To celebrate the Christmas season, I’ve asked some of my closest(and most creative) friends to share with us their favorite holiday DIY projects.  I’m excited to introduce you to my friends as well as their great ideas!  They will be sharing recipes, decorating ideas, projects you can do with your kids and more. Stay tuned for the next few weeks, and hopefully we will all be inspired to be creative this season. Make sure to leave them a comment letting them know you loved their project!

Today my dear friend Taryn is sharing with us homemade ornaments that she recently made for her Christmas Tree.  In fact, almost everything on her tree this year was homemade!  Taryn is so creative, AND a fabulous writer….you can follow her inspiring life here.  Taryn has 2 beautiful children, Lake & Lennon.  Her 1 1/2 year old Lennon was born with Down Syndrome.  It’s been inspiring watching Taryn and her family work through and rise above the struggles that come with having a child with a disability. You will LOVE Taryn, her humor and her honestly!
Thank you Taryn for sharing your ornaments with us!

Taryn’s Salt Dough Ornaments 

Items you’ll need:

Recipe:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup chilled water
Drinking straw

Decorating:
Acrylic paints
Paint brush
Ribbon
Stencils

-In a large mixing bowl, combine all three ingredients to make the dough. Once it becomes thick or starts to form a ball, knead until all the salt is evenly disbursed and the dough becomes soft & pliable.

-Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface about 1/8″ thick. You may use any cookie cutter shapes you like. (I didn’t have “bell” cookie cutters, so I used “tulips” … I simply turned them upside down!)

-Using the drinking straw, poke holes at the top of the “cookie” so that you will have a way to hang the ornaments once you are done. (This is not a step you want to miss – unless you are handy with a drill!)

-Bake on a cookie sheet for 2-3 hours (or until hard) on 220 degrees.

-You may need to tweak the temperature based on your oven. I always need to crank my old clunker up.

-Don’t forget to flip them halfway so that one side doesn’t cook more than the other. You definitely don’t want to burn them. They should be very hard “cookies” when done.

-After they cool, the ornaments are ready for painting! I used acrylic paints in shades of teal (because I am obsessed with the color) and stencils.  If you decide to use stencils, “dab” the paint on with a sponge, rather than paint it. That way, the colors won’t bleed under the stencils.  I have also “mod-podged” fabric onto the ornaments, and stenciled on top the fabric for a different look.  Honestly, the possibilities are endless as to what can done to the ornaments, so get creative… It’s super easy & fun! My 5 year old son loves to make these!

-Loop any ribbon through the hole you created and tie to your Christmas Tree… Or in my case, a “Family Stump”.

Toodles,
Taryn