Christmas Cinnamon Ornaments

You’ll need:

1. 1 cup applesauce

2. 1 ounce cinnamon

3. 1 ounce ground cloves

4. 1 ounce ground nutmeg

5. 1 ounce ground ginger

6. Cinnamon for the cutting board

Combine all the ingredients to make a stiff dough. Roll the dough out on a board that has been dusted with ground cinnamon. Cut ornaments out with a cookie cutter. Put a hole in the top for hanging later. This can be done with the end of a straw. Lay the ornaments out flat to dry. Turn them every 12 hours until they are completely dry.

These make your house smell so good and the fragrance lasts a long time.

Handy Placemats

You’ll need:

1. 1″ paint brush

2. Non-toxic paint

3. Construction paper

4. Clear self-adhesive paper

Sit down with your child at the kitchen table. Paint your child’s hand (palm to fingertips). Firmly place hand on construction paper to form a handprint. Make as many prints in as many colors as both of you desire, and let dry. Optional: use markers to add information about your child such as: name, date of birth and other facts you’d like to share. Let the paint dry and cover both sides of the construction paper with the clear self-adhesive paper. You can give a single placemat as a centerpiece or in a set of two, four or six.

If your child is enjoying the activity you can also hand print an apron, a tray, a plate, a book or a T-shirt.

Colorful Picture Frame

You’ll need:

1. Salt dough – flour salt vegetable oil, water, bowl

2. Cutter – for adult use

3. Plastic knife

4. Tempera paints or poster paints in lots of bright colors

5. Corrugated cardboard

6. Use of oven

7. apron, Rolling pin and strong glue.

Make the salt dough.

200ml water

1 T. Vegetable Oil

300 g. plain flour

300 g. salt

Bowl

1. Mix flour, salt, oil, and water into a soft dough in the bowl.

2. Add water if some pieces keep falling apart. Knead.

3. Roll out a piece of salt clay about 3 – 4cm thick.

4. Using the plastic knife cut out a big flower with 6 petals.

5. Cut out a small flower with 6 petals and glue it over the big flower.

6. Cut out a circle and place it over the small flower.

7. Repeat until you have 3 to 4 flowers done.

8. Use the cutter to cut the corrugated cardboard into 4 long pieces in any length you want.

9. Glue the sides of the corrugated card to form a square, then let it dry.

10. Put your flowers in the oven and let it bake until it becomes a little bit yellowish. (Oven at 350 degrees for 20 min).

11. Cool the flowers.

12. Paint the flowers in exciting colors, try to use your imagination by adding dots or stripes.

13. Let the paint dry.

14. Glue the flowers any way you want in the frame.

15. It’s ready to be given as a present or to put a picture in it.

Bath Salts

Mom’s, grandma’s, aunts and others love bath salts. And they look great in old unique jars.

You’ll need:

1. Large glass or metal mixing bowl

2. 2 c. Epsom’s salts

3. 1c. Sea salt, rock salt or coarse salt

4. Food coloring

5. 1/4 t. Glycerin

6. Essential oil for fragrance such as vanilla, citrus or peppermint, optional

7. Clean, dry jars with cork stoppers or metal screw-on lid

How to Make it

1. Try and do this on a day with low humidity, the salt will absorb moisture from the air.

2. combine salts in bowl and mix well. Add a couple drops of food coloring and mix well.

3. Add glycerin and essential oil (4 to 5 drops) and mix well.

4. Spoon salts into the jars and close them.

5. Make a gift tag with the scent (if you used one) and suggest using 1/3 to 1/2 cup in the bath.

6. Makes 3 cups of bath salts.