Yule

Cinnamon Salt Dough Ornaments

Ingredients & Materials:

Instructions:

* These ornaments are not edible!

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Mix flour, salt, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl.
Add water and mix all ingredients together until it forms a ball of dough.
Knead dough for a few minutes until it feels elastic.
Roll out the dough to 1/4“ thickness.
Use cookie cutters to cut shapes out of the dough.
Make a small hole at the top of the ornament with a skewer or chopstick.
Place the ornaments face down on the baking sheet. (The top side will be a lighter color as the salt is pulled out during baking. The side touching the baking sheet will be a darker color.)
Bake for 1 hour or until hard.
Place ornaments on a wire rack to cool.
Tie the two ends of the ribbon together.
Put the folded end of the ribbon through the hole in the ornament.
Pull the knotted end of the ribbon through the fold to create a hanger.
Hang your ornament on your tree and enjoy!

* Optional: After the ornament is cool, decorate with paint or glitter. To preserve ornament for a long time, spray with polyurethane.

Pine Cone Ornament

Materials:

Instructions:

Using the narrow ribbon, wrap it around the cone, through one of the upper rows of the scales, leaving ends of even length.
Tie a square knot in the ribbon, so that it is tight against the cone and hides under the scales. Tie the two end together to create a hanger.
Using the wider ribbon, tie a bow around the pieces of the narrow ribbon, close to the pinecone.

Ribbon Tree Ornament

Materials:

Instructions:

Tie one ribbon tightly around the twig, close to one end.
Add another ribbon as close to the first as you like.
Continue tying ribbons to the twig until you have filled all but the last inch. This bare end will become the base or trunk of the tree.
Use the scissors to trim the ribbons to form the shape of a Christmas tree, with the ribbons wider at the base and narrower at the top.
Push the end of the cord or narrow ribbon under the shortest ribbon at the top of the tree.
Knot the cord tightly against the ribbon.
Tie the ends of the cord together to form a hanger for the ornament.

Dried Fruit Slice Ornaments

Materials:

Optional:

Instructions:

To dry the fruit:

Preheat oven to 150 – 200 degrees.
Choose one type of fruit per batch.
Lay fruit on its side, cut off and discard ends, and slice across the fruit into ¼” slices. (Each slice should look like a star, with the seeds in the center of the slice.)
Place on baking sheets about ½” apart.
Bake for 2 -3 hours or until dry to the touch. Oranges and lemons should look glassy. Apples and pears will have a matte appearance.
Using a spatula, remove fruit slices from baking sheet and transfer to a rack. Cool completely overnight.

Optional Decorating:

Finishing the Ornament:

Using a knitting needle or pencil, make a hole into the dried fruit about ¼” from the edge.
Cut a piece of ribbon 8” long, push through the hole, and tie the ends together to create a hanger for your ornament.