DIY Valentine Ornaments

Anyone still have their tree up? Here’s a great way to transition it into a Valentine’s Day tree. They of course don’t have to go on a tree – you could hang them on the wall, or put little command hooks along the fireplace. You could string them on a ribbon and have a little garland. And if you’re not feeling hearts, you can use any shape(s) that sound fun.

Here are pictures of my Valentine’s Day tree from last year.

If you’re looking for a fun Valentine’s Day craft to enjoy on this snowy day or you have little ones to entertain, I’ve included the recipe I used below. It’s easy to throw together and uses ingredients you likely have on hand already. You can use whatever shape you’d like – I personally used a heart-shaped cookie cutter for mine but there’s all sorts of fun possibilities that you could make year round where you could use some of those hundreds of cookie cutters in the drawer that have been collecting dust.

For my ornaments, I painted them with acrylic paint after they were cooled. I used what I had on hand, but you don’t have to use anything fancy – the 50 cent craft paint you can get from almost anywhere would work fine. Have fun picking the colors and painting them! Depending on the quality of paint or the look you’d like, you may need a couple layers of paint.

If you want them to last years and years, you can coat them with varnish or a finishing spray. I have ones that I made as Christmas gifts over a decade ago that are still holding up. Store them in a cool dry environment for best longevity.

Salt Hardening Clay Ornaments

1 1/2 cups Salt
4 cups Flour
2 cups Water
(optional) food coloring

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix flour, salt, and water. (If you are using food coloring, mix the food coloring with the water before adding the dry ingredients.) Knead dough. Roll out onto a floured surface and shape as desired. Cut or poke out a hole for the string (I used a straw for this).

Did you remember to make the holes? Okay, then bake on a baking sheet for approximately 45 minutes. After completely cooled, decorate as desired.

Decorating Supply Suggestions:
Acrylic/craft paint, ribbon or string to hang. If you want to get fancy (messy) glitter and glue. You might be able to use stickers or gems, beads, feathers – use your imagination and what you have around you! Oh, you could do a fun tie-dye effect by using different colors of food coloring in different parts of the dough and then rolling it together!