It’s Mother’s Day just a week away here in the UK. Are you looking for an inexpensive yet thoughtful gift? Something that is also easy to post to Grandparents? Then read on to learn how to make salt dough ornaments.
Salt Dough Hand or Footprints?
In this example, I’ve chosen to do footprints. The reason being is that my one-year-old isn’t a huge fan of the handprint, so usually, it becomes more of a ‘fist print’. Not the most loving of gifts. I’ve made a couple of these for Christmas and the footprint always worked out a lot better. You can also use a cookie cutter to make more decorative shapes. I’ve always stuck to the circle as it props quite nicely on our shelf along with a few other rustic items. They also make beautiful Christmas tree decorations. Simply poke a hole in the dough before baking using a skewer, then thread a ribbon or some decorative twine through after it’s all dried.
To Decorate or Leave Plain?
As you can see with my example, I like to leave the dough colour around the outside and colour in the print itself. But I’ve seen loads of examples of the whole thing being painted with acrylic paint. I think with older children, you may get a better print but as babies are quite hard to get a print out of, I found colouring in the print really made it stand out. I used simply a metallic marker to colour it in rather than getting any paints out.
You can also use a gentle nail file or sandpaper to rub the edges smooth. We did this for the ones we gave away to family, however left this one a bit more rough as I quite liked the aesthetic.
Either way, I would recommend using a varnish to seal. I used the Plasti-kote Super Clear Varnish from Amazon, which I’ve then gone on to use for other craft projects. It dries really quickly and leaves a great finish which keeps your print safe for years to come.
How do I Make the Dough?
If you fancy watching a quick video of the technique click here or check the video on my Instagram reels, otherwise have a look at my recipe card below. Save to your Pinterest if you want to keep it and have a look again nearer Christmas for some lovely personalised tree decorations.
Thanks so much for reading and please let me know how you get on with the prints! If you enjoyed this and have all the equipment, why not try something a little more edible like my Rhubarb & White Chocolate Cookies. Also, great wrapped with a ribbon for a gift.
Have a wonderful mothers day xx
