I always wanted to make ornaments of our first apartment key. Now that we have a puppy, we decided to make an ornament of his paw print too! Since moving in together, Andrew and I realized that we actually really enjoy doing little DIY projects together. These ornaments were our last hurrah in our little apartment on the canal.
To make these ornaments, you’ll need:
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1 cup baking soda
- 3/4 cup water
- (if you want to make colored dough, add the food coloring to the water before you mix it in.)
To make the clay, get a medium sized pot and combine the cornstarch, baking soda, and water. Then stir it over medium heat. The mixture will start to thicken after a couple of minutes. When it looks smooth (like mashed potatoes!), remove the pot from the heat. Roll the dough into a bowl and cover it with a damp cloth to allow it to cool down.
Once it’s cooled, knead it on a smooth surface until it’s smooth. Add more cornstarch if it feels sticky.
Next, Preheat oven to 175 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out clay to 1/4 inch thick on a surface lightly dusted with cornstarch. Get your key and/or puppy paw and make an imprint onto the dough,then transfer to the prepared baking sheet. You can use a straw to make a hole at the top of the ornament so you can add ribbon later to hang it. Place them in the oven for about an hour, *turning them over halfway through cooking.*
Voila!
**Thoughts from Chipper the Traveling Golden: This stuff feels funny on my paw, but whatever, I can eat it later… Right?
