For Children
Kids are the true Artists of Life
In this section we will provide things to do for children: crafts, painting, decorations - and of course we have the theme of the Alps.
We will show what children from the Alps are playing with and provide you with examples and designs for glass paint, typical seasonal decorations you can find in Austria, Slovenia, North-Italy, South-Germany, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and South-East-France.
Salt Dough Christmas Decoration
Salt dough is a great modelling clay, which can be prepared quickly and easy at home. What is perfect about it: it is nontoxic and can therefore be used by the little ones at well and you all can enjoy crafty Christmas preparations. The basic dough consists of two parts of flour, one part salt and water.
Kids can easily roll the salt dough
Take your preferred pastry cutters, a pint roll and your are ready to produce lovely Christmas decoration.
For our Christmas tree decorations we used this portion of Salt Dough:
Salt Dough Recipe:
2 cups of flour
1 cup of salt
about a cup of water,
some cinnamon for perfect Christmas mood,
flour for the table
cut the salt dough with high quality stainless steel cutters
It is easy as pie to mix the dough and you can leave this task to your kids. When the dough is ready I would suggest that everyone takes the amount of dough you wish to use, flatten it with the rolling pin (what can be done wonderfully with the blue children's rolling pin). When rolled properly take your cookie cutters and cut out the Christmas tree decoration.
If you like you can directly cut out the tree decorations directly at the baking tray, so you don't have to move the dough when it is cut out. If the dough in the bowl gets to try while your are cutting or modelling, you can always add some water and mix it again.
The readily baked salt dough tree decoration
Don't forget: the tree decorations need little holes where you can put in some string to hang them later on - use e.g. a small knitting needle to make this hole.
But the baking tray into the oven at 85 degrees Celsius. Leave them in half an hour for every 0.5cm - if your tree decorations are 1cm in height leave them in the oven for an hour. The salt dough is ready, when the objects are dry and sound as if they where hollow.
Colouring of our Salt Dough Angels, Saltdough Shoes, and of Course salt dough stags
Take the tray out of the oven and let the salt figurines cool. You can paint them now or just cover them with varnish.
Use a thin string, put it into the hole - and your tree decoration is finished, you can use them as gift tags as well or give them as present, these wonderfully handmade Christmas Decorations.
Have fun mixing, cutting, baking and decorating!
In our on-line shop you will find wonderful gifts, present and ideas for a great Christmas time:
21.11.2009. 12:53