I was checking out salt dough ornament kits online the other day, and found myself wondering how to make salt dough myself to save some money. It turns out it’s not only cheap to make, but easy to use, and there are so many possibilities!

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How To Make Salt Dough

You will need:

• 1 cup salt
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup lukewarm water

Recipe

1. Mix the salt and flour in a large bowl.
2. Stir in the water slowly.
3. Mix well until dough forms, similar to pie crust.
4. Gather the dough into a ball.
5. Knead the dough on a floured surface for 10-20 minutes.

Your salt dough can be stored in an air-tight container for up to a week.

Ways to Use Salt Dough

Form it

Roll out the dough and cut it out with cookie cutters to make flat shapes. You can also form the dough into 3-D shapes like you would do with Play-Doh. See below for some holiday keepsake ideas, or think about making some shapes and gluing a magnet to the back for year-round cheer in your kitchen!

Bake it

Depending on how big they are, you can let your salt dough crafts air dry, or you can bake them dry.

Decorate it

When salt dough is dry, it’s really easy to decorate in a number of ways. You can use tempera or acrylic paint, or colored markers or pens for more intricate designs. Salt dough crafts can be sealed with clear varnish to make them last a long time.

Christmas Keepsakes to Make With Salt Dough

Stamped Salt Dough Ornaments

^{photo from Make It Give It}

Shauna over at Make It Give It takes salt dough to another level with a beautiful silver stamp! Elegant and frugal is a great combination.

Salt Dough Ornament Shapes

^{photo from The Happy Housewife}

Toni at The Happy Housewife turns making salt dough ornaments into a fun family craft. What a great project to work on together!

Handprint Salt Dough Ornaments

^{photo from The Scrap Shoppe Blog}

Michele at The Scrap Shoppe Blog makes the ultimate family keepsake! I’m definitely going to do this for this year, and wish I hadn’t been so overwhelmed with new-momness to do it last year.

These salt dough crafts are so easy and so inexpensive, I think I’ll make a special ornament for everyone on my Christmas list!

Do you make salt dough crafts at the holidays? Share your tips and ideas in the comments below!