This is our first attempt at a salt dough handprint ornaments art project. It appeared simple to do, and since it uses 3 ingredients that are commonly found in your kitchen, it seemed like the perfect little gift to make. I am not a professional artist, (which will be quite clear when you see the final product), but it was still fun to do.
I think many arts and crafts are perfected by trial and error; which is why I am sharing our experience! Many things did not go as expected.
If you’re making them as gifts for someone like we were, and they don’t turn out as perfect as you imagined- it’s okay. Homemade gifts are so special and it is truly the thought behind them that counts. They are perfect for Christmas, but can be altered to fit any type of holiday- you just need to be creative!
*If you have pets keep them away from the salt dough! If ingested, it could be fatal!
DIY Salt Dough Handprint Ornaments
Ingredients
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Salt
Up to 1 Cup Water
Instructions
Stir the dry ingredients together, gradually add the water*, and knead.
*Gradually add the water, since you may not need the whole cup. I, however, needed more than a cup. I used about 1 1/3 cups because it was simply too dry.
When I looked into this later, I read that many people had a hard time getting the dough to the right consistency. However, some people used 1.5 cups of water for 4 cups of flour- so it seemed that I used more water than I should have.
Perhaps I did not stir/knead it long enough before adding the water. I had purposely avoided kneading too long. I had read that the air that gets into the dough while kneading will cause it to puff up too much while baking.
In general, I kept hearing conflicting instructions so I will have to make these again to test it. I will keep you updated. For now, the ornaments still turned out well enough for this to be a temporary recipe.
Preheat your oven to 325°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
*I had run out of parchment paper, so I used aluminum foil- this did not work. The foil got cooked onto the back of the ornaments. Which, can look pretty, if you are able to keep the whole piece of foil intact while removing the ornaments from the pan. If not, it looks a bit messy. Another lesson learned!
Roll the dough out onto the parchment paper. Take into consideration that it will puff up a bit while baking. It should also be thick enough to not tear while doing the handprint.
Take your child’s hand, and gently press down onto the dough. Continue this process, leaving room between each impression.
My Son did not enjoy this as much as I thought he would. I know the dough can feel weird, so I can’t blame him! I didn’t enjoy the feeling of it as it dried on my hands either.
At this point, you can either cut directly along the outlines of the handprints, or you can make larger circles around each one. It depends on what you would like to paint.
I did a mix of both.
Using a straw, put holes at the top of the ornaments so string or pipe cleaners can be inserted later on for hanging purposes.
Bake in the oven for 1-2 hours.
Remove from the oven and allow them to cool.
If you rather have them air dry, give yourself 48-72 hours for the dough to fully dry.
Now, is where you get creative with how you can paint them!
There are so many options. I recommend using Acrylic Paint, and once the crafts are done, apply a layer of clear drying Mod Podge or another form of sealant. If you skip this step, they make crack after a few years.
Have you been successful with Salt Dough? What is your recipe? Please comment below so I can learn the best way of making them for future gifts and decorations! Thank you!
Related:
Holiday Jar Crafts: Recycled Items Turned Into Gifts