Santa Ornaments made from hand print in salt dough!

I have received many, many claims from at least a dozen different people claiming the image I had posted was theirs. Several are threatening legal action, though each one is not connected to any other. Hard to know what to do, so I removed it. I discovered that each has the same image on their own site, mostly business sites selling finished items of ceramic. I got the image from the Whoot website. I always give credit where it is due, and just didn’t know where that credit belongs. So sorry for any offense I’ve created. Just wanted to share a great idea.

I would love to receive images of anyone’s handprint art that have been made from this post, and would gladly replace this image with those! Anyone game to share?

I thought this idea looked so cute! It was posted on my facebook newsfeed page. I saw a comment from someone that theirs had started rising, so I want to mention that you should only use plain flour, with no self-rising flour or baking powder added.

Also, I searched online for salt-dough recipes, and many of them use a full cup of flour to the half cup of salt.

Please be sure to seal this with a good sealant after painting. If you don’t, bugs will destroy it in time.

I just went to a local craft store when I made dough ornaments and bought one that sprayed on. You can also find them that brush on, like shellac or varnish. It is easy to find, and can be found in many forms in discount stores, as well.

I have seen these left in a round disk with the hand print in the center, too. I like this one best, trimmed around the shape of the hand.. It would also make a great turkey if you painted it as a turkey, don’t you think?

Also, I will give you a personal warning from my own experience in making dough ornaments. Even the small ones are very heavy! So, keep that in mind when you think of how thick you are making it, as well as where you will hang it or what you will do with it, okay?

I think this is such a sweet idea, and one that preserves a child’s hand size, too!

Have a happy time crafting and creating your Christmas and Holiday this year!

Bonus:

Here is a recipe I found from Mommy Makes@ http://share.food.com/community/MommyMakes/style.esi?member_id=203823:

4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water
Directions:
1. Combine ingredients and knead dough for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Roll dough out and cut around hand or cut circles out for making hand imprints. Use cookie cutters for ornaments or gift tags. If necessary, slightly dampen pieces to make them stick together.
3. Make a small hole for the hanger and prick to prevent air bubbles.
4. Bake at 300ºF about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden. You may have to bake considerably longer depending on how thick your items are. They may not feel hard right away but will harden as they cool.
5. Paint and decorate as desired. Acrylic paints work best and use a varnish to make them shiny.

Read more at: http://www.food.com/recipe/ornament-and-handprint-clay-155960?oc=linkback

I also checked a recipe at: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Dough-Ornament-Recipe/

It calls for the same proportion of ingredients as MommyMakes, but has changes in temp and time, etc. It calls for rolling out dough to 1/8″ and cutting shapes. I am sharing it here:

Original recipe makes 15 ornaments

              4 cups all-purpose flour

              1 cup salt

              1 1/2 cups warm water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Mix flour and salt well. Gradually add water, stirring with a large spoon. Finish mixing with hands.
3. Knead until soft and pliable.
4. Roll out on floured surface about 1/8 inch thick.
5. Cut shapes with cookie cutters. Place on cookie sheets. With a toothpick make a hole in the top of the ornament for threading string.
6. Bake at 325 degrees F (165 degrees C) until hard, about 1 hour.
7. Decorate with paint and varnish to preserve.

Again, I hope you all find this helpful to make Holiday projects with your kids and spend time together having fun! These will give you something to cherish for years to come.

And please, if you know how do share pictures with us of your keepsakes with permission to add to this post! I would love to see them!