I love this craft. Salt dough only needs 3 ingredients and one of them is water. It is magical stuff that allows for a lot of creativity. For this holiday gift, I wanted to share my daughters little hands with her Grandparents. We had done shadow boxes for my son’s prints at exactly the same age. They make very sentimental gifts for family members and kids can join in on the craft not only by adding their handprints but also by decorating and choosing the ribbon to finish.

Salt Dough Ornaments:
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
½ cup fine salt
½ cup water, plus additional if needed

Craft Supplies:
Drinking straw
Decorative marker
Mod Podge (this is important to seal the finished dough)
Ribbon

Make It:
Preheat your oven to 200F. In a large bowl mix flour and salt and form a well in the center then slowly add in water. Knead into your dough until smooth. Roll your dough into a large ball and then roll it out with a rolling pin to 1/2” thick.

Take your child and press their hands firmly into the dough (if you make a mistake just roll it out again). Once you have a good hand print, cut around it with a circular cutter or trace around a glass or bowl that covers and cut out with a knife. Next, take your drinking straw and poke two holes to thread your ribbon through once dried.

Place on a cookie sheet and bake until dry. You will need to flip it to dry out the back as well. The ornaments are finished when the dough has turned whiter in color and feel hard to the touch. Allow to cool then decorate with your marker. I decided to give a simple scallop pattern around the border and to write my daughters name and age. You can also choose to write a holiday message.

Next, paint with Mod Podge to prevent any molding or water getting into the dough. Once dried on first side, flip and repeat with Mod Podge on the back. Once fully sealed and dried, thread with a ribbon to finish.

Note:
If you are keeping the handprint in a room with a humidifier it is best to put it in a shadow box. I’ve lost some adorable prints this way by not storing properly.