and let dry for 24 hours. 

10. Add jar to necklace cord and put on! 

DIY Nebula in a Jar Necklace craft

How do you promote STEM learning with your daughter? 

DIY Nebula in a Jar Necklace

Interested in more science-based crafts and activities? Check out these fun projects: 

For Preschoolers:
DIY Bouncing Ball Craft

DIY Bouncing Balls

For School Agers:

How to Inflate A Balloon Using Science

How To Inflate A Balloon Using Science

For Older Kids:
How To Make A Glass Vase Out Of A Coke Bottle with roses

How To Make A Vase Out Of A Glass Bottle

This article first appeared on A Crafty Spoonful on July 22nd, 2016. 

How to Create a Wishing Star Wand + Pinnochio on DVD

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My daughter is obsessed with all things wands, swards, and sticks. Anything she can swing around and bop people on the head with (gently of course), she loves. And with our recent obsession with Pinocchio since it came out on Blu-Ray, it was the perfect way to commemorate the movie.

As we were planning for a family movie night, I decided to let the kids make their own wands customized to their likes and needs. It really was a simple craft and the kids had a great time doing it! With the help of mom and a glue gun to finish everything off.

So if you’re little princess loves wands as much as mine do, I highly suggest trying your hand at making a wishing star wand. It’s simple, easy, and takes less than 5 minutes!

How to Create a Wishing Star Wand

What you’ll need:

  • wooden dowels, cut to size (we purchased 48″ dowels and cut them in thirds)
  • felt, any color
  • ribbon, any color
  • glue gun

What you do: 

1. Cut out felt into the size and shape you want for the top of your wand. Cut out coordinating ribbon in the amount and length you prefer.

2. Do a dry run before gluing everything together to make sure the felt pieces fit together on the top of the wand.

3. Tie the ribbon onto the top of the stick and secure with the hot glue.

3a. Make sure to go all around the dowel so that the ribbon doesn’t slip down.

4. Now it’s time to glue down the felt pieces. Start with a small dab on one side of the dowel and adhere the first felt piece.

5. Then add a few dabs of hot glue to the other end of the dowel and the felt piece already adhered. Place the second felt piece on top covering the top of the dowel completely and sandwiching the ribbon in between the two felt pieces.

 
6. Hand the wand over to your favorite princess and watch them play! 

See how easy that was?

What type of wand would you make?

Disney’s timeless tale Pinocchio, considered one of the greatest animated films ever made with two Academy Awards, joins the Walt Disney Signature Collection. Now it will delight a whole new generation of dreamers with its masterful animation, unforgettable characters and award-winning music.

The movie which inspired the world to wish upon a star, arrives for the first time on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on Jan. 10, and on Blu-ray™ and DVD on Jan. 31 with hours of new and classic bonus features.

DIY Football Photo Frame For Kids

This shop featuring a DIY football photo frame that’s super easy for kids to make has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HandsOnCrafty #CollectiveBias

diy-football-photo-frame-a-quick-and-easy-way-to-display-great-football-memories

Do you have a football fan in your life? Looking to spread a little cheer in their football loving lives? My daughter wanted to get crafty this week and asked if we could make a photo frame. So I decided to bust out the Scotch® Expressions Glitter Tape and make a DIY Football Photo Frame that’s easy for kids to make. With the help of an adult, of course! The adult cuts out all of the shapes while the kids get to have fun decorating! Just like our DIY bottle toss game from last week. 

We ended up with the perfect gift for my football loving sister and brother in law with a photo of their oldest in the frame. How cute is that? And it was easy too! We were able to create this frame in an afternoon after school and display it on the mantel for when my sister comes over. How cute will this look on her mantel? 

Want to know JUST how easy it was? Read ahead to find out! 

diy-football-photo-frame-quick-and-easy-way-to-display-memories

DIY Football Photo Frame For Kids

What you’ll need: 

  • Scotch® Expressions Brown Glitter Tape
  • Scotch® Expressions Green Glitter Tape
  • Scotch® Create Double-sided Tape
  • X-acto knife (for parents only)
  • 1 piece 8.5 x 11″ brown construction paper
  • 1 piece 8.5 x 11″ white card stock
  • 4×6 picture

diy-football-photo-frame-supplies-needed

What you do: 

1. Grab your 4×6 photo paper and trace a football around the photo paper leaving about 1/2 an inch on each corner from the edge of the photo to the edge of the football. 

2. Cut out football shape with x-acto knife. 

diy-football-photo-frame-trace-football-outline-around-4x6diy-football-photo-frame-trace-4x6-cut-out

3. Using same 4×6 photo paper, trace around it to create where the frame opening will be. 

4. Cut out top and sides of 4×6 piece. Score on back side with x-acto knife and fold cut out piece into thirds to create stand for frame. 

diy-football-photo-frame-cut-out-4x6-and-fold-cut-out-in-thirdsdiy-football-photo-frame-add-glitter-tapediy-football-photo-frame-taped-frame

5. Using Scotch® Expressions Brown Glitter Tape, let your child wrap front side of the football frame completely until no cardboard is showing. Make sure the sides are covered complete. Don’t worry about the back side, we’ll be covering that up! 

