December's Projects

My grand illusions of all the lovely things I would make and do and post about  during the Christmas Season and all of its  happenings, were diminished by the reality of December chaos, and my lack of ability to begin all these "wonderful" Christmas projects a little earlier.... let's say maybe September.  But it seems that no matter how often I plan to be well organized and ahead of schedule, I cannot seem to begin "Christmas" until 3 weeks before, at which time my enthusiasm gets carried away, and I am "in" way too deep to blog or delightfully sip tea while I write my Christmas cards (which I did finally do by the way, and got most of them  out 2 days ago, the rest will be "New Years" cards).   I am thinking to myself that I can look at my project making in a different light by not feeling badly that it is now the morning of Christmas Eve, and I am just now posting my projects, without any instructions (contrary to what I had first committed myself to do),  and instead decided that I can look at it this way: I am an entire year early, and how wonderfully organized I am for 2011 Christmas. Ha Ha.  Here is a brief picture summary of my December projects.  I really did enjoy making them, even if I did try to push them into too tight of a time frame.

Salt Dough Ornaments

(Recipe at bottom of Post)

 Painted to look like German Pottery

 Dipped in Paraffin

 Christmas Stockings for Grandkids

 Blankets for Adults...

 

and Babies.

Jammies for all the Grandkids.... hope they all fit.... (didn't get a "sane" moment to take pictures of those... was over the top by that time, but loved making them... (plan to start that project again, in June next year :)

Salt Dough Recipe

3 cups flour

1 cup salt

approximately  3/4 -1 cup water

Mix dry ingredients together, then add water a little at a time until a soft dough is formed (not too wet, not too crumbly.

You may add cocoa, cinnamon or food coloring if you would like to work some color into the dough prior to making ornaments, or you may paint them after they are baked.

Roll out and cut with cookie cutters, or form into desired shapes. Place on floured cookie sheet, and bake at about 270 degrees until completely hard. (1 to 3 hours depending on the thickness of dough). Once cool and dry, paint with watercolor or acylic paints.  Allow to dry again and then dip in melted paraffin, or pray with clear acrylic spray, or paint with shellac to seal.

Note:  I have looked up quite a few recipes for salt dough, this is the one I have used the most, but they  all vary by cup of flour, some adding more many adding less; the point is, this does not have to be a stringent measurement, it all works well.  The cinnamon or cocoa are nice if you want to cut out little gingerbread men that look like gingerbread.

Have fun.