My Favorite Childhood Christmas Craft

I have a lot of memories of making holiday crafts and things when I was a kid. We'd go in the woods behind Pope Park in Acushnet with my dad to find greens for wreaths, my mom and Auntie Ginger used to make tons of home made cookies and candy. As for me, I loved making Salt Dough "Christmas Cookie" ornaments! Last year my niece and nephew make some beautiful home made dough ornaments for my husband and I and it brought back some great memories!

Here's how to make your own:

Salt Dough Recipe (this one is from busybeekidscrafts.com)

Ingredients:
1 cup salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup luke warm water

Directions:
1. In a large bowl mix salt and flour.
2. Gradually stir in water. Mix well until it forms a doughy consistency.
3. With your hands form a ball with your dough and kneed it for at least 5 minutes. The longer you kneed your dough the smoother it will be.

Store your salt dough in a air tight container and you will be able to use it for days.
When ready, roll out and cut cookies (make sure you put a hole in the top!)
Let your salt dough creations air dry, however salt dough can also be dried in the oven.
 Bake at 200 F until your creation is dry. The amount of time needed to bake your creations depends on size and thickness; thin flat ornaments may only take 45-60 minutes, thicker creations can take 2-3 hours or more. You can increase your oven temperature to 350 F, your dough will dry faster but it may also brown, which won't matter if you are painting them.

Floyd- Approved Craft!!

When cooled/ready, paint with acrylic paint, dimensional paint, add glitter, etc. Pop a string through the hole and hang on the tree. They last for years and look like authentic cookies. But DON'T EAT THEM (Yucky!). You can decorate with real candies, but they will not last as long and should probably be thrown out at the end of the season. Another cool effect is to add cinnamon to the recipe or on top of the cookie before you bake it for a nice scent. (FYI-will affect the color of the cookie!). You can also seal them with acrylic sealer, varnish, or polyurethane spray.

This craft is Floyd approved: Although he can't eat them, it's also a great way to make an Irresistible Cookie that lasts forever!!