6. Once you’ve covered out the front, wrap the stand with Scotch® Expressions Green Glitter Tape. Once the stand is covered, use a piece of Scotch® Expressions Brown glitter tape to secure the stand to the frame so it doesn’t unfold. 

diy-football-photo-frame-trace-out-construction-paper-for-covering-back-of-framediy-football-photo-frame-add-double-sided-tape

7. Grab your brown paper and trace the outline of the football and the 4×6 spot for the photo. Cut out the football shape of the construction paper. Cutting from the bottom of the football, cut out the 4×6 piece and the bottom of the football (to leave space for the stand). 

8. Attach brown cut out to back of the frame using Scotch® Create Double-sided Tape. 

diy-football-photo-frame-draw-out-larger-than-4x6diy-football-photo-frame-add-photo

9. Cut out a 5×7 piece of white paper. Notch a small half circle on the top of the paper. Tape the white paper onto the back of the frame on the two sides with Scotch® Create Double-sided Tape. 

10. Add a photo and enjoy your frame! 

diy-football-photo-frame-ig

How do you celebrate sports in your home? 

I was able to find all of the crafting goodies I needed, including the Scotch® Expressions Glitter Tape, in the craft aisle in Walmart. So easy to find everything in one place! With a perfect combination of versatility, function & fun, Scotch® Expressions Tapes turn everyday projects into simply inspired creations. I love how simple and easy it was to make this frame with my daughter and how fun and sparkly it ended up! How awesome is that? 

scotch-at-walmart

Fall Carnival Games: DIY Ring Toss Game Idea

This shop features an awesome DIY Ring Toss Game that’s super easy to make and has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HandsOnCrafty #CollectiveBias

fall-carnival-games-diy-ring-toss-idea

Every year my kids’ school has a Halloween Carnival on or around Halloween. Each grade has a game or craft set up and the kids get to run around and play them for the last hour of the day. It’s a great way for the kids to enjoy a little Halloween fun at school in costume without getting distracted in class. Plus it’s a fun way for the parents to come up with small fall carnival games – like this DIY ring toss game. 

Since my son started Kindergarten, I’ve always helped out with his class’s game. The first year we built a cute bean bag toss where we painted three pumpkins on top of each other and cut out holes where their mouths went so the kids could toss the bean bags in. Each successful toss earned a piece of candy. Last year we made fun Halloween themed crafts like spider rings out of poms and pipe cleaners, and fun face masks that I got from an online retailer. 

But this year is my daughter’s first year joining in on the festivities so I thought I’d get her involved in making a fun activity that Kindergarten could host for their game. And we decided on this awesome Halloween-themed DIY ring toss game. You won’t believe how easy it is to make! Even a Kindergartener can do it. 

fall-carnival-games-diy-ring-toss-idea-playing-the-game

What I love about this project is that it’s so versatile! So much so that when my husband accidentally recycled the glass wine bottles I had set aside to use for this project, I was able to make due with the plastic bottles we had left over from the party we hosted last week

How To Make A DIY Ring Toss Game

What you’ll need: 

  • 6 bottles – glass or plastic
  • washable paint in green and orange
  • Scotch® Create Double-sided Tape
  • Scotch® Expressions Washi Tape in black
  • Scotch® Expressions Glitter Tape in green
  • Scotch® Expressions Masking Tape in green and orange
  • Aluminum floral wire (found in the Walmart craft aisle)
  • Goggly eyes
  • scissors
  • Scotch® Create Glue Pen
  • large piece of cardboard or foam board in black
  • Scotch® Create Mounting Squares

What you do: 

1. Remove the labels and rinse out the bottles you will be using. Let dry completely. 

fall-carnival-games-diy-ring-toss-idea-dry-bottles fall-carnival-games-diy-ring-toss-idea-make-the-rings

2. While bottles are drying, grab aluminum wire and cut into rings using wire cutters. 

fall-carnival-games-diy-ring-toss-idea-cut-wire fall-carnival-games-diy-ring-toss-idea-wrap-tape-around-wire

3. Use the Scotch® Expressions Masking Tape to secure the ends of the wire together and then completely cover the wire with tape. You can also decorate the wire in various places with tape instead of covering completely as long as the ends are secured. 

fall-carnival-games-diy-ring-toss-idea-pour-paint-into-bottle fall-carnival-games-diy-ring-toss-idea-put-paint-in-bottles-and-shake

4. Squirt a good dollop of paint into each bottle. Secure the cap onto the bottle (if there is one) and shake the bottle until the paint has completely covered the inside of the bottle and you can’t see through anywhere. If you are using a glass bottle with no lid, simply use your thumb to cover the opening while shaking so the paint doesn’t go everywhere. Take cap off and let excess paint drip out. Let dry completely. 

This is the same technique I used to make my thumbprint ornaments for Christmas. 

