Oh yeah!!!!!
The holidays being right around the corner, literally snapped me out of my "what the heck should I create?" funk. Thank goodness, too! I'm in the mood to be MERRY people! I'm ready to deck the halls, drink some hot cocoa with cute mini marshmallows, but most importantly, create some really wonderful memories with my boys. So, you're in luck if you're reading this. I've got some really fun and EASY diy ornaments that you can do on your own or with your littles this holiday season.
Before married life and motherhood, I was a teacher to elementary age kiddos - both general and special ed. There is something about the holidays and school projects that still tug on my heartstrings and I remembered my very first holiday craft! My very first class of kiddos made Applesauce-Cinnamon Heart ornaments. I wish I could remember where that original recipe went? This is super simple and your kiddos can help, which they will LOVE. And your house will smell amazing. And then you can thank me later ;-)
You'll need three main ingredients: applesauce, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves. Heart cookie cutters (I chose three different types of hearts, but you can use any cookie cutter shape you like), and colored string. I bought my string from here.
In a large bowl, mix 1 c applesauce with 1 1/2 c ground cinnamon. Mix with hands or with a spatula until it's well combined. Then add your cloves into the mix. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl and that all the ingredients are incorporated. It might take some time, but who cares! If the 'dough' is too wet or sticky, add a little more cinnamon. If it's too dry and crumbles, add a little more applesauce. Now, take a moment and pause because the smell is so inviting...ahhhh!
I sprinkled cinnamon on the kitchen table to make sure the dough wouldn't stick to my rolling pin etc. Roll out your dough so it's about 1/4" thick. Take your cookie cutter of choice and start cranking out some holiday fun! Once your little hearts are on the cookie sheet, take a toothpick or bottom of a wooden skewer and poke a hole at the top so you can string them later.
My boys loved this part!
I laid out my hearts on a Silpat cookie sheet. I love the one I have from here. If you don't have a Silpat cookie sheet, using parchment paper will do the trick as well. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 1.5 hours. The hearts should be rock hard when done. After an hour, I flipped the hearts over and had them bake an additional 30 mins. PERFECTION! And my kitchen...Holy Holidays Batman, it smelled amazing! I need to bottle this smell. I'm sure there is someone out there who has bottled this scent. And guess what...I WANT IT. Anyway, the first thing out of my husband's mouth when he walked in the door from work was, "Wow, it smells really good in here!" Oh yeah, I know ;-)
They almost look good enough to eat, but trust me, it's a really bad idea!
I plan to hang these little ornaments on our tree and around the house as decorations. You can also use them as a darling little addition to gift tags or top a gift with a few of these handmade goodies. It was so much fun to do with my boys. They loved getting their little hands dirty (go figure) and it made me happy to be creating a new tradition with them ;-)
PS. I'll give you a little hint for my next diy Holiday Ornament post: they are heroes in a half shell.... ;-)
Creatively Yours,
NorCal Contessa
