I really cannot claim to be overwhelmingly crafty. I do, though, enjoy a fun project now and then – particularly when it gives the kids a distracting chance to make a controlled mess. Salt dough ornaments are one of those projects.
It’s hardly a tradition. We don’t make them every year – but I have made them for the first Christmases of my nephews, Isai and – now – Elin. For the very first year of each baby, I trace their hand and cut ornaments to size – commemorating their little palms in a fake cookie for the tree.
This year, Isai joined me to help with Elin’s batch. He poured the ingredients and did all the mixing from his dining chair pulled up to the countertop.
After we rolled them out, cut and baked them, he personally decorated each and every one. I usually use matte puffy paint as the “frosting” – but apparently that’s kind of hard to come by. We used just a standard white and red puffy paint…bottles that Isai could squeeze. Then, he would shout “sprinkles!” and I’d hand him a few beads to drop on top of the wet paint. He loved it.
We repeated the process every evening. Even occasionally in the mornings. It was his favorite activity every day – so much so that we left it scattered across the dining table for a week. “Red! White! Red!” he’d shout. His creations were a mess – but we managed to create plenty to share with grandparents and great grandparents for the holidays.