When I really think about what I cherish most during the month of December, it’s not trinkets bought or sales taken of advantage of, it’s the simple sweetness of intentional time with my babies. I’ve found that making something together, that we can also use to serve others, is such a sweet way of cultivating that feeling of belonging and nostalgia within our home.
We have been making these simple salt dough ornaments for the past few years, and I always love seeing what the kids create. We usually mail them to family and friends who we won’t get to see for Christmas, and we also visit a nearby nursing home to hand them out to residents.
Supplies:
1 cup salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup lukewarm water
Optional: peppermint essential oil OR cinnamon (we have made them both ways and they are great! The cinnamon ornaments are harder to paint and are better just as shapes without color, while the peppermint ones are white and therefore easier to paint on).
Combine salt and flour, slowly add water and knead until a smooth dough forms. Use rolling pin to flatten to no more than ¼ in thick. and use cookie cutters to cut shapes and set on baking sheets. Use a tooth pick to make ¼ in holes at the top of each ornament. You can leave out overnight to dry, or bake at 200 until ornaments are hard. Once hard, you can paint using acrylic pants, and baking twine to add a loop at the top of each ornament to hang!
For more of these sweet simple ways to intentionally enjoy this holiday season, check out this month’s nurture bundle!