Salt Dough Ornament Decorating Ideas

Make your own salt dough ornaments with these simple and creative DIY ideas. There are 23 beautiful ornament ideas that you must see!

Have you ever heard of salt dough ornaments? If not, think way back to pre-school. The Play Dough years. Chances are, your teacher had you make a salt dough ornament at some point.

Maybe it was glittery, or scented. Perhaps you painted it. And more likely than not, it ended up getting wrapped up and given to your parents as a gift at some point.

grid with 16 favorite salt dough ornaments "23 BEST Salt Dough Ornament Ideas"

This Christmas, check out your parent's tree and see if any of those old ornaments bring your own salt dough ornament-making memories back.

But if not, and this truly is your first salt dough adventure, we've got answers to all your salt dough questions!

First, here's a video peek at some of the awesome salt dough ideas you'll be seeing here today!

Salt Dough Ornament FAQ's:

What is the best salt dough ornament recipe?

Our favorite salt dough ornament recipe isn't salt dough at all, actually! In fact, this "faux" salt dough recipe from the ARM & HAMMER Big Book of Baking Soda includes no salt whatsoever!

There are only (3) simple household ingredients needed, and the process is straightforward. You can add extras, if desired, such as:

– cinnamon
– food coloring
– glitter
– essential oils (peppermint is a favorite)

Ingredients:

(2) cups ARM & HAMMER baking soda
(1) cup cornstarch
(1 ¼) cups cold water (add food coloring if desired)

Method:

1. Mix ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Stir constantly until the mixture is the consistency of mashed potatoes (about 10-15 minutes).
3. Allow dough to cool until lukewarm to touch, then create your ornaments!

BEST recipe for "salt dough" as adapted from ARM & HAMMER Big Book of Baking Soda includes ingredients and method on recipe card

What is the classic recipe for salt dough?

Although we favor the baking soda recipe over usual salt dough, you can't argue with a classic, either. Salt dough more readily makes thicker cookies, which is nice.

While the dough for the baking soda clay above is a pure white color, regular salt dough is off-white (like flour).

The recipe we all used back in pre-school for salt dough, is still the same recipe and ingredients that you will find most places today:

2 cups (NOT self-rising) flour : 1/2 cup salt : 3/4 cup water

How do you seal/ preserve salt dough ornaments?

These ornaments can be sealed effectively in any of the following ways:

1. Spray with a clear acrylic spray.
2. Cover the outside of the ornament with a layer of paint.
3. Cover the ornament with a coat of Mod Podge.

How long do you bake salt dough ornaments in the oven?

Turn on oven to lowest possible temperature and allow to pre-heat. Once pre-heated, turn the oven OFF.

Place your ornaments on a cookie sheet and bake for approximately 12 minutes, but the bake time will GREATLY vary depending on the thickness of your ornaments.

Thicker ornaments will take longer, up to 30 minutes. Bake until ornaments are hardened.

guinea pig making a paw-print salt dough ornament seen on a wood cutting board with cup of coffee close-by, fireplace in background. Guinea pig wearing reindeer costume.

How do you make cinnamon salt dough ornaments?

Use either the baking soda based dough recipe above, OR the salt dough recipe, and simply add 1-2 tsp of cinnamon to your dough mixture. There's no perfect amount. Start with 1 tsp, and if it's not scented (or colored) as much as you'd like, add more until you're happy!

Do salt dough ornaments get moldy?

If either of the recipes shared here are used to create your ornaments, they should not mold!

The first recipe uses baking soda, which is actually used as a cleaner to kill mold! And the second recipe is very heavy on salt, which is the world's first preservative! So each recipe is resistant to mold growth.

That said, make sure your ornaments are thoroughly dry before storing to help prevent mold or any other degradation of your completed craft. And store in a dry place.

Do salt dough ornaments attract bugs?

Over many years of making DIY salt dough ornaments, I've never experienced these attracting bugs of any kind.

Are there no bake salt dough ornaments?

Yes! With the recipe we recommend, ornaments can be air-dried in lieu of baked. It will take anywhere from 12 hours to several days for your ornaments to harden and cure.

woman sitting cross-legged in Christmas pjs by a wood cutting board with three salt dough ornaments in heart-shapes. Also pictured butcher's twine, scissors and a cup of coffee

How do you make salt dough ornaments shiny?

To make salt dough ornaments shine, spray with a satin or gloss acrylic spray once complete. This will also seal and preserve your ornament.

Do you paint salt dough ornaments before or after you bake them?

Paint your ornaments after they have been baked or air-dried. It is not only easier to paint a dry ornament, but it will prevent your paint from cracking and fading during the baking/drying process.

Painting the dried salt dough ornaments will also help preserve your ornaments for a long time to come!

How long do salt dough ornaments last?

In my own experience, salt dough ornaments can last YEARS, even decades! I still have at least 3 ornaments I made in pre-school and kindergarten on my own tree each year, and those were made over 40 years ago at this point!

Tips for making your ornaments last:

1. The thicker the dough, the longer the ornament will take to cure (or bake), but the more sturdy it will be, and likely last longer.

