This is a fun craft you can do with your children.  Be sure to personalize the ornaments.  Write the name and date on the ornament after painting with a fine tip permanent marker 
.

What you will need

For Salt Dough

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup salt
• 1 and 1/2 cups warm water
• Food coloring
• Cinnamon, powdered
• Cloves, powdered
• Ginger, powdered

Other Things You Will Need

• Cookie cutters (open works the best, but you may use impression.  I have with good results using impression cutters) or cookie presses
• Baking sheet
• Acrylic Paint and paint brushes
• Clear Acrylic Spray (matte or shiny, your choice)
• Paper clips or wire ornament hangers
• Any decorations to add to finished product (ex:  ribbon, glitter, pompoms, dried flowers, fake greenery, glitter glue etc.)
• Garlic press
• Rolling pin or unopened soda cans
• Glitter
• Craft glue
• Rotary cutter

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Dissolve salt in warm water.  Then add flour.  To make colored dough add food coloring before adding flour.  To make gingerbread men add 1/4 cup cinnamon and a Tbs of cloves and ginger before adding flour. Add cinnamon until you get the desired coloring you want.  May also add gingerbread potpourri oil for additional smell.  This will give a gingerbread smell if you don't use sealant.
3. Knead dough well.  Should be of about the same consistency as sugar cookie dough.
4. Roll out to 1/4 inch thickness on a floured surface.  If using impression cutters - roll the dough out a little thicker.  The kids may use the unopened soda cans (flour them first).
5. Flour the surface of rolled out dough (sprinkle flour on surface then spread out with your hands).  This will keep the cutters from sticking.
6. Flour cookie cutters.
7. Cut out dough with cookie cutters. 
8. You may also use this as molding clay and free-form your designs.  To attach pieces - wet the dough and the attachment, then attach.  Do not move until water dries (place on baking sheet before adding attachments).  You can use the rotary cutter to edge  the "cookies" or use it to make attachments.  Some examples:
1. Wreath with holly berries.
2. Tin solider (use an old fashioned clothes pin for the legs).
3. Snowman (attach "buttons", etc. to body of snowman).
4. Angel, Sheep, or Santa (use the garlic press to make angel's hair or Santa's beard).
9. You may use pulled open paper clips (half  to make two hangers) or an ornament hanger to create a hanger for the ornament.  Insert into the dough BEFORE baking or hot glue to the back when done.  You may also use ribbon as a  hanger.  You may also punch a hole in the dough 1/4 inch from the border with a straw and use ribbon or twine as a hanger.
10. Place on baking sheet.
11. Bake in the oven at 250 degrees for 20 minutes at a time until ornament is hard.  Usually 3 to 5 cycles.  It will take longer if you have free-formed the shapes that are thicker than 1/4 inch.  Be sure they are thoroughly dry.  Stick a toothpick or nut pick into the back of the ornament, if it goes in continue baking.
12. Cool and paint with acrylic paints.
1. Mix glue with acrylic paint to make "frosting" for the sugar cookie look.  You may need two or more coats.
2. Coat lightly with glitter glue or craft glue and then sprinkle with loose glitter to "mimic" sugar.

Notes

1. After ornaments are thoroughly dry (let them sit over night), spray them with clear enamel.
2. Store indoors individually wrapped with tissue paper and these will last for years.  I still have some I made in 1987 and they are in great shape.
3. These may be made for any occasion.
4. Can serve as name tags on presents (put the name on the front and the date on the back).

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I will add some pictures when I get my Christmas ornaments out.