You have to admit, if you could freeze time and hold on to those tiny little squishy baby hands forever, you would. So why not create a keepsake that allows you to see them and hold on to those memories year after year? I wish I had done this when Marielle was a newborn…those little tiny fingers were one of my most favorite things about her. But, it’s a great memory for her one year milestone as well. It’s really easy to create these. All you need is salt, flour, water, a straw, ribbon and mini cookie cutters (whatever shape you like) and sand paper or a nail file. I happen to have a little heart shaped cookie cutter so I used that.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
Mix Together…
- 1 cup of salt
- 1 cup of flour
- 1/2 cup of warm water
Knead the dough until the ingredient are combined and you have a slightly sticky, but not crumbly, dough. Roll dough out onto a floured surface and use a large biscuit cutter or small glass bowl to cut a circle in the dough.
Place your child’s hand in the center of the circle and press down. Make sure you press down on each finger and palm so that you get a good imprint. Mine were a bit shallow, but you can still see it.
Using a drinking straw, punch two holes in the top of the circle for ribbon.
Using your cookie cutter, cut out a few shapes from the remaining dough, and punch a hole in the top of those as well.
Place on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper, and bake for 3-4 hours, or until the ornaments are hardened.
Remove from the oven and let cool. Using a fine grain sandpaper or nail file, smooth out any rough edges around the ornament.
Thread your ribbon and year charm through the ornament, tie a bow, and you’re finished! You can choose to seal or paint the ornament if you like. Sealing is quite easy, simple dilute Elmer’s glue with a little water and brush on. I’m choosing to leave mine as is…mostly because we made these two days before Christmas and I wasn’t about to hit the craft stores…or any store for that matter! While mine do not look like the ones on Pinterest, it was still a fun activity and created a wonderful memory. Merry Christmas!
The Simple Elements 