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salt dough handprint ornaments ✨ If you have sma

salt dough handprint ornaments ✨ If you have small children this holiday season— or if you’re like us, and it will be baby’s first Christmas 🥹, this is your friendly reminder to make handprint and footprint ornaments! This is my go-to salt dough recipe that we’ve used and loved for as long as I can remember. You can also use the cornstarch clay recipe that I shared with the star garland— both work well. What I like about salt dough is that my 8 year old can make it independently and I think that’s a really special aspect of it. The salt dough can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container and any creations can be painted/sealed once dry. You can either air dry or bake.

Materials:
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1 tablespoon cream of tartar
- 1 or 2 teaspoon olive or avocado oil
- 1/2 to 1 cup water

Instructions:
- Make your salt dough: mix 1c flour + 1/2c salt + 1 tbsp cream of tartar in a bowl. Add water into the flour mixture and stir with a spoon until the dough is combined. I find that the amount of water needed is dependent on several factors, so start with 1/2c and only add additional water in small increments if needed. Make a well in the center of the dough and add 1-2 tsp olive or avocado oil. Knead until smooth
- Dust your surface with flour and roll dough out to 1/4” thick
- Add your child’s hand/foot prints!
- Cut out, either using a cookie cutter or a knife
- Bake in your oven on the lowest setting (usually 170-200 degrees) until dry. It should take a few hours. You can also let the dough air dry

Notes:
Do not consume, keep out of reach for pets, contains wheat

#handmadeholiday #diychristmas #lowwastechristmas #diyholidaydecor #diyclay #saltdough #diyornaments #handprintornament

This is your sign to start working on those handma

This is your sign to start working on those handmade gifts that you’ve been thinking about making ✨ Here are some of my personal favorite projects using upcycled and natural materials that would make the most whimsical and charming gifts.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again— make something, anything really! You can break the process up into (many) steps. In this season of life I’m usually creating during small pockets of time or with a sleeping baby on my chest. Let’s make something together ✨

#handmadeholiday #upcycledcrafts #naturecrafts #diychristmas #beeswaxcandles #fairynotebook #hobbitcore

dried orange and dried pear garlands ✨🍊🍐 I

dried orange and dried pear garlands ✨🍊🍐 It’s that time again! Here’s how we dry our oranges and pears every year with instructions for both baking and dehydrating. We use these for everything during the holiday season— my favorites are strung up as a garland and to decorate gifts. At the end of the season we throw them all into simmer pots. They can also be composted or saved for future years (they will darken with age)

Some tricks I’ve learned over the years:
Take care to cut all of your slices a *consistent thickness* (thinner areas are more likely to burn) and keep a close eye towards the end. They go from vibrant to burnt in a snap. Give your slices a really good pat down in between fine weave towels before drying. This makes a big difference in cutting down drying time. You’ll be able to tell when your orange slices are dry because they will truly look and feel dry with no sticky or soft areas. I find that the pears are a bit more pliable when dry than other fruits but they should not feel moist. I highly recommend dehydrating pears in particular over baking them as they will brown a bit in the oven.

Instructions:
- Slice fruit to 1/8” thick
- Place on a clean tea towel and pat dry with another towel. Remove as much moisture as possible.
- To bake: Arrange on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake at 200 degrees F (or at your lowest temp) for several hours until dry, flipping every 30 minutes to prevent edges from curling. It should take anywhere from 3-5 hours.
- To dehydrate: Set your dehydrator to 130 degrees for about 12-14 hours, flipping every hour or so

#handmadeholiday #lowwaste #diychristmas #lowwastechristmas #plasticfreechristmas #diyholidaydecor #driedoranges #driedorangeslices #orangegarland #driedcitrus #peargarland

gingerbread house gift bags 🏠🎁 made using br

gingerbread house gift bags 🏠🎁 made using brown sandwich bags! I use a chalk marker to draw the design but a paint pen also works. I love the small size of these but they can also be made with larger sized bags or with a large bag with a handle at the top. These are also fun made into a garland or as an advent calendar!

Materals:
- brown paper sandwich bags
- chalk marker or paint pen
- hole punch
- twine

Instructions:
- Fold the top corners of your bag
- Draw your design— I like to sketch it out with a pencil first before going over it with a chalk marker
- Use a hole punch to punch two holes at the top, going through the folded layers as well
- Place your gift inside and tie a piece of twine at the top to close

#handmadeholiday #diychristmas #lowwastechristmas #diygiftbag #gingerbreadhouse #gingerbreadgiftbag

cinnamon applesauce ornaments ✨ Just core childh

cinnamon applesauce ornaments ✨ Just core childhood memory things— who remembers making some variation of these?! A bunch of requests for a cinnamon ornament; I love these not only for their nostalgia but because they are fragrant, will keep forever (+ retain the cinnamon smell for subsequent years) and are the quickest and easiest to make especially for children. A trick for this dough is to stick it in the fridge for an hour or so before working with it which will help it firm up a bit before working with it and to dust generously with cinnamon. I used my dough to make these little gingerbread man ornaments but you can use any shape cookie cutter that you’d like.

Materials:
- 1 cup cinnamon
- 3/4 cups apple sauce
- ribbon and twine

Instructions:
- Combine cinnamon and apple sauce until it becomes dough-like. If dough is crumbly= add more applesauce and vice versa.
- (optional tip) I like to chill the dough for an hour or so before working with it so that it firms up a little bit
- Dust your surface with cinnamon and roll your dough out to 1/4” thick
- Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes and a chopstick or toothpick to add a hole
- Bake on a cookie sheet line with parchment paper in your oven on the lowest setting (usually 170-200 degrees F) until dry. It usually takes a couple hours
- Add a bow and twine for a hanger

#handmadeholiday #lowwaste #diychristmas #lowwastechristmas #diyholidaydecor #diyornaments #applesauceornaments #cinnamonornaments

walnut shell beeswax candles 🕯️ It’s that t

walnut shell beeswax candles 🕯️ It’s that time of the year again! These candles float in water and will last anywhere from 10-30 minutes. They make magical little gifts. I’ll always be so fond of these because they remind me of Elliot’s littlest years and really sparked my love for beeswax candle making years ago when I started my blog back in 2018. I always love hearing too about how many of you remember things like this from your own childhood and that’s all I really hope for with my own kids.

Materials:
walnut shells, beeswax, cotton wick, metal pouring pitcher or heat-proof container to melt wax in (and something to place it on top of inside of the pot)

Instructions:
- Melt beeswax using the double-boiler method: Place your container inside of a larger pot (on top of something so that it does not sit directly on the bottom of the pot). Fill the larger pot with water
- Place the beeswax inside of the container, heat the water and simmer until your beeswax has liquified
- Cut a length of wick for each walnut shell and dip into melted wax, straighten and let cool
- Carefully pour the beeswax into each shell. Wax pouring temp should be around 160 °F
- Add the wick to each shell before it starts to set
- Fill a heat-safe bowl with water. Float your walnut shell candles in the water and light them!

Use + Safety:
Always trim candle wicks to approximately 1/8” before lightning. Supervise children and pets at all times. ALWAYS only light these candles floating in a bowl of water. DO NOT leave a burning candle unattended, once the beeswax melts down the shell can burn and potentially catch on fire.

#walorfinspired #naturecrafts #candlemaking #handmadecandles #beeswaxcandles #wintercrafts #wintersolstice #adventcandle #walnutcandles #walnutshellcandles #floatingcandle

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