Kids love to create things. Salt dough is a simple and fun way to make all sorts of hand molded creations. This heart window ornament is a perfect example!

You will need:

1 cup salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup water
acrylic paint in pink, red, and white
paintbrush
sponge
pencil
pink or white ribbon
clear acrylic sealer

IMPORTANT NOTE: This recipe for salt dough makes a lot of ornaments. If you only plan on making a few, cut this recipe into fourths or in half.


If you make this project we'd love to see it! Just send your photos and comments to the editor and it may get published on this page!

What you do

Preheat oven to 250 F. Mix together, salt, flour, and water until a dough is formed. Knead the dough on a floured surface until the mixture is elastic and smooth. If dough is too sticky, sprinkle with flour, continue to do so until stickiness is gone. BE CAREFUL. Do not add too much flour, this will dry out the dough and will cause it to crack before you get a chance to bake it.

THIS DOUGH IS NOT EDIBLE.

Roll out the dough. To make the heart, you can either use a heart shaped cookie cutter, or do like we did and use a kitchen paring knife (parents please!) to create the shape you want. Our heart is approximately 4 inches high, but the size is completely up to you! Once your heart is cut out, use your fingers to smooth the edges of the heart.

Place the heart onto the cookie sheet to avoid trying to move it later. Take small pieces of dough and roll into balls. Gently press the ball shapes onto the heart at equal intervals, approximately 3/4" apart (based on a 4" heart, adjust for your size). Use the point of a pen or pencil to create a hole at the top of the heart for the ribbon hanger.

Bake ornament(s) on cookie sheet for approximately 2 hours. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

To decorate, paint the entire heart with pink acrylic paint. Paint the back of the heart pink as well. Apply a second coat to both sides, let dry. Paint the "dots" on the front of the heart with red paint and allow to dry. Use a sponge to dab white paint over the entire front of the heart, including the red dots. Let dry. Finish with a coat of clear acrylic sealer.

String pink or white ribbon through the hole at the top of the heart and knot it at the top. Hang in your little girl's bedroom window!

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What's Related
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Salt Dough Bear

About the Author
Amanda Formaro is the entrepreneurial mother of four children. She is also the owner of FamilyCorner.com Magazine at http://familycorner.com  Subscribe to her free kid's craft newsletter, Busy Little Hands, by filling out the form on the left side of this article

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Salt Dough Fun (I Made It Myself!)
Gr. 1-3. First-graders will find the instructions here too difficult to read, but with adult help, they'll be able to join older children in making the simple salt dough creations described in this colorful entry in the I Made It Myself! series. A double-page spread at the outset provides a basic recipe for the clay. The 10 creations that follow, mostly animals, are fairly similar combinations of dough balls and geometric shapes cut with cookie cutters or a dull knife (even the edge of a ruler will do). Instructions aren't step-by-step, but they are clear, and a picture of the finished project plus three photos showing various stages of assembly are sufficient to give kids the idea. Baking time and temperature are listed for each project, and adult supervision is suggested for readying the oven. Projects in this book are shown painted and glazed, though discussions of those procedures are short and relegated to the last page. Other titles in the series demonstrate projects made from papier-mache, folded paper, and art foam. Stephanie Zvirin Copyright - American Library Association. All rights reserved