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Making ornaments from common household dough is one of the easiest, most inexpensive, and quickest ways to decorate for the holidays. Finished ornaments can be hung from the Christmas tree individually or strung on yarn or tinsel rope. Ornaments can be given as gifts to parents, friends, and grandparents, or used to decorate presents and cards. Use ornaments to brighten other areas of the home, too. Ornaments can be hung as window decorations, wreath hangings, and more.
A WORD ABOUT SHAPES AND COOKIE CUTTERS
Dough ornaments can be shaped in almost any fashion. The easiest method of shaping, of course, is to use cookie cutters. Dough ornaments can also be shaped using empty cans, the rim of a cup, a craft knife, plates, flower pot, and more. You can also hand shape ornaments, as well.
BAKED DOUGH ORNAMENTS
2c Flour
1c Salt
1c Water
Preheat oven to 300-degrees.
Mix all ingredients until well blended. Roll dough out on waxed paper and cut into desired shapes. Make a hole at the top of each ornament using a straw, pencil, toothpick or similar object. Bake for 2-3-hours in 300-degree oven.
CINNAMON DOUGH ORNAMENTS
1-1/2c Cinnamon
1c Applesauce
1/4c Household glue
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Dough should resemble cookie dough. If dough is still too stiff to roll out, add a small amount of water until the desired consistency is achieved.
Knead dough, then cover and allow to sit for 30-60 minutes.
Knead dough again. Roll out to 1/4-inch thickness on waxed paper. Cut out desired shapes. Make a hole in the top of each ornament with a straw, pencil, toothpick, or similar object. Allow ornaments to dry on waxed paper for 2-5 days. When ready to decorate, ornaments will be thoroughly dry and hard.
SIMPLE DOUGH ORNAMENTS
1c Salt
1-1/2c Warm water
4c Flour
Preheat oven to 200-degrees.
Mix salt and flour together. Add water slowly and kneed until dough is stiff. Roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut desired shapes from dough using cookie cutters or similar objects. Make a hole in the top of each ornament using a pencil, straw, toothpick or similar object.
Bake ornaments for 1-hour in 200-degree oven.
DECORATING IDEAS
PAINTING
Acrylic, fabric, tempra, watercolor, or spray paints can be used to color and design ornaments. Brush on, spray on, or use a toothpick to drop "dots" of paint for eyes, ears, clothing and more.
COLORED DOUGH
You can make colored dough by mixing a few drops of food coloring, kool aid, colored gelatin, or paint into a small amount of dough. Roll and bake or dry out per recipe's instructions.
CANDY
Add small candy pieces to make buttons, eyes, ears, noses, mouths, outfits and more. Use different colored candies to color an outfit or make a clothing pattern. Bent licorice makes a great smile on people-shaped ornaments. Lemon drops, red hots, gum balls, and other colored candies work well to make eyes and noses. Attach candy to ornaments using household glue.
YARN
Colored yarn can be shaped and molded any way you like. Attach to ornament using household glue. Yarn can be used to outline an ornament, color in clothing, make patterns on clothing, make realistic looking hair, and more.
COLORED PAPER
Cut shapes from colored paper and attach to ornament using household glue. Colored paper can be made into a skirt, shirt, mustache, hair, hands, mittens, and more.
COLORED GLUE
Add a few drops of food coloring or paint to a small dish of glue for instant color. Use glue to make dots for eyes and ears, polka dots on clothing, or anywhere else you'd like to see color.
BUTTONS AND MORE
Small buttons, sequins, pieces of silk, cotton balls, ribbons, and more can also be used to decorate ornaments.
MAKE A CHRISTMAS TREE
You can make a simple Christmas tree ornament by adding a few drops of green paint or food coloring to the dough before rolling. Shape by hand or with a cookie cutter and allow to harden per recipe's guidelines. Then decorate your tree with ornaments by using colored candies such as red hots, chocolate chips, lemon drops, licorice, or gummy bears. You can also paint ornaments or tinsel on your tree.
MAKE A CANDY CANE
Add a few drops of red food coloring or red kool aid to a portion of the dough before rolling. Using your hands, roll out to ropes of dough. One rope will be red and the other, white. Lace dough ropes together, intertwining them. Bend top portion of the dough so that it curves in the shape of a candy cane. Allow dough to dry out per your recipe's instructions.
MAKE A SANTA CLAUS ORNAMENT
Using a cookie cutter, cut out your Santa shapes and place ornaments on waxed paper. Push a small amount of dough through a tea strainer, cheese grater or similar object. The "thready" dough that comes out should be dropping lightly on to the area of Santa's beard. Allow ornaments to dry and harden per your recipe's instruction. When dry, color beard white and decorate Santa with paints or markers.
MAKE A CHRISTMAS WREATH ORNAMENT
Roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Use a doughnut cutter to cut shape or tip a glass, cup, or old can upside down and push into the dough. If using a cup, can, or glass to make your shape, you can punch out the center of the wreath with a smaller glass, pop top, knife, marker end, spoon, or similar object. Place shapes on to waxed paper and allow to cook or dry as recipe indicates.
When dry, decorate. You can paint your wreath any color and add ornaments to your wreath using gummy candies, red hots, chocolate chips, coconut, or similar items.
TIPS AND TRICKS
TURNING ornaments over during the drying process will prevent edges from curling.
USE a clear varnish or spray on gloss to preserve ornaments. Simply dip them into varnish or paint on with craft paintbrush when finished decorating. Allow to dry thoroughly before hanging or storing.
YOU can add the look of snow to your ornament by dropping a small amount of coconut or cotton on to your ornament.
USE colored ribbon or yard to make a loop on the ornament for hanging.
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