Today, I'm sharing some super cute salt dough ornaments. This no-bake salt dough recipe is perfect for whipping up some easy DIY Christmas decorations in no time at all. By painting salt dough once it's dry, you can create any number of beautiful Christmas ornaments to hang on your tree, make garlands with or use as gift tags on your gifts. Making salt dough is an easy Christmas craft for kids and adults alike. Don't forget to read my tips for working with salt dough at the bottom of this post.
If you're here, looking for DIY Christmas ornaments, then you might also like the pretty air dry clay ornaments I made a few weeks ago.
Ready-made options
Love this craft but don't want to make them? Check out the ready-made options to buy:
Buy Salt dough ornaments in the USA
Salt dough ornaments to purchase in the UK
A salt dough story
Every year in December, there was a Christmas Bazaar at our boys' former school. Each class would have a stand at the bazaar selling handmade Christmas ornaments or baked goods such as cookies, cakes and gingerbread everything. Parents volunteered to help the kids with their craft projects.
Having fun with salt dough
I remember one particular year, having a group of around five or six, twelve-year-old boys around our kitchen table making salt dough ornaments for the Christmas Bazaar. The painting skills varied but that didn't matter at all. Those boys had the best time decorating salt dough ornaments that day. Some of the ornaments were given intricate designs and patterns whilst others were laden down with so much paint they took days and days to dry!
As good as gold
I seem to remember that gold was the favourite colour of the day. I had a pot of beautiful shimmery gold paint in my stash which I knew would look amazing on the salt dough ornaments. The boys took a shine to that gold paint and slathered it onto their creations in thick layers!
Unfortunately, some of those ornaments didn't make it to the Christmas Bazaar. Come to think of it, they are probably still languishing somewhere in the realm of unfinished Christmas craft projects – who knows?
Salt dough success!
Those salt dough ornaments were a huge success at the Christmas Bazaar. Everyone loved those pretty salt dough creations which were sold out in no time at all.
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Table of contents
- Ready-made options
- A salt dough story
- Please save this to Pinterest
- Best no-bake salt dough recipe
- Shop the post
- How to make salt dough
- How long do salt dough ornaments take to dry?
- Painting Salt dough
- How to make a salt dough handprint
- How to seal salt dough ornaments
- Watch it on YouTube
- Working with salt dough - FAQ
- These posts are good too
- 📖 Recipe
- Sign up for our newsletter
- More gingerbread inspiration
Best no-bake salt dough recipe
The best thing about salt dough is that it's accessible, affordable and easy to make. All you need are three ingredients that I'm almost certain you have sitting in your pantry right now (and in the tap).
This is the best no-bake salt dough recipe for making ornaments so let's get to it!
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Ingredients
(See the recipe card for amounts)
- Flour
- Salt
- Water
That's it!
Supplies
- Mixing bowl
- Rolling pin
- Large Gingerbread man cookie cutters
- Christmas cookie cutter collection
- Acrylic non yellowing varnish
Decorations
- Extreme sheen rose gold paint
- Extreme sheen gold paint
- Brown paint acrylic
- White marker pen
- Black marker pen
- White pearls
- Natural Twine
- Gold ribbon optional
- White organza ribbon
Shop the post
How to make salt dough
Step One: Add the flour and salt to a mixing bowl and mix well.
Step Two: Gradually add the water. Mix first with a wooden spoon and then with your hands. You may not need all of the water so keep an eye on the mixture as you add it. If the salt dough mixture seems too dry, you need to add more water. Similarly, if the dough seems too wet, add more flour.
Step Three: Knead the salt dough with your hands for a few minutes until it becomes soft and pliable.
TIP: If you have any cuts or scratches on your hands you may want to wear protective gloves to mix and knead the salt dough. The salt in the dough will cause the scratches to sting a little – it's not too bad but I'm telling you just in case.
Step Four: Roll out the dough onto a floured surface. I used the same DIY thickness guides that I used to make my air dry clay ornaments. Place the guides on either side of the ball of dough and roll it out as if you are rolling pastry for a pie.
Once the rolling pin is gliding along the thickness guides you can stop rolling the dough. You will find that the dough is the same thickness all around.
Step Five: Use your cookie cutters to cut out lots of salt dough ornaments. You can also use odd bits of dough to make embellishments.
For example, I made some buttons and a scarf for one of my gingerbread men. To make the buttons, I rolled three pieces of dough into small balls and pressed them gently onto the gingerbread man. I did the same for the scarf, rolling out two pieces of dough with my fingers and then pressing them into place.
