Salt Dough Handprint and Footprint Ornaments

Tis the season to create the perfect handprint and footprint Christmas ornaments for baby’s first Christmas! Even though my baby did these at 22 months old, they are still a DIY keepsake that I will hang on my Christmas tree yearly, and treasure for eternity! If you like these, then you'll adore my Handprint Keepsake Ornament, Clothespin DIY Reindeer Ornaments, Popsicle Stick Ornaments, Easy Christ-Centered Christmas Crafts, Candy Cane Wreath, and Paper Plate Christmas Tree crafts.

These keepsake salt dough ornaments are very easy-to-make DIY Christmas crafts! They make perfect gifts for grandma, grandpa, godparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins! All you need is flour, salt, and water to make the actual print. I also used acrylic paint to paint the handprint and footprint ornaments, followed by a varnish to preserve the paint for years to come.

I enjoy Christmas so much more when my kid is involved. I will continue to make these until she’s too old to do so because I’m THAT mom! I made these three years ago and they’re still perfectly intact and not a single chip in them.

How to Make the Best Salt Dough Handprint and Footprint Ornaments

1). Mix the flour and salt together until combined. Add the ½ cup water and slowly add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until desired consistency is reached. The ideal consistently should resemble play dough. When you knead the dough make sure to coat your hands in flour as this will help to prevent hands from sticking. If you skip this step, the dough sticks to your fingers and hands, making it much more difficult to knead. Make sure to use a pen to make a hole in the top to hang from.

2). Bake at 200 degrees F for three hours. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and place the handprint and or footprint in the oven. Depending on your oven, you may need to flip them and cook for additional time after the three hours is up. If they’re moist on the bottom after three hours, consider flipping them and watching them closely until they’re completely baked and dry.

When they’re done baking and have cooled off, you can use acrylic paint to paint them. I painted three coats of light blue acrylic paint on each one to start. After the blue paint was finished, I used white acrylic paint to paint the inner handprint and footprint. Then, I painted all the details, using various acrylic paint colors.

On the backs, I painted my daughter’s name and the year. After they dried, I sprayed two to three coats of Mod Podge all over them. Mod Podge is a varnish that protects the paint.

If you like this, then you’ll love these kid’s crafts!

Popsicle Stick Ornament

Mistle Toes & Footprint Snowman Cards

Clothespin DIY Reindeer Ornaments

Paper Plate Christmas Tree

Handprint Keepsake Ornament

Candy Cane Wreath

Taste Safe Hot Cocoa Sensory Bin

Kid Friendly Christmas Recipes you’ll adore!

Reindeer Pretzels

Hot Chocolate on a Stick - Kid Friendly Recipe

Santa Party Platter

Hot Cocoa Marshmallow Cup Cookies

Snowman Cheeseball

Final Thoughts

Finally, if you make these Salt Dough Handprint and Footprint Ornaments, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this craft a rating! I love to hear from everyone who makes this craft and always try my best to respond to all comments.

If you do make this craft, don’t forget to tag #elisemccollister on Instagram! It makes me so happy to see your recipe photos!

Salt Dough Handprint and Footprint Ornaments

Elise McCollister

Tis the season to create the perfect handprint and footprint Christmas ornaments for baby’s first Christmas!

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Equipment

• 1 pair of scissors
• 1 paint brush

Materials

  

• 2 cups flour all-purpose
• 2 cups salt
• 1/2 cup water plus additional
• acrylic paint white, blue, black, green, red, orange
• Mod Podge clear acrylic spray sealer
• ribbon

Instructions

 

• Mix the flour and salt together until combined. Add the ½ cup water and slowly add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until desired consistency is reached. The ideal consistently should resemble play dough. When you knead the dough make sure to coat your hands in flour as this will help to prevent hands from sticking. If you skip this step, the dough sticks to your fingers and hands, making it much more difficult to knead. Make sure to use a pen to make a hole in the top to hang from.
• Bake at 200º F for three hours. Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and place the handprint and or footprint in the oven. Depending on your oven, you may need to flip them and cook for additional time after the three hours is up. If they’re moist on the bottom after three hours, consider flipping them and watching them closely until they’re completely baked and dry.
• When they’re done baking and have cooled off, you can use acrylic paint to paint them. I painted three coats of light blue acrylic paint on each one to start. After the blue paint was finished, I used white acrylic paint to paint the inner handprint and footprint. Then, I painted all the details, using various acrylic paint colors.
• On the backs, I painted my daughter’s name and the year. After they dried, I sprayed two to three coats of Mod Podge all over them. Mod Podge is a varnish that protects the paint

Notes

On the backs, I painted my daughter’s name and the year. After they dried, I sprayed two to three coats of Mod Podge all over them. Mod Podge is a varnish that protects the paint

Did you make this craft?Mention @elisemccollister or tag #elisemccollister!