This 3-ingredient Salt Dough Recipe is perfect for handprint (or footprint) keepsakes and also making homemade ornaments. Such a fun craft to make with the kids on a cold or rainy day.
If you haven’t worked with salt dough before, you’re going to really enjoy this. The good news is, almost everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) already has the three items you need to make this. This isn’t just a sweet memory keepsake, but a fun craft for kids when they’re bored.
Why You’ll Love This Salt Dough Ornament Recipe
- Perfect Keepsake. This Salt Dough Recipe is a super cute way of keeping the memory of just how little your kids hands were when they were little, or a fun ornament that they created for the Holidays. Salt dough lasts forever!
- Quick and Easy. This has just three ingredients and is very simple to make for even for little kids.
- Versatile. There are so many fun ways to create with salt dough making any shapes or any Holiday. Endless possibilities!
Ingredients Needed
All you need is 3 common ingredients!
- Flour – all-purpose flour.
- Salt – fine grain table salt is best to dissolve quickly.
- Water – I prefer using warm water. This helps to dissolve the salt quickly for a smoother consistency.
How To Make Salt Dough
Just a few simple steps and lots of fun!
- Grab a mixing bowl and stir the salt and water together. Keep stirring until the salt is almost all the way dissolved.
- Mix in the flour and kneed it until the consistency feels something similar to playdough. If the mixture is too sticky, just add a little more flour. Yes, you’ll get a bit messy on this part!
- Roll out the dough and form it into the shape you’d like.
- The kiddos can then make their handprints in the dough and sign their name and the year with a toothpick.
Salt Dough Ornaments
- roll out the dough using a rolling pin and cut out any shapes using cookie cutters.
- Bake your dough in the oven on low heat and then let it sit to cool. When it’s all cooled down you can paint your keepsake with acrylic paints and top with any decorations that you prefer. Get creative!
How To Make Footprint Keepsakes using Salt Dough
This entirely depends on the size. For this one, it takes about 2 and a half hours. But if you made them very small, like the size of a Christmas ornament, it would take less time. Regardless, these always take well over an hour. Just check on them over time.
Tips and Variations
- Flour. Make sure you only use all-purpose flour for this (NOT self-rising flour) or the keepsake will rise and bubble up.
- The dough. For wet and sticky dough, knead in a little more flour. For stiff dough, add a little more water.
- Creating ornaments. Use paper lollipop sticks or a skewer to make your holes. Use thin ribbon or twine through the holes and tie a ribbon at the top to hang as ornaments.
- Baking. Make sure the dough is even when rolled out to ensure consistent baking. Let the baked dough cool fully before painting.
- Seal the dough. To help preserve, you can coat with a layer of Mod Podge or spray with a Mod Podge sealer.
Storing
If the keepsakes (or ornaments) are preserved properly they can last a very long time, decades even! Make sure to use acrylic paint to paint them and then use either a coat of Mod Podge or any type of sealant.
Salt Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup salt
- ½ cup warm water
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the salt and the water until mostly dissolved.
- Add in the flour and kneed until it forms playdough like consistency. If it is still sticky add a little more flour.
- Roll out into the shape of your choice- I chose a heart. Using a toothpick add the year and names to the plaque.
- Place the dough on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
- Press the little feet into the dough to make prints. You can also use hands or paws if you want! If the prints do not come out clear you can roll up the dough and redo it.
- Bake at 200 for approximately 2 ½ hours or until the dough has hardened.
- Once it has cooled off completely paint the plaque the color of your choice.
Notes
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