Make a Snowman Ornament

Salt dough is fun to make as well as to model with. This happy salt dough snowman makes a lovely Christmas present or tree decoration. Left-over dough can be kept in the refrigerator for about five days.

What You Need:

• 6 tablespoons plain flour
• 3 tablespoons salt
• Mixing bowl
• 3 tablespoons water
• Pastry board
• Baking parchment
• Rolling pin
• Blunt knife
• Drinking straw
• Baking sheet
• Acrylic paint in shades of white, orange, green, red, and purple
• Medium and fine paintbrushes
• Narrow ribbon

What You Do:

1. Mix the flour and the salt in the bowl. Gradually add the water until you have a firm, pliable dough. Set aside for ten minutes.
2. Place the dough on the pastry board and roll a 4 cm (1½ in) wide ball for the body and a 3 cm (1¼ in) wide ball for the head. Flatten the body and head.
3. Lay the body and head on baking parchment, butting them together. With the rolling pin roll a scrap of dough to a 5 mm (¼ in) thickness. Cut a rectangle about 4 x 3 cm (1½ x 1¼ in) for the hat. Press to the head.
4. Roll four logs 1 cm (½ in) thick. Lay one across the hat as a brim. Lay another across the 'neck' as a scarf. Lay the other logs at angles to the scarf, touching at the top, and dent the ends for a fringe with the knife.
5. Roll three small balls of dough, press one to the head as a nose, the others to the body as buttons. Make a hole at the top of the hat with the straw.
6. Place the snowman on baking parchment on a baking sheet. Place in a preheated oven 250 degrees Fahrenheit, for about 6 hours, until hard. Leave to cool in the oven.
7. Paint the snowman's body white. Paint the hat, scarf, nose and buttons. Add a smile and two eyes. Leave to dry then thread the ribbon through the hole and tie.

Variations: