Here’s one of my favorite easy and low waste valentines ideas that you can make using homemade salt dough and small nature items. These valentines are so easy to make using items that you likely already have in your home. This is my go-to salt dough recipe that we’ve been using for as long as I can remember. For our nature items we used redwood cones and small geode pieces. This tutorial includes instructions on baking your salt dough valentines in the oven to dry them, but you can also opt to air dry them instead, especially if you choose to use nature items that should not be placed in the oven such as dried flowers or leaves.

Materials

– 1c flour
– 1/2c salt
– 1 tbs cream of tartar
– 2 tsp olive or avocado oil
– 1/2-1c water
– rolling pin
– heart cookie cutter (I’m using the one that measures 2”)
– small nature items such as pinecones, gemstones, geode pieces, etc

Instructions for making nature salt dough heart valentines:

Step 1: How to make salt dough

Preheat your oven to the lowest setting (170-200 degrees F). Mix the flour, salt and cream of tartar together in a bowl. Add the water into the flour mixture and stir with a spoon until the dough is combined. I find that the amount of water is dependent on the temperature so I reccomend starting with 1/2c and adding more as needed. Make a well in the center of the dough and add the oil. Knead dough until it is smooth. When you are finished the dough should be easy to handle and should not stick to your hands. If the dough is too dry, add more water. If it is too sticky, add more flour. On a lightly floured board, roll the dough out to about 1/4” thick. Cut out heart shapes using your cookie cutter.

Step 2: Adding nature items and how to bake salt dough

Attach nature items to each heart by pressing them into the dough. We used redwood cones and pieces of a geode. I like to do this before removing the cookie cutter so that the dough doesn’t flatten out. Any leftover salt dough can be stored in an air tight container for a few days. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven until dry and hard (around 2-3 hours). The time will depend on the thickness and overall size of the pieces. Check on them periodically and flip every hour. Allow to cool completely before handling.

Please note that salt dough can be harmful for children or pets if it is consumed. Supervise children when working with the dough and store out of reach. This recipe contains wheat. If you plan to give this away as a gift or to make it with children, please be aware of any possible allergens.