It’s easy to bring a little love-day flair into your home–and you can find all of the supplies in your pantry with this salt dough Valentine’s Garland!
Working with Salt Dough
If you have little kids at home, you’ve likely whipped up some salt dough to keep tiny hands busy on a day stuck inside–but did you know that you can bake it like clay? It’s true! We love using salt dough to make Christmas ornaments and other holiday decor since it’s affordable and the kids can get in on the action, too!
To mix things up with this project, we thought it would be fun to add in some melty beads (since we never seem to be able to get rid of them) and we love the colorful and fun graphic detail they added.
Supplies Need to Make a Salt Dough Valentines Garland
1 cup salt
4 cups flour
1.5 cups warm water
Rolling pin
Heart cookie cutter
Straw
Perler or Melty Beads
Multi-Surface Acrylic Paint
Mod Podge
Paint Brush
String
Step 1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, stir to combine salt and flour. Add warm water gradually, mixing with a wooden spoon until dough is mostly combined and then using hands to mix dough fully and form into a ball.
Step 2. On a flat surface, roll out dough with a rolling pin until is 1/4″ thick.
Step 3. Cut dough into a heart shape using a cookie cutter and make a small hole in the top of the heart, using a straw.
Step 4. Press Perler or melty beads into the hearts in your desired pattern.
Step 5. Place hearts on a cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour or until hard. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Step 6. Once the hearts have cooled completely, apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to the hearts using a paint brush. This will help to hold any loose beads in place. Let dry completely.
Step 7. If desired, paint the edges of the hearts with a coordinating paint color. Let dry completely.
Step 8. Thread string through the holes and tie a knot on each before stringing the next heart. This will hold the hearts in place.
Step 9. Hang and enjoy!
So fun, right? And this project can be easily adapted to fit any holiday or celebration. Just change up the cookie cutter shape and the color scheme and you’re set!
Happy Making!
ox. Sam and Liz