2. Seal your completed ornament with either a coating of Mod Podge or a clear acrylic spray. Coating in a layer of paint will also seal and protect your ornament.

cutting heart shaped salt dough ornaments with a cookie cutter on a wood cutting board with wood rolling pin and cup of coffee by a fire and christmas tree

Tools and Supplies for Creating Homemade Salt Dough Ornaments

There are some essential items you'll need to make most any salt dough ornament idea come to life! These include:

– flour (or baking soda for the alternative recipe)
– mixing bowl
– water
– rolling pin
– baking sheet
– oven
– parchment paper
– spoon
– cookie cutters
– paint/stamps/glitter for embellishing
– toothpick for making hole for hanging
– polyurethane or acrylic spray sealant
– twine and/or Christmas ribbon

Now let's check out all of these awesome ornament ideas!

Salt dough ornaments can be scented. This recipe uses a festive cinnamon scent. They were also made to look just like real gingerbread cookies.

Combine salt dough ornaments with wooden beads for a fun, rustic decoration for your holiday home.

Why not turn your salt dough recipe into donut ornaments? This is so creative and would look great on a themed tree.

They really do look good enough to eat!

This salt dough ornament is a classic having been used over 30 years by Julie's family. And, you only need a few ingredients to make them!

You can never go wrong with gingerbread men during the holidays. These salt dough gingerbread men ornaments couldn't be cuter!

This salt dough ornament recipe is an easy, handmade recipe that's great for kids and adults. The chocolate version of the recipe is definitely my personal fave!

Salt dough ornaments don't have to just be used for Christmas.

This creative blogger used them in a DIY mobile that's perfect year-round. Isn't it beautiful?

Learn how to preserve your salt dough ornaments with Mod Podge.

Seen here used as special, personalized gift tags...a reminder that salt dough isn't only for ornaments, it can be used in many different and fun ways!

Create salt dough ornaments to use for a special DIY Christmas card holder wall hanging. This is such a great idea!

Oh, and if this one has you thinking about that stack of Christmas cards that usually ends up sitting haphazardly on the kitchen table, check out this post with 51 incredible Christmas card display ideas!

This tutorial for salt dough ornaments is a great one to make with kids. It's quick and easy.

Plus, they can use their imagination to decorate them with paint, embellishments, or whatever supplies you have on hand.

You can also use classic salt dough ornaments in a garland, perfect to drape across a mantel, or on a tree.

This snowflake version is so pretty.

Give your salt dough ornaments texture by using a rubber stamp. This wood grain stamp looks so pretty on a Christmas tree cut-out.

Use a classic salt dough recipe to make mini houses. You can definitely add a ribbon for hanging, or a magnet to the back.

But, aren't they just adorable free standing?

You can whiten your salt dough ornaments with this simple DIY tutorial.

Another great idea for salt dough ornaments is to get the kids involved by adding their fingerprints to the ornaments.

What a great gift idea for grandparents, parents, or teachers!

These salt dough ornaments are super easy to make! You can't leave them natural, or paint them after baking.

The great thing about salt dough ornaments is they can be painted with acrylic paint and made into all kinds of shapes and designs.

These are SO professional looking, right?!

So easy, and such an adorable idea! Stamp your salt dough to create a whole collection of ornaments to "spruce" up any Christmas tree!

Salt dough ornaments can be used in more ways than just hanging them on a tree. This blogger added magnets and hung them on the refrigerator! Love it!

I try to create handprint ornaments each holiday season with my kids, but we haven't tried salt dough handprints yet...I think this is the year!

Such a precious way to preserve those sweet little paw prints, right?

Santa + handprints + salt dough?! Sounds like a Christmas trifecta to me! Aren't these Santa "paws" the most adorable holiday craft?!

This would be such a great gift for your hip millennial friend or family member. I just love the natural look of this no bake ornament using (our favorite) a "faux" salt dough recipe.

Her air dry clay recipe is listed right on her instagram post, so check it out!

Speaking of paw prints, we immortalized our guinea piggies' paw prints using our favorite, simple "salt dough" recipe, which is actually not salt dough at all!

Check out the recipe we shared at the top of this post...this "play clay" is made with baking soda, cornstarch and water. It creates a super white dough.

And these paw print keepsakes turned out beautifully! The kids now love hanging them on our tree each year.

And if you're on the lookout for other fun Christmas crafts? We've got you covered! Check these out, too:

Easy Christmas Gift Tag Duck Tape Craft
81 Best DIY Felt Christmas Ornaments
Christmas Gift Wrap with Pom Pom decorations
75 Easy Christmas Crafts That Bloggers Love.
Christmas Gift Tags From Vintage Christmas Bulbs
Handprint Ornament and DIY Christmas Ornament Ideas
DIY Melted Crayon Ornaments in 4 Easy Steps!

Pin these DIY ornament ideas for later! Make one? Leave a comment on the pin! That helps others know whether they'd like to try one of these Christmas crafts, too!

Pssst…before you go, I sure would love to hang out with you again really soon! Sign up now and get a FREE copy of "Builder-Grade To Beautiful: 10 Totally Transformative Home Decorating Solutions, All Under $100!" Click here to enter your email or on the image below. Your copy will be sent right away!

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