5. Once paint is dry on the inside, glue cap onto top of bottle with Scotch® Create Glue Pen and let dry. Skip this step if you’re using a cap-less bottle.

fall-carnival-games-diy-ring-toss-idea-painted-bottles-and-rings fall-carnival-games-diy-ring-toss-idea-scotch-create-and-scotch-expressions fall-carnival-games-diy-ring-toss-idea-tape-top-of-bottles

6. Now for the fun part! Grab your Scotch® Expressions washi and glitter tape and start decorating! 

For the green bottles – Using the Scotch® Expressions Glitter Tape in green, cover the caps with two rows of glitter tape side by side. Then cut the excess around it so that there is a perfect circle on the top of the green bottles. You can use scissors or an xacto knife for this. If using an xacto knife, turn bottle upside down and cut around the edge of the cap on a piece of cardboard so you don’t cut anything else. 

For the orange bottles – cover the bottle cap with three pieces of tape in a star pattern on the top. This should completely cover the top of the bottle cap. Then use another piece of tape to go around the side of the bottle cap to cover the ends of the three pieces you put on the top. Now you have a cute pumpkin stem! 

Then, using the green and orange Scotch® Expressions masking tapes, tape the middle of the bottles with three layers of tape. This will create the base for your bottle’s face. 

Grab the goggly eyes and Scotch® Create Double-sided Tape to secure the eyes onto the bottles. Now grab the Scotch® Expressions washi tape in black to make the mouth and any other decorations you’d like to add to your bottles. We layered two pieces of tape side by side and cut out mouths for our orange bottles and simply cut out lines for the mouths and “stitches” of our green bottles. Our end results were pumpkins and Frankensteins. 

fall-carnival-games-diy-ring-toss-idea-scotch-create-removable-tape fall-carnival-games-diy-ring-toss-idea-completed-bottle

7. Now that the bottles and rings are good to go, grab your black cardboard or foam board and space out your bottles so that the rings can be tossed onto them without any problems. Secure bottles to the board with Scotch® Create Mounting Squares

Once the bottles are secured in place, you’re ready to play! 

scotch-at-walmart

You can find everything you need for this project, including all of the Scotch® brand products, in the craft aisle at your local Walmart. How’s that for a one-stop shop? 

I love how the Scotch® Expressions washi and glitter tape were able to take my project to the next level. They were the perfect combo of versatility, function and fun! From masking tape in various colors to the easy to use Scotch® Create Glue Pen and everything in between, o matter the task, there’s a Scotch® Brand product to match AND make my life easier.

fall-carnival-games-diy-ring-toss-idea-ready-to-play

What’s your favorite school carnival game? 

How To Make Salt Dough Ornaments

How To Make Salt Dough Ornaments - a simple craft for kids of any age
E year my son’s school has each class decorate and create ornaments for the kids to gift to their parents. Last year we had fun making reindeer thumbprint ornaments along with a few other great ornament designs. And this year we’re going to be making salt dough ornaments with the first graders. There are so many great ideas and techniques to incorporate when making salt dough ornaments with kids. You can get as creative as you like by simply incorporating different mediums when decorating your ornaments.

Since this year is my youngest’s first Christmas, I decided to make an example for the kids by using her hand print and turning it into Santa. My other daughter wants to use her footprint to make a reindeer but I’ll be sticking with hands for the first graders. I’ll also be using cookie cutters for the kids who don’t want to do hand prints and I’ll have them add two thumbprints to create hearts in the middle of their cut out. They’ll get to color and decorate their ornaments after I bake them up.

How To Make Salt Dough Ornaments - decorate ornament after baking

How To Make Salt Dough Ornaments

What you’ll need:

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 1/2 cup water (more or less depending on dough)

What you do: 

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.

Grab a medium bowl and mix flour and salt until well incorporated.

Slowly add in water. Start with 1/4 cup and mix in, then add in a bit more until the dough forms and is lightly tacky but not sticky.

How To Make Salt Dough Ornaments - combine ingredients into dough

Grab a piece of parchment paper and lightly flour. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead a little more until the dough is smooth.

Roll dough out with rolling pin to 1/4 inch thickness.

Grab a kid and put a hand print in the dough and/or use some cookie cutters to cut out some designs.

How To Make Salt Dough Ornaments - make a handrpint

If you’re using a hand print, make sure to cut a circle around the hand print leaving room for a hole at the top.

Remove excess dough and set aside. Place parchment paper with ornaments on a cookie sheet. Using a plastic straw, poke a hole at the top of each ornament (for Santa, make sure you put the hole at the palm/bottom  of the hand). Now grab a kid and let them blow on the straw until the little ball of dough that was just punched out pops onto the counter.

How To Make Salt Dough Ornaments - make hole with straw before baking

Bake ornaments for 2-3 hours or until hardened. Let cool completely before decorating.

How To Make Salt Dough Ornaments - decorate ornament after baking

What is your favorite part about the holidays?

stockingstufferhopbutton

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Congrats Janet!



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