Tag Archives: ornament

Craft Ideas

Handprint Fall Ornaments

Happy Saturday! For our kids, and all you 9-5ers, this is the best day of the week. It feels like you have so much time, making it the perfect day for family fun!

Check out this activity:

Handprint Pumpkin Fall Salt Dough Ornaments
Handprint Pumpkin Fall Salt Dough Ornaments

What You Need:

  • 1 cup of warm water AND 1 tablespoon of warm water
  • 1 cup of salt AND 1 tablespoon of salt
  • 2 cups of all-purpose flour plus extra AND 2 tablespoons of salt
  • orange and green food coloring
  • orange acrylic paint
  • cotton ball

Directions:

  • In one bowl, combine the cup of warm water and orange food coloring. In another bowl, combine the tablespoon of warm water and green food coloring. Add as much food coloring to achieve the color that you want.
Salt, Flour, and Food Coloring
  • Add the salt to the colored waters. Stir thoroughly until some of the salt begins to dissolve.
Orange Water and Salt
  • Slowly mix the flour into the salt water mixtures. Use a silicone spatula for easier stirring.
Stirring in the Flour to the Orange Salt Water
Making Green Salt Dough
  • The salt dough will be rather sticky. Kneed the dough with your hands, adding extra flour until the dough becomes firm but neither crumbly nor sticky. If you plan to continue your project later, place the dough in an airtight container for up to a few days. Form the salt dough into a ball.
Ball of Orange Salt Dough
Ball of Green Salt Dough
  • Place a ball of orange salt dough onto a piece of waxed paper. Use a rolling pin to carefully roll the dough ball flat.
Rolling Out the Orange Salt Dough Ball
  • Roll a small piece of green salt dough into a cylinder. Moisten one end of the cylinder with water. Stick the green piece onto the flattened orange ball to form the pumpkin stem. Carefully roll the green cylinder as flat as the orange section.
Adding a Green Stem to the Orange Salt Dough
  • Use a pin to prick many small air holes on the back of the salt dough pumpkin.
Pricking the Back of the Salt Dough with a Pin
  • Carefully flip the salt dough pumpkin over onto a greased baking sheet. Remove the wax paper.
Flipping the Salt Dough Pumpkin Over
  • Press your handprints and/or footprints into the salt dough.
Adding Footprints and Handprints to the Salt Dough Pumpkin
  • Use a pin or knife to inscribe the pumpkin with the year or any other information. Also poke a hanging hole through the dough near the top.
Adding the Date to the Salt Dough Pumpkin
  • Preheat the oven to 250º. If you have a convection oven, use the convection setting. Bake your salt dough pumpkin ornament until the surface of the dough begins to brown slightly. Remove the baked salt dough ornaments from the oven. The dough will continue to harden during cooling. Allow the ornaments to cool completely.
Baked Salt Dough Pumpkin
Baked Salt Dough Pumpkins
  • Once the salt dough pumpkins cool, use a cotton ball to spread a thin layer of acrylic paint on your hands and/or feet. Press the paint prints into the prints on the salt dough pumpkin. Allow the paint to dry thoroughly.
Adding Acrylic Paint Prints to the Pumpkins
  • Seal the pumpkin fall salt dough ornaments with a clear protective enamel spray.
Wall of Salt Dough Ornaments
  • Hang the finished pumpkin ornaments on your wall to enjoy. Happy autumn!