How to Make Salt Dough Easter Decorations 

Seeing as we’re all spending Easter at home this year, I thought I would share my recent crafty project with you all. I didn’t have to buy a single thing for this project which makes it perfect for a ‘stay at home’ activity. 

I’m not usually the type to make my own decorations, I much prefer leisurely walking around the shops, picking up things that look pretty and then putting them all together when I get home. But that’s not an option to us right now so I thought I would rope my 5 year old into helping me make an Easter tree with salt dough decorations. 

How to Make Salt Dough 

1. Mix 2 cups of flour with 1 cup of salt and 3/4 cup of water. It really is that simple! 

2. Then on a floured surface, form into a ball, roll out and use cutters (or go freehand if you like!) to make your desired shapes. 

3. Place on a baking tray (which is covered with baking paper) and use a straw to make holes. 

4. Put your oven on it’s lowest setting and bake until your creations are no longer soft (3-5 hours depending on how thick your ornaments are). 

5. While the ornaments are drying out in the oven, cut some small branches from a tree and paint them white. Leave to dry.   

6. Decorate your ornaments any way you like and attach some ribbon or string. Finally, place branches in a vase and hang your ornaments. 

Once Easter is over we will be replacing the egg ornaments with flowers and butterflies. 

Top Tips: 

1. Get your little one to use felt-tip pens to decorate your ornaments - they’re much easier to control than paint and a lot easier to clean up.
2. Place some pebbles in the bottom of your vase if you’re worried it may tip over with the weight of the branches.
3. Babies can decorate too! Just make sure the paint you use is safe for babies and have a warm bath ready for after! 
4. Have fun making different types of ornaments. Maybe you have a dinosaur lover in your house or maybe you could make a family tree using a gingerbread cutter. The possibilities are endless.
5. You can also use salt dough to make handprint plaques. Simply form your dough into a ball and then roll out to about half an inch thick. Push your little ones hand or foot firmly into the centre and then bake in the oven (it will probably take a long time to bake though!). 

I would love to see your creations so feel free to message me directly with photos of your salt dough projects or tag Austhorpe Photography in your facebook or instagram posts.