Holiday Decoration Project: Crafting Christmas Books and Bears
Making Salt Dough Bear Ornaments: A Family Holiday Craft Inspired by "Bear Stay Up for Christmas"
Bring the warm themes of Karma Wilson's beloved book, "Bear Stay Up for Christmas," to life with these easy-to-make salt dough bear ornaments. This family-friendly craft is perfect for creating cherished keepsakes that can adorn your Christmas tree for years to come.
Here's a simple step-by-step guide to creating your own salt dough bear ornaments:
- Preparing the Salt Dough Combine 2 cups of flour, 1 cup of salt, and 1 cup of warm water. Mix until you achieve a smooth, pliable dough. If the dough is too sticky, add a bit more flour, and if it's too dry, a tiny bit of water will do the trick.
- Shaping the Ornaments Roll the dough out on a flat surface about 1/4 inch thick. Use a bear-shaped cookie cutter or freehand shape bears inspired by the book. Don't forget to imprint details like eyes and nose using small tools or stamps.
- Making a Hole for Hanging Use a straw or skewer to make a small hole near the top of the bear ornament so you can thread ribbon or string later.
- Baking or Drying Place the shaped dough on a baking sheet (no need to oil it). Bake at around 250-300°F (120-150°C) for about 1 hour. After baking, let the ornaments air dry for another 24 hours to ensure hardness.
- Decorating Once dry and cooled, paint the bears with acrylic paints or decorate with markers to resemble the characters from "Bear Stay Up for Christmas." You can add glitter or varnish to protect the paint.
Salt dough is flexible and a great choice for family holiday crafts, providing a fun and engaging activity for both children and adults. If you'd like to experiment with different scents, some crafters add cinnamon or other natural scents to the dough for a festive aroma.
Enjoy the process of creating these delightful bear ornaments and watch as your holiday tree transforms into a heartwarming tribute to the story of Bear and his friends. Happy crafting!
[1] Wilson, K. (2004). Bear Stay Up for Christmas. HarperCollins. [2] Salt Dough Crafts. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.saltdoughcrafts.com/
- Acts of kindness can be incorporated into the family lifestyle by creating salt dough bear ornaments together, a cherished keepsake inspired by the book "Bear Stay Up for Christmas".
- While cooking up some holiday fun, consider enhancing the homemade salt dough recipe with scents like cinnamon to infuse a festive aroma in your homemake bears.
- As you venture into the realm of fashion-and-beauty, personalize your salt dough bear ornaments by painting them with acrylic paints or adding glitter to resemble characters from "Bear Stay Up for Christmas".
- Home-and-garden enthusiasts may enjoy experimenting with various recipes for salt dough, applying the same creativity to their lifestyle and hosting have-a-go-at-home bear crafting sessions.