Step Six: Make holes in the salt dough ornaments so that you can hang them on the Christmas tree or add them to gifts. To make holes in large ornaments, you can use a metal straw. For mini ornaments, use something like the lid of an eyeliner pen or something similar.
Step Seven: Spread the ornaments out onto an oven rack lined with baking/waxed paper and leave to dry. After a day, the salt dough ornaments will already be quite stiff. Remove the wax paper to allow for more air circulation.
How long do salt dough ornaments take to dry?
Salt dough ornaments take between two to four days to dry, depending on the thickness of the dough and the humidity in the room. If you live in a humid climate, you might be better off baking the salt dough in an oven.
If you were making salt dough ornaments in summer, you could lay them out to dry in the sun. They dry out quite quickly this way.
Our climate is dry in winter so I spaced my ornaments out on an oven rack and left them on the dining table to dry. After two and a half days, they were dry enough to paint.
Painting Salt dough
Now comes the fun part, painting the salt dough ornaments. Here is where your imagination can run wild! If you are doing this project with the kiddos, let them choose which colours to use and allow them to decorate the ornaments however they choose. Decorating is the fun part after all!
Gingerbread ornaments
All of the gingerbread bread ornaments have been given a coat of brown acrylic paint before decorating.
As you can see, I decided to let my gingerbread men go glam this year. I gave the bigger gingerbread man a chic black and gold scarf and gold buttons. The small gingerbread men had to make do with gold dickie bows but they still look cute.
To decorate the mini gingerbread house, I drew a pattern onto the ornament with a white glass marker pen. I think these mini gingerbread houses will look great as hangers for homemade gifts or as
Golden bell ornaments
For the bell-shaped ornaments, I used Deco Art Extreme Sheen acrylic metallic paint. First, I covered the ornaments with some of the rose gold paint. Then, I outlined the bell and filled it in with metallic gold paint. I love how the metallic paint shimmers in the light. These ornaments are going to look beautiful on our tree.
How to make a salt dough handprint
It's so easy to make a salt dough handprint. After rolling out the salt dough, press the hand down evenly into the dough. Use a round cookie cutter to cut out the hand shape. If the handprint is too large for a cookie-cutter, use a knife to cut a circle in the dough. Allow the handprint to dry completely before decorating.
How to seal salt dough ornaments
You can use Mod Podge, PVA glue or spray varnish to seal salt dough ornaments. Some spray varnish is better if you have mini embellishments on your salt dough ornaments which might dislodge with a paintbrush.
I haven't sealed my ornaments yet but I'm planning on using clear acrylic spray varnish. It's water-based, dries clear and is safe to use on toys.
There you have it! Easy salt dough ornaments that the whole family can make. Hang them on your tree, use them as gift tags or as decorations in Christmas vignettes. Whatever you do with yours, I'm sure they will turn out AMAZING!
Watch it on YouTube
If you'd like to watch the video showing how I made these salt dough ornaments, you can see it on YouTube here:
How to make salt dough ornaments - YouTube
Working with salt dough - FAQ
No. Unlike air dry clay, where you can use slip to fix cracks, salt dough can't be 'glued' back together. It's best to throw it away if it gets broken.
If stored correctly, salt dough ornaments will last for years and years! Remember those salt dough ornaments my boys made when they were twelve? We still had some up until a few years ago. They were still in great shape.
Not really. The salt dough starts to dry out pretty quickly. Anyway, the recipe is so quick and easy to put together that there is no real benefit in making it in advance.
The ornaments may start to go mouldy if stored incorrectly. The best way I've found to store salt dough ornaments is to stack them between layers of wax paper in an airtight tin. Painting salt dough ornaments with acrylic paints, then sealing them with Mod Podge or spray varnish once they dry will help preserve them for longer.
Yes. You can bake salt dough ornaments in the oven on low heat for four to five hours. Baking them at a higher heat may either cause cracking or, the dough may be done on the outside but not on the inside. The oven temperature should be 200F/100C. Just like cookies, salt dough ornaments may spread in the oven. Turn them regularly and make sure to check that the holes have not 'baked in'. You can use a metal straw to re-cut the holes during baking.
If the salt dough feels hard when pressed and the colour has changed from dark to light, the salt dough ornaments are done baking. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool completely.
These posts are good too
📖 Recipe
Salt dough ornaments
Create beautiful homemade Christmas tree decorations, gift tags, handprints and more with this easy, no-bake salt dough recipe. (Baking instructions are included too). Have fun and keep the kids busy making these easy salt dough ornaments over the holiday season.
