Ornaments, That Smell Like Christmas and Will Warm Your Heart!

Oh, Christmas time.. There’s no better time to stop for a little moment and make your whole world a tiny bit more magical. For me, Christmas mood sets in through the fresh gingerbread cookie, winter breeze and hot cocoa scents, but all of those smell just for a little moment and vanishes so quickly!
Let’s keep the scent a little longer by making magical salt dough ornaments that smell like Christmas, and from now on your house will smell like subtle cinnamon, sweet vanilla and vibrant orange peels for the whole holiday season! These ornaments will be a great addition to your Christmas tree or serve as a garland in the windows or around the fireplace! Also, this year I used them as a gift tag decor!
This project won’t steal you a lot of time or money, and it can easily be used as a family activity with kids!

For the project you will need:
2,5 cups of white flour

1 cup of extra fine salt

1 cup of water

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp ginger

2 tsp all-spice mix

Few drops of vanilla essential oil

Few drops of orange peel essential oil

Also: Few fresh or artificial plant stems

Step 1: Making the Dough!

Start by adding flour to a large bowl, following by extra fine salt and all the spices. I suggest using only extra fine salt, because a regular table one contains large crystals and it will make the dough quite grainy. Add the water and few drops of each essential oils. Start by adding just 4 to 5 drops and add more later if you want it to smell stronger. Mix the dough with a whisk until it becomes thicker, then continue kneading by hand!

Can you already feel the smell?

Step 2: Prepare the Base!

Continue kneading the dough until it becomes smooth and form a round ball. Flour the surface a little more and roll the dough about 1/4 inch thick. The ticker the dough is, the longer you'll need to bake it, but make sure not to roll it too thin either or the ornaments will break more easily.

Step 3: Give Your Heart Out!

Press heart shaped (or other shapes!) cookie cutter into the dough and gently shake it around heart edges. Remove leftover dough and transfer little hearts on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Make sure they don't touch each other, but it's not necessary to leave a big gap between them as they won't rise.

Gently poke little holes with toothpick or skewer. It is important to do it now, because poking the cookie after baking will break it.

Step 4: Add Your Little Magic!

Gently press some small greens into the cookie and make various designs! I used artificial plant leaves as well as some Christmas tree stems, bet you definitely can open up your imagination and use pinecones, flowers, mistletoes or even dried orange rings... This decision is yours!

Step 5: Bake!

Bake them in preheated oven at the lowest possible temperature, mine was 70 C (160 F), for about one hour or until ornaments are baked through and harden completely.

Step 6: Enjoy!

Let them cool completely and fulfill your house with warmness and amazing Christmas scent that keeps smelling for the whole season! These nordic style ornaments will be a great addition to your home decor, Christmas tree or gift tag! Make long garlands next to the fire place or hang them in the windows!