Thursday, December 1, 2011

Handmade Christmas: Applesauce Ornaments

Have you ever made cinnamon ornaments?
It only takes a couple of items at the grocery store and a few supplies you likely already have to make 10-15 cute ornaments perfect for a child to share with friends.
The ornament "dough" is made from a large bottle of cinnamon and a little bit of applesauce to serve as the glue. You mix and mix and mix!
Once it is mixed and taken on a dough form, you roll it out between 2 sheets of saran wrap and use cookie cutters to make your shapes.
It amazingly doesn't stick to the saran wrap at all!
We bought a dancer to use and share these with Abby Lu's dance classmates, but she was too detailed and her arms were too skinny! I found that hearts, stars, and crosses worked much better!
I found the edges were cleaner when I pulled the excess dough off while the cookie cutter was still in place. Once it is cut out, just use a straw or chopstick to poke a hole in the top to help with hanging the ornament later.
After they are all cut out, the directions say you can bake them or just leave them out to dry over the course of a few days. We did that and it worked just fine.
As they dry, they'll lighten in color.
In total, I made 12 ornaments (throwing out the dancers with broken arms!) and only spent $8. If you have to buy a cookie cutter, your cost will go up slightly. These would be fun accessories on the outside of a wrapped gift and make the room smell great.
Happy Gifting!