With the christmas season approaching, I decided it was time to break out my holiday DIYs. We recently got two new kitties, and we have a beloved dog, so I decided to do a DIY to incorporate them.
I chose to do a salt-dough ornament, and press their paws into the dough. I made a recipe that I absolutely love, and I can give you details on how I decorated them.
Salt Dough Recipe
1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup water
Method
Mix flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Add water. Mix or knead until you have a ball of slightly sticky, malleable dough.
Flour a surface HEAVILY and flour a rolling pin. Roll out the dough until about an 1/2 inch thick. Use cookie cutters or the rim of a glass to cut out the desired shape. Make a hole in them with a straw
Tip!!! If you plan on pushing your animals paw into the dough, I suggest either rolling it a bit thicker or cutting two shapes, to layer after pressing.
Bake at 250 degrees F for 2-3 hours or until hard.
Decorating
Acrylic paint
Glitter
Mod Podge Dimentional Magic
Mod Podge basic sealant
Paint your ornaments with your desired colour and designs, I found that a slightly watery paint worked best, as it filled all the cracks. I used a watery black, and it took a few coats. Wait until it is completely dry! Then paint the inside of your paw print impression with Mod Podge. Carefully pour the glitter into the impressions. Give it a moment to dry, then dump the excess glitter in the garbage.
Give it a few minutes to set, and then carefully fill the indentations with Dimentional Magic. Let dry fully, I recommend overnight.
Then coat your ornament in your sealant. When dry, string it on a ribbon and VOILA!! A christmas ornament filled with love for your pets.
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I found it easier with bigger animals to wait until they were lying down, put the dough circle on a plate and then just lightly push their paw into the dough. Otherwise the foot will go right through the dough.
Remember to wipe their little furry paws after. If the circle is heavily floured, they won't have sticky dough on them, but trust me, cats still leave tiny little pawprints all over your house.
