How to make a Santa salt dough ornament!

I love making my own ornaments for Christmas! This is the third year I've made ornaments to give out to friends and family instead of the boring old Christmas card. Last year I made a felt snowflake filled with peppermint candies and the year before that I made a gingerbread man made out of sandpaper and cinnamon. Did I say I love making ornaments! Yes, I believe I did!

These are so easy to do. You can make them plain or paint on them as I have done above. The recipe is easy peasey and I think the only hard part for me was during the drying out process! I hated waiting for these to firm up and cool off so I could slap some paint on 'em! My only regret here is not taking photos of the process, but you can see the finished product and I think they turned out pretty good!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season no matter what you celebrate or don't celebrate! Be happy!

Without further ado, here's the recipe! Have fun!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl, or mixer if you prefer. It will be sticky so keep the flour handy so you can roll it out.
2. Sprinkle working surface with flour and knead dough for about 5 minutes or so. This will work out most of the air and make everything more smooth.
3. Roll out dough to about 1/4" thick and cut with cookie cutters. I used a star, but there are so many things you can make with this stuff! Use your imagination!
4. Next use a straw or anything around that shape to make a hole near the top for hanging. I used a screwdriver! :P
5. Put on cookie sheet and bake at 200 degrees for 3 to 4 hours. I also let mine air dry on the counter overnight just to make sure everything was firm enough.
6. Finish the ornaments however you would like. I used paint, but you can use markers, glitter pens, glitter...etc. You can even dye the dough with food coloring before the baking process!
7. When finished with your artwork, make sure to cover the ornament with a sealant so it will stay beautiful for years to come! I used Mod Podge.
8. Share with friends and family or just hoard them for yourself!