Christmas Garland with an Easy Salt Dough Recipe
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This Christmas Garland is made up of jute cord and our easy salt dough recipe. It’s such a cute holiday project to make with your kids!
As soon as Halloween ends, it’s time for Christmas magic! This year, combine baking and decorating with a fun family project. Our Christmas Garland with an Easy Salt Dough Recipe is a festive way to kick off the season!
This garland is a perfect holiday craft to do with the kids. You’ll create cute salt dough ornaments and string them up to make a beautiful garland for your home. So, let’s roll up our sleeves and start crafting!
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Roll up your sleeves – we’ve got some decorations to put up!
Happy holidays, everyone! You can only believe how ecstatic I was once November rolled around. I’m those types of people that get into full Christmas spirit once Halloween concludes for the year. All the decorative spiderwebs and skulls are neatly tucked away… then it’s all about the holidays in our household!
Usually, during the holidays, I’m all about baking. Especially during this time of the year, you’ll find me in the kitchen, whipping up another thematic recipe (normally Christmas cookies, duh!).
Today, I’ve got the best of both worlds for ya: baking and decorating. Awesome, right?!
Growing up, did you ever make salt dough ornaments? They’re a classic! Well, I wanted to whip up a batch for my family, so I came up with a fantastic idea: why not make a beautiful Christmas garland with a super-easy salt dough recipe?! Baking and décor all in one?! Yes, sign me up!
What is Salt Dough?
Salt dough is a dough that’s made up of three simple ingredients: salt, flour, and water. It can be rolled out and shaped, much like sugar cookie dough. When baked, salt becomes very hard, making it an ideal recipe for DIY ornaments.
What You Need:
Craft/DIY Tools Needed:
- Mixing bowl
- Wooden spoons
- Star-shaped cookie cutters
- Measuring cups
- Rolling pin
- Silpat (optional)
- Baking sheet
- Scissors
Supplies Needed:
These are the ingredients you’ll need. All the exact amounts are in the printable card at the bottom of this post.
- All-purpose flour
- Table salt
- Water
- Parchment paper
- Drinking straw
- Jute Twine
Salt Dough Garland Tips and FAQ:
Is Salt Dough Edible?
Although it’s made with normal “food” ingredients, salt dough should not be consumed.
Can Salt Dough be Air-Dried?
Yes, salt dough can absolutely be air-dried – it would just take much longer than baking them! Still, it’s a great option for “classroom activities.” Depending on the room’s humidity, salt dough can take 3-4 days to dry.
Can Salt Dough be Colored?
The best part about salt dough is that you can customize it with colors, shapes, sizes, etc. The best way to color salt dough is to paint it with craft paint (watercolors or acrylics) once it is shaped and completely dried.
You can also color the dough with gel food coloring, but this means you would have to make multiple batches to get different colors. Painting it once it’s set makes it so much easier to customize!
How can you tell when the salt dough is done baking?
The salt dough is ready when they are hard to the touch but still have their original color. Be careful not to let them brown. If they do get a little too dark, don’t worry—you can always paint over them!
How do you preserve a salt dough garland?
Once your salt dough garland is completely dry and cool, it doesn’t need any extra preservatives. However, to make it last longer and be more durable, you can paint the dough shapes or spray them with a clear coat finish.
How many stars does this recipe make?
The number of stars you can make depends on their size. With this recipe, we made about 48 stars using a 2-inch star-shaped cookie cutter.
Easy Salt Dough Garland Recipe
Equipment
- Bowl or stand mixer
- Measuring Cups
- Rolling Pin
- Silpat (optional)
- Star cookie cutter
- Baking Sheet
- straw
- scissors
Supplies
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Table salt
- 6 ounces water
- 1 piece Parchment paper
- 1 Drinking straw
- 8 inches Twine per star ornament
- 6 ft Twine
Instructions
- Prepare the salt dough.In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, salt, and water. Mix until everything is just combined, then knead the dough to bring any remaining dry bits together. Shape the dough into a ball and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Preheat the oven.Heat your oven to 300°F (177°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Roll out the salt dough.Divide the dough into two equal balls and set one aside. Using a rolling pin, roll out one ball of dough to a thickness of about 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch. Keep in mind that thicker dough will take longer to bake.
- Cut out the stars and make holes for the twine.Use a star-shaped cookie cutter or your preferred shape to cut out the dough. You can choose stars of different sizes for variety. With a straw, make a small hole about 1/4-inch from the edge of each star to thread the twine through later. Remove any excess dough and transfer the cutouts to the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the salt dough stars.Place the cutouts in the oven and bake at 300°F (177°C) for 45 to 60 minutes, or until they are hard but not browned. Once done, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely, which should take about 30 minutes.
- Thread the stars onto twine.Cut pieces of twine about 8 inches long. Thread a piece of twine through the hole in each star and tie it into a loop.
- Assemble the garland.Attach the stars to a long piece of twine by threading the loops through it and spacing them evenly. Tie the stars in place to create your garland.
Once your salt dough garland is complete, there are so many fun ways to use it in your holiday decorating!
- Drape it across your fireplace mantel for a charming, rustic look.
- Hang it along a staircase railing to add a festive touch to your entryway.
- You can even wrap it around your Christmas tree for a unique, homemade twist on traditional garlands.
- If you’re feeling extra creative, use the stars as individual ornaments or attach them to gift packages for a personalized touch.
However you choose to display your salt dough garland, it’s sure to bring warmth and joy to your home this holiday season!
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What’s Next?
You may also enjoy these Christmas ideas on Ideas for the Home by Kenarry® –
- Easy Salt Dough Ornament Recipe for Christmas Decor
- How to Make Cinnamon Ornaments
- DIY Gingerbread Garland with Kraft Paper Cookies
My littles love salt dough ornaments! This recipe looks really easy. We’ve got a new mantle to decorate this year and I think this’ll look farmhouse perfect!
That is a great diy activity for the holidays and when it is finished you have a beautiful decoration. I know this will be a big favorite and we are all staying in these days.
This is a wonderful idea. I really like it. This would be fun to make with the kids too. I know they’d enjoy helping me.
This is such a fun idea! We were just talking about spending some time this weekend making decor!
That turned out really cute. I love the star garland. That mixing bowl looks really nice. I like the no-slip bottom.
These DIY ornaments are perfect for the family to create at home. Great tradition for the kiddos as well.
I used to just buy my star decors,but upon reading this article,it made want to just make my own and switch to customized decors. Hehe
Christmas is coming and these DIY garlands of yours really add beauty to my Christmas decors. I am going to make this, thank you!
It’s a lot of fun to make this Christmas garland. I think it’s the perfect excuse to make it with the entire family! Love easy things to do!