Salt Dough Handprint Christmas Ornaments (2024)

FAQs

Salt Dough Handprint Christmas Ornaments? ›

How Long Do Salt Dough Ornaments Last? If you seal the salt dough ornaments properly with craft varnish, they'll last for decades! If you don't, expect them to start crumbling after a year or two.

How Long Do Salt Dough Ornaments Last? If you seal the salt dough ornaments properly with craft varnish, they'll last for decades! If you don't, expect them to start crumbling after a year or two.

How do I preserve and store these Salt Dough Ornaments? In order to keep your ornaments and use them for several years, it is best to seal them. Painting them with acrylic paint, if you choose to, will begin the process. But a coat of Mod Podge or Acrylic sealer that is applied like a spray paint will be needed.

My home ovens lowest temperature is 75C which is perfect for slow drying of the salt dough. If you find that your oven has the lowest temperature of above 150C then I would advise you to air dry your salt dough creations which will take considerably longer but will prevent the puffing up.

Bake the Salt Dough Ornaments

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Place the sheet of ornaments in the oven and bake for 2-3 hours turning them over halfway through.

Salt dough is susceptible to moisture, meaning it will pull any moisture from the surrounding air. This causes your projects to turn soggy or even crumble.

Make sure your oven is set to 150°f. This is SUPER IMPORTANT. I have seen others use hotter temperatures but I haven't been able to do so without getting puffiness. So, plain all-purpose flour, 150ºf oven and 1/4 inch thickness = no puffy ornaments.

Once you've formed your salt dough, you can cook the creations in the oven to make them set. Once baked, they will harden and can be painted and decorated after they cooled down!

Sadly, it's unlikely that you can repair a salt dough piece to look like it did before, says crafter and longtime Living contributor Silke Stoddard. Much like trying to repair a baked cookie—you can't go back to the dough the way it was unbaked.

Decorate your baked and cooled salt dough shapes with paint, then preserve them with a craft sealer (such as Mod Podge) or spray sealant coating. Allow the sealant to dry completely before storage.

How to tell when salt dough ornaments are done? ›

You want to bake them until they're hardened. They will harden a little more once you remove them from the oven and let them cool but you want them to have a good hard texture before you remove them from the oven. The bottoms will be slightly browned but the tops should still be dough colored.

The great thing about it is that the salt dough sculptures will harden if you leave them out to dry at room temperature. Depending on the size of the pieces, it will take 2 to 7 days to dry completely. Turn the pieces from time to time for faster drying.

If you overcook them, they tend to bubble up.

How Long do Salt Dough Ornaments Last? If you preserve your ornaments properly, salt dough can last for years. I have some dough ornaments from my childhood, so they would be at least 35 years old. They are still in great condition and there's been no disintegration whatsoever!

Any leftover salt dough can be stored in an air tight container for a few days. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven until dry and hard (around 2-3 hours). The time will depend on the thickness and overall size of the pieces. Check on them periodically and flip every hour.

When it comes to storing your salt dough ornaments, it's important to avoid heat and humidity. Choose a cool, dry place and opt for a sturdy container for the best protection. For the best protection, wrap each ornament in wax paper before you store them away.

The mixture cools quickly for little ones to join in but please check the temperature. If the playdough is kept in a plastic bag or an airtight container, it will last for approximately six weeks.

Yes, you can definitely make the salt dough the day before – or even a few days ahead of time. Simply wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. Then bring the dough to room temperature before working with it!

Baking Salt Dough Ornaments

Bake ornaments for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours. I check my ornaments after an hour. They are done when they are completely hard. If they start to brown then they are well done – and that's okay!