Materials
- 2 cup flour
- 1 cup salt
- Up to 1 cup water (See note below)
Tools
- Mixing bowl
- Rolling pin
- Large Gingerbread man cookie cutters
- Christmas cookie cutter collection
- Metal straw
- Extreme sheen rose gold paint
- Extreme sheen gold paint
- Brown paint acrylic
- White marker pen
- Black marker pen
- White pearls
- Natural Twine
- Gold ribbon optional
- White organza ribbon
Instructions
- Add the flour and salt to a mixing bowl and mix well.
- Gradually add water. Mix first with a wooden spoon and then with your hands.
- Knead the salt dough with your hands for a few minutes until it becomes soft and pliable.
- Roll out the dough onto a floured surface.
- Use your cookie cutters to cut out lots of salt dough ornaments.
- Make holes in the salt dough ornaments with a metal straw.
- Spread the ornaments out onto an oven rack lined with baking/waxed paper and leave to dry.
- Decorate with acrylic paints and marker pens.
- Seal salt dough ornaments with Mod Podge or an acrylic spray sealer (optional).
- Thread twine or ribbon through the holes for hanging.
Notes
- Children should be supervised when making this craft.
- It may not be necessary to use all of the water. Keep an eye on the mixture as you add it. If the salt dough mixture seems too dry, add more water. Similarly, if the dough seems too wet, add more flour.
- Use odd bits of dough to make embellishments eg. scarfs and buttons for gingerbread men.
- Air-drying time will vary between 3-5 days depending on the thickness of dough and humidity in the room.
- Yield depends on the size of the cookies made. The larger the cookie cutter, the lesser the ornaments.
Instructions for Baking
A faster drying time can be achieved by baking salt dough ornaments in the oven.
The oven temperature should be 200F/100C. Baking them at a high heat may either cause cracking or, the dough may be done on the outside but not on the inside.
Just like cookies, salt dough ornaments may spread in the oven. Turn them regularly and make sure to check that the holes have not 'baked in'. Use a metal straw to re-cut the holes during baking if necessary.
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More gingerbread inspiration
This faux gingerbread garland from Janet at A Life of Balance makes a great addition to your gingerbread decorations this year. Uses gingerbread wood cutouts and ribbon.
Decorative planter pick from Jane and Sonja at Sustain my craft habit.
Faux gingerbread garland from Lynne at 'My family thyme'.
Nativity Gingerbread House - Easy DIY with Free Templates from Allison of 'Darling and dapper life'.
Make an adorable no-sew Gingerbread Christmas Wreath with this easy step-by-step tutorial from Kippi of 'Kippi at home'.
A Christmas European Dish Garden with faux gingerbread accents is quick and easy to create! Perfect for gift giving! From Kimberly of 'From farmhouse to Florida'
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Sara says
These are adorable; I wonder how they would work with gluten free flour?
Jayne Westerholt says
Thanks, Sara. I've never tried using gluten-free flour to make salt dough ornaments. If you try it, I'd love to hear how they come out.
Marie says
So sweet. What great memories. I especially love the gingerbread!
Jayne Westerholt says
Thank you, Marie. I love the gingerbread men too!
Jennifer Williams says
These are so cute! I am going to make some this weekend. Thank you for the recipe and great tutorial!
Jayne Westerholt says
You're welcome, Jennifer. Have fun making your salt dough ornaments!
Kimberly J Snyder says
these are just so cute, Jane! thanks for sharing the tutorial! your projects are always so perfect!
Jayne Westerholt says
Thanks so much, Kimberly! These salt dough ornaments were such fun to make!
Kippi Ohern says
Your Salt Dough Ornaments are adorable!
I love the colors you used to decorate them.
Merry Christmas,
Kippi
Jayne Westerholt says
Thank you, Kippi and a merry Christmas to you too!
Janet says
These are so cute! Pinned for next year!
Jayne Westerholt says
Thanks, so much Janet!
Paula@SweetPea says
Your salt dough ornaments are so cute! I love this project so much.
Jayne Westerholt says
Thanks so much, Paula!
Lynne Zemaitis says
Jayne, your salt dough ornaments are beautiful! I love how you painted and decorated them. I have never made them before, but am now inspired to make some this upcoming weekend! Merry Christmas, my friend!
Jayne Westerholt says
Thanks so much, Lynne! Have fun making your salt dough ornaments, I loved making and decorating them!
Allison says
These turned out absolutely adorable! I've loved making salt dough ornaments in the past with my girls but we haven't yet tried painting them. Maybe we'll have to make some gingerbread themed ones next year 🙂
Jayne Westerholt says
Thank you, Allison! I think your girls would love making salt dough ornaments especially since you can cut them in any shape you like!