Cooking up Christmas ornaments

Salty dough ornaments are a lovely addition to a Christmas tree

A salty dough ornament caps off the Guardian’s three-part series on do-it-yourself ornaments.

Using the expertise of Tatiana Mizerina, who has been doing crafts for most of her life, the series has featured a gingerbread man ornament and a Christmas tree ornament. To check out the directions for both of these, go to www. theguardian.pe.ca.

Mizerina is originally from Russia moved to P.E.I. three years ago. The owner of a craft business, which she runs out of her home in Stratford, she says living on Prince Edward Island has influenced her hand-made items.

For more information or to purchase some of her products, visit www.facebook.com/ colourfulisland or www.colourfulisland.etsy.com.

Following are the items needed for the third crafty ornament, as well as step-by-step instructions:

Salty dough ornament

You will need:

1 cup of flour

1 cup of salt

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon of vegetable oil Cutting board

Rolling pin

Cookie cutter (any holiday shape) Acrylic paint Sewing needle Ribbon

Instructions: Step 1:

Combine flour, salt, water and vegetable oil. Mix into a dough and refrigerate overnight.

Step 2:

Place dough on cutting board and spread out flat with rolling pin.

Step 3:

Using cookie cutter, make a variety of different shapes. Punch out a small hole near the top with a needle (a large enough hole to put a ribbon through it).

Step 4:

Place dough shapes on a plate and let dry for 48 hours until dough is hard.

Step 5:

Now for the fun part! Paint your salty dough ornament with acrylic paint. You can also personalize it with your initials or a date on the back.

Step 6:

Let the paint dry overnight and then tie a ribbon through the hole.

MAUREEN COULTER/THE GUARDIAN Here’s a finished salty dough ornament, left, ready to hang on the Christmas tree. At right all the materials needed to make salty dough ornaments can be found in most homes.