Monday, 9 December 2013

Ugly/Beautiful Salt Dough Christmas Decorations!

I must be getting braver with this messy play lark. Despite struggling with baking a few weeks ago, and hating painting, for some reason I decided to try an activity that combines both - salt dough Christmas decorations! This time I'd wised up and did in two instalments, both after mealtimes so I could keep Toddler safely enclosed in her highchair and so make clean up easier. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking here:

Rolling out the salt dough.

Er, that's not how you use a rolling pin!

A good attempt at solo cutter usage ...

... but sometimes Mummy's help is required!

Then it started to go a bit wrong!

The decorations pre-baking - please ignore the legless Santa!

Painting the decorations the next day. (Yes, that's a pastry brush, I couldn't find the paintbrush. And actually it was easier for Toddler to wield anyway!)

This looks like a Santa Claus massacre ...

The finished articles. Umm. Lovely??

The obligatory paint eating crept in at the end ...

... as did an effort to paint the entire tray. I'd been telling her to paint the decorations 'right up to the edge' - a phrase she repeated as she daubed her food tray in gore-like mess!

There's no two ways about it - the finished decorations are pretty ugly. I mean, c'mon people, a black heart on your Christmas tree?! But to me, and probably to Toddler, they're beautiful. Because we made them - or rather, she made them, I just helped, far less than I expected to as well. She had fun, I felt proud, everyone's happy. And despite their ugliness I can't wait to hang them up.

It's enough to warm your black heart, ain't it?!

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  1. As long as you both had fun, that's the important bit :) The decorations will forever make you smile! #LetKidsBeKids

    1. Exactly - I love the decorations because they will forever remind me of my little toddler artist!

  2. Looks like you had tons of fun! I love Xmas time and all the activities you can do with the little ones :) #letkidsbekids

  3. They look just like a toddler has done them which is brilliant! I don't think the result really matters at this age just the process of doing and letting them explore. It's very rare my son does a painting at home that isn't just a brown mishmash of colours but it's all part of them learning :) #LetKidsBeKids

    1. Haha, yes, show me a beautifully decorated 'toddler' creation and I'll show you a mum who's done all the work!! Far more fun to let them make a big brown mess! #LetKidsBeKids

  4. Your daughter looks like she had a wonderful time and you get some homemade decorations in the process. In a few years she will be able to produce something that isn't brown- my daughter is almost 4 and is just getting there!

    1. Actually we hung these up today and despite them not being the prettiest things in the world it still made me rather emotional to think that we were hanging up something our daughter made! I look forward to her being able to make something less brown in years to come, but I think I'll always have a soft spots for these decorations!