Nifty Thrifty Friday: Salt Dough Santa Ornaments

Nifty Thrifty Friday features items that I have either found a thrift stores or items I already owned and have given new life or upcycled.  These items may be as small as a shoe box or as large as a sofa! I hope you will join me on some of my thrifting adventures!
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While this isn't a thrifting adventure, it is something that you can make with items that you most likely already have in your home.  Last year my friend Gina and I made salt dough ornaments of our kiddos hand prints and we wanted to continue the tradition again this year.  Tiphany and Micah came over too and we got to work on this years ornaments. I was excited to compare E's hand print this year to his last year! 

Here's what you'll need: 

• 2 cups of all purpose bleached flour
• 1 cup of salt
• 3/4 cups of water  

Here's what you'll do: 

• Mix all the ingredients together and knead it until it's a nice play dough consistency.  
• Use cookie cutters to make whatever shape ornaments you want. (I used a straw to poke a hole in the top so that I could tie string through it.)  
• Update: My friend Jess pointed out that I didn't tell you how I made E's hand prints! Duh! Okay, so I rolled out the dough and put it on E's highchair and then held his hand and gently pushed down each finger.  I saved his thumb for last because he likes to dig into the dough with it! After I got his hand print I took the tray and cut out around each little hand print.  
• Set your oven at 200 degrees and start baking.  I checked them about every 30 minutes or so, and it probably ended up taking 2+ hours until they were fully hardened.
• Once they have "baked" let them cool and then you can decorate them however you like!

Now to the fun part.. decorating!  Last year we cut circles out around the hand prints but this year I wanted to mix it up a bit.  I saw this idea on pinterest and knew that's what I was going to do this year!  So here's some step by step pictures of how to paint your own Santa hand! 

Here's what you'll do: 

• Gather up your paint.  I painted probably 8 hand prints and and this was actually too much paint.  Also, I didn't have a peach colored paint so I made due with what I had. 

• First, you are going to paint your Santa's face.  

• Next, add his beard, poof of the hat, and border.  You don't have to paint the white as the border- personal preference. 

• Now add your red paint for your Santa's hat. Make sure to outline the little poof at the end! 

• Finally, add some eyes and a nose! 

So that's how I did it! I am pretty impressed with them! :)  What crafts are you up to this holiday season?