If you have made a purchase from Unplanned Whimsy during Christmas, then you have probably received a homemade cinnamon-scented ornament for your tree as a gift of appreciation. Whether giving them away as small tokens of gratitude, or simply making them for your own tree these cinnamon scented ornaments so much fun to make!
The base of this recipe is a simple salt dough. Side note: Don’t eat these, because they will taste terrible.
DIY Cinnamon Scented Ornaments
Step One: Gather Supplies
You will need:
- 1 cup Flour (plus a bit of extra to set aside for dusting the rolling surfaces)
- 1/2 cup Salt
- 1/2 cup Water
- A Full Container of Cinnamon
- Mixing Bowl
- Roller
- Cookie Cutters
- A Skewer (to make the holes)
- Puff Paint (for decorating)
- Twine (to hang each ornament)
- Scissors
Step Two: Combine Ingredients
You can add the cinnamon at any point really. It may have been easier to add it with the rest of the dry ingredients, but honestly it doesn’t matter.
You can use any amount of cinnamon that you are comfortable with; however, keep in mind that the more cinnamon you add the stronger and longer lasting the scent will be in the ornaments.
Truly, just go to the dollar store and purchase a container of cinnamon and dump the entire thing in. It is the most expensive ingredient, but for a dollar you can afford it.
Step Three: Roll Out the Dough
You may want to add a bit of flour to your work space as well as the roller to keep the dough from sticking to everything (the roller, workspace, your cookie cutters, etc.).
Step Four: Use the Cookie Cutters to Cut the Dough Into Shapes
I used mini cookie cutters for my ornaments, so they would be easier to mail.
Step Five: Poke Holes for the String
*Optional Bonus Step: Brush the Dough with Water
If you used a bit too much flour on top or bottom of your dough because you were trying to keep the dough from sticking to everything, that flour will stay on the ornaments. If you want to remove the flour from showing on the ornaments, you can use a paintbrush and water to dissolve it before you bake the ornaments. This is optional though and can be completely avoided by using less flour when you roll out the dough.
Step Six: Bake or Air Dry the Ornaments
1. Bake your ornaments at 260 degrees for about an hour to an hour and a half. I did mini ornaments with my mini cookie cutters; however, if you are using regular-sized cookie cutters, it may be closer to 1.5 hours.
2. If you would like to skip the oven all together, you can have your dough air dry completely overnight.
Step Seven: Decorate
Bring on the puff paint!! You can actually decorate the ornaments with whatever you wish: paint, metallic markers, glitter glue, sparkles, modpodge, or anything festive and fun that you can think of! Just keep in kind: the more of the ornament you cover by decorating, the less scent will be released. Example: if you cover the entire ornament in acrylic paint, the paint will act as a sealant and will trap all of the beautiful cinnamon smell inside. You would have a beautiful ornament, just not one you can smell.
I use puff paint to decorate my cinnamon ornaments because it is as easy as piping royal icing on gingerbread cookies, and even has a similar look to it.
Be sure that no matter what you use, allow your decorations to dry before you add the twine (to keep your glitter, paint, stain, glue, etc. off of the twine).
Step Eight: Add Twine to Hang
Once your ornaments are dry and ready, go ahead and string your twine through the holes so you can hang them on your tree.
Step Nine: Enjoy!
These ornaments are adorable to hang on your family Christmas tree, but you can also use them as decoration in Holiday wreaths, whimsical additions in garland over the mantel, to attach onto Holiday gifts with ribbon as decorative accents, as napkin rings with extra twine, place settings with everyone’s names attached and then as keepsakes for your guests. There are so many possibilities with these beauties, the possibilities are as endless as your imagination!
I hope you enjoy them and have a very Merry Christmas this year!
