By: Jessica Robinson
The holidays are done and our tree is put away. For some reason, I always think I can accomplish way more than I can during the busy holiday season. Now that things have calmed down a bit and I have some time, I’ve been painting salt dough ornaments with the kids. I made the actual cookies a few weeks prior to Christmas- with the grand hopes of getting them done for teacher’s gifts and such- but got too busy and never had the time. Winter is a great time for us and I can spend some of my afternoons and weekends relaxing and painting.
Things you’ll need:
straws
sharp knife
spatula
baking sheets and parchment paper
shaped cookie cutters
acrylic paint
an assortment of brushes
small disposable plates
disposable cup with water
oil-based polyurethane
small sponge brushes
Kraft paper
rubber gloves
Mix the above ingredients in a bowl and roll out on a lightly floured surface to your desired thickness. You’ll want to lightly flour the surface of the dough once rolled out, so your cookie cutters don’t stick. Cut out your desired shapes (I found really cool vintage cookie cutters on Ebay) and lift them up with the spatula. Place the cookie shape into your left hand and smooth out the edges with your right (opposite if you are left handed). Slide gently onto a parchment lined cookie sheet. Put a hole in the top of the cookie with a disposable straw. Twist the straw around in a circular motion to make the hole a little bigger. (it will close up a bit during the baking process) Bake at 170-200 degrees for about 12-15 hours. You’ll need to bake them at this low temperature for a long period of time so they don’t puff up or curl. Once they are done, let them cool fully.
To prep them for paint, I blow off any excess flour and paint the entire cookie with white acrylic paint as a base coat. Set aside and let them dry thoroughly. Apply a coat of white acrylic paint as a base coat to all of the cookies. Set on Kraft paper to dry thoroughly. I like to work in an assembly line of sorts. I start with red, for example and by the time I’m done painting that color they are dry and I can move on to the next color. Once they are all done you can go back and touch up any spots of paint you are not happy with. (For my Santa ornaments, I paint the beard white and then dry brush on gray for added texture. Same for his cheeks with a little bit of blush for added color.) Let them dry well. You’ll want to apply a thin layer of oil-based polyurethane to each side, one side at a time. Apply about 3-4 coats per side and let dry thoroughly in between coats. Set them on Kraft paper as they dry. They should last for many years to come.
TIPS: I use a rubber glove on my left hand and apply the poly with my right hand. You’ll want to use oil-based polyurethane since it tends not to yellow as much as water-based poly. Make sure to get the poly into all the crevices of the ornaments. Keep the sponge brush fresh in a small plastic bag for in between coats. Once you have one or two coats on the backside of the ornaments, you can write the date and/or your name with a black Sharpie.
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