Salt Dough Ornaments: A Peace Dove

It's so nice of you to drop by today!

I love to create with salt dough. It's crafting clay made with all purpose flour, salt, and water. When the dough is made, transform it into your desired shapes and bake it in the oven so it hardens. Once cool, you can paint the shapes and add embellishments.

This photo shows the basic proportions. I've used salt dough many times to make earrings, a floral frog, gift pendants, monogram bowls, and even decorations for my wreath.

The holidays are right around the corner, I thought it fitting to make a salt dough Christmas tree ornament. Let me show you how. 

I roll out a handful of salt dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.

I used a cookie cutter shaped like a dove for some "peace" vibes. But you can use whatever cookie cutter you like. Use the end of a paint brush to add an eye and another to insert twine later on. 

Notice that I used a silicone baking liner (you can use parchment paper) on top of an inverted baking tray (so the rims don't get in the way when using the rolling pin).  This is where I rolled and gently cut the shapes. Salt dough is soft and malleable so moving it from one surface to another can alter the shape. Best to do everything on a single surface. The silicone baking liner or parchment paper also keeps the salt dough from sticking to the baking tray.

Once you've cut the shapes, space them out a few inches apart. Bake them in a preheated 200 degree Fahrenheit oven for two to three hours. The bigger the shape, the longer it will take to dry in the oven.

It will look like a hard cookie after baking. Let it cool for about an hour.

Then we're ready to paint! I'm trying out this technique of mixing acrylic paint and a little bit of baking powder to get a terra cotta finish.  

Paint this mixture on the salt dough ornament. I did about three coats, allowing it to dry in between each new layer. It does end up with a matte finish and a bit of grainy texture. Maybe I'll add more baking powder to the paint next time.

Just add some twine through one hole and make a knot. This will be our hanging device. And just like that, we have a simple ornament...TADA!

Give it another look by adding a bolder ribbon and some brush lettering.

Write down some wishes for the holidays or the names of the members of the family (pets included).

And that is how I turned some salt dough from blah to TADA!

What kinds of crafts do you like making for the holidays? Let me know!