Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Gifts Kids Can Make: Baking Soda Oranments



These homemade ornaments are a fun gift that kids can make or simply a fun craft to do with them any time of the year.  Last year my kids made some for their grandparents for a Christmas gift and this year I made them with my Activity Day Girls group at church.

I love the pure white look of the baking soda ornaments compared to the look of the salt dough ones.  These are so easy to make and worth giving a try.


To make the dough:

2 cups baking soda
1 cup corn starch
1 1/4 cups water

In a medium sized pot combine the cornstarch, baking soda, and water.  Stir mixture over medium heat.  After a few minutes the mixture will start to boil and thicken.  When it looks like smooth mashed potatoes remove dough from the heat and transfer to a bowl.  Cover dough with a damp cloth or paper towel until it's cool.  



Once cool, knead the dough on a smooth surface, adding a little more cornstarch if it feels sticky.  Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick.  Cut out shapes using cookie cutters and transfer to a parchment lined cookie sheet to dry.  Use a thin straw to place a hole at the top of the ornament for hanging.  My kids love to decorate the ornaments with stamps and I love how pretty it looks.  Let ornaments dry on the tray overnight, turning over the next day to continue drying.  To dry ornaments faster bake them in a 175 degree oven for 1 hour, or until completely hard, turning over after 30 minutes.  Once dry the ornaments can be painted (I love how they look just being white though) and string a ribbon through for hanging.



6 comments:

  1. These are beautiful! Great idea for a craft with kids. I'm hosting a giveaway for a beautiful chandelier that you should enter! http://homecomingmn.blogspot.com/2013/12/master-bedroom-reveal-and-chandelier.html

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  2. I love it when I see something cool and I already have everything to make it! think I need to make some of these. :) Thanks for sharing! Pinned!

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  3. So many good ideas here! I agree that the white color is pretty compared to the salt dough we usually make. We found out last January that my daughter is sensitive to gluten. She can still touch the flour, but I don't really keep it around anymore. So I like this idea. And the stamps...so cute! You don't even need paint if you don't want to! Definitely pinning for future reference!

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  4. Pinned and am featuring at Family Fun Friday!

    Monica
    http://www.happyandblessedhome.com/category/family-fun

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  5. Congratulations…this post was featured on Create It Thursday #33! Thanks for sharing such a great idea with us last week!

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  6. This is great! I was looking for an alternative recipe to salt dough this morning! Pinning!

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