So this year, I attempted to test the famous Salt Dough Ornaments that are known to be extremely cost effective and fun to make with kiddos of all ages — and for adults! All you need is All-Purpose Flour, Salt, and Water to make the dough for the ornaments. This is the recipe that we followed: View Recipe.
We made nearly 40 unique ornaments with this recipe! Here is a set of five ornaments we created as a gift:
After all our hard work, here is everything to know before you make your Salt Dough Ornaments! P.s. It’s a fun affordable alternative to air-dry clay too, so it doesn’t just need to be for the holidays.
1) You can get everything you need at the Dollar Tree! I made sure each item was there. Since I had or found some items around the house, the following bolded items were purchased to make this set of ornaments:
All-Purpose Flour - $1
Salt - $1
Cookie Cutters - $1 per set (this product is occasionally found at Dollar Tree)
Note: You don’t need cookie cutters; you can also hand cut designs using a sharp utensil or shapes found around the house, like using a bowl for a circle. Cookie cutters are easy and helpful for working with children.
Rolling Pin - $1
Here are some rolling pin substitutes you might have at home.
Cookie Sheet - $1
Parchment Paper - $1
Sand Paper Set - $1
Note: check the auto section at Dollar Tree
Wood Cutting Tool Set - $1
For use by adults or older children only. You can find this in the craft section; one of the tools in the set of four is like a less sharp exacto knife and can help with cutting custom ornament shapes.
Mod Podge Matte (2 fl oz) - $1
Decorating Supplies - $1 each
Craft Paint Set or Watercolor Paint Set
Liquid Glitter Marker - Loved using this pen; it dries very quickly!
Glitter Set or Faux Snow - Use the glitter with Mod Podge
Sharpie Pen
Glue Gun & Gold Glitter glue inserts - $2 Total
Twine or String - $1
Note: check the craft section at Dollar Tree
Plastic Table Cloth for a Tarp - $1
Grab a white table cloth so kids can paint and decorate freely
2) It takes longer than you think with cook time, dry time, etc. so allocate one day to make the ornaments and at least one day to sand and decorate them.
3) After you bake your ornaments, you can sand them using Sand Paper to smooth the edges!
4) If you want to paint all the ornaments white to have a base coat, I recommend using spray paint… otherwise, it will take several hours and layers of white paint to get a good base. I tested using Acrylic paint and didn’t like the aesthetic or texture of it on the dough. I preferred using craft paint or watercolors, depending on the look I wanted.
5) If you have pets (especially dogs), they love to eat these ornaments - DO NOT LET YOUR DOG get a salt-dough ornament. The salt content can be lethal. Not to mention if they eat an ornament that has been decorated with paint, glitter, glue, etc., you may need to call poison control.
Salt Dough Ornament Creation & Baking Tips
While following the recipe provided, I noticed that the longer the dough sat out in between bake times (as I didn’t have enough cookie sheets to bake all ornaments at once), the more the ornament had a cracked look or finish to it after baking. The newer and fresher dough produced an ornament that was more smooth in appearance. Depending on the look you want for your ornaments, you may want to leave the dough out longer for a more cracked, ceramic, or worn look.
Make sure you keep the dough even as your roll it out using your rolling pin. The more even the dough, the less likely it will bubble and possibly crack when baking. Thinner rolled out dough works better (about 1/8”).
Make sure the edges of your dough ornament are cleaned up before you bake them – it will save you time on sanding later.
I used a wood cutting tool that I found at Dollar Tree (similar to an exacto knife, but not as sharp) to cut custom shaped items, like the leaves and rainbow (shown below). For the circular pendant ornaments, I used a tiny shot glass to stamp out the circle shape. The stars were created using a cookie cutter. You can use whatever you find around the house to make designs in your ornaments – I used a plastic fork and knife to make some designs and a wood skewer stick to make the holes in the ornaments. Many people use plastic straws to make the hole for the string. Make the hole a little larger than you would want it as it will likely get smaller when the dough bakes.
Add two holes to your ornaments if you want to hang them together – then you can thread them in a row and they’ll hang facing forward! Here’s a good example. One hole works nicely if you’re making individual ornaments.
Salt Dough Ornament Decorating Tips
Natural Ornaments:
If you would like to keep the organic, natural look of the dough ornaments - they kind of look like ceramics after being baked! - then just apply one layer of Mod Podge to your ornaments, one side at a time. Make sure you don’t let the Mod Podge cover the hole. Also, the Mod Podge will be white when you apply it, but dries clear. You can use the Mod Podge to cover any cracks on the side or edges or your ornaments too.
Glitter Ornaments:
If you plan to only decorate using glitter, apply a layer of Mod Podge, then sprinkle or dip in glitter. You will need to do a few layers. Don’t cake on too much Mod Podge, as it can dry white if applied too thick. The best result will be by doing layers of glue with glitter which will require waiting in between.
Painted Ornaments:
If you would like to paint your ornaments, you can either paint them before OR after you apply Mod Podge. If you use craft paint, tempura paint, or watercolor paint before you Mod Podge, you will likely need to apply a few layers of paint to the dough and allow for drying time in between. I’ll cover both approaches blow and here is an image comparison:
Rainbow = Mod Podge First, Paint Second (few layers); Star = Paint First (few layers), Mod Podge Second
Mod Podge First, Paint Second Approach:
For a nice ceramic look, here’s the process used for my Evil Eye ornament gift. After sanding, I first applied Mod Podge to the ornament, then used a Black Sharpie to color in the initial design. I then applied a thin layer of blue watercolor over the eye. Then, I applied Mod Podge again to the front. The Sharpie lost its initial shinny, metallic look after the Mod Podge was applied. Then I used the Liquid Gold Marker (pictured above) to decorate the sides and the back of the ornament.
Paint First, Mod Podge Second Approach:
I also decorated some ornaments by applying watercolor right after sanding. The dough absorbs the watercolor more fully this way and the color will be more saturated. Depending on the color of watercolor paint you use, you may need a few layers to get the vibrancy you want. Let each layer dry in between. If you try to coat it again too soon, you risk the water on your paintbrush pulling up the previous layer of paint. In the ornaments pictured below, I applied watercolor first (in layers) then Mod Podge, then added the gold accents using the liquid marker. Be careful when you apply Mod Podge over the watercolor as it may lift the paint slightly.
Other Salt Dough Ornament Ideas to Try!
There are so many great resources for Salt Dough Ornament inspiration. Here's one article full of 11 fun ornaments that kids can make. I’m excited to try the Holiday Spice Garland and Melted Bead Suncatcher Ornaments.
