Suitable dough to make tree decorations

[thenewaveragebear1983]

Does anyone know of a suitable recipe for a dough to make tree decorations? (I have bought a set of miniature letter cutters (an inch high) and I want to do my hallway tree in tiny alphabet letters and little glass jars with corks in them)

I wondered about a very stiff gingerbread, but would they go mouldy? Or a salt dough then varnished? Any suggestions?

In real life people look at me like when I ask about Christmas stuff, but I know from previous years that I need to start homemade bits now if I want them for December!

Nigella Lawson has a recipe for edible decorations in her Christmas book. I think the recipe is on nigella.com too.

Thanks Johnny, I actually don't mind if they aren't edible, I don't know if I want to spend December replenishing the stock! I wonder if gingerbread can be used as a dough though, maybe add salt and varnish it?

Maybe cook gingerbread really slowly for longer, then it would probably go rock hard. Like the hard tack they used to have in the navy!

Saltdough worked for decorations for us, but definitely varnish afterwards as they absorb moisture (ours did anyway)

Try FIMO. They'll last forever.

Salt dough is good, particularly if you want to paint them. Varnish them afterwards. Remember to make the holes to hang them before you dry them too.

Salt dough but let it completely dry out before varnishing. Or you could buy some airdry clay for greater longevity as salt dough eventually crumbles.

Lived thanks, I'm sure I made salt dough a very long time ago. What would you varnish with?

I like the idea of gingerbread cooked low and long. My actual gingerbread was pretty inedible anyway last year so will be nothing new!

Oooh Fimo. That's a good idea.

Salt dough dried in the microwave works really well.

I just paint my saltdough with acrylic paint, no varnish. If you keep them airtight after you take them down off the tree, they last for years.

Oh cool, sort of in a sealed Tupperware type box?

2 Cups of flour.
1 Cup of Salt.
1 Cup of water.

You mix it all together, and you get a dough.

If you roll it out thin you can Microwave for 10 seconds at a time till hard..

Thanks mummy, will try that one.

Think I may have to do a few prototypes to see which gives the best results!

I made tags and decs and it was great, found them 2 years later and still hard

pin.it/xJhU3k1
What do you think? I made them and they turn out really well

They are so sweet, tea - are they edible?
I have ransacked Pinterest for a tree like I want to do but cannot find one. It all started because I found a proper wooden sledge in a skip- cue, small tree on the sledge Scandi style, then saw these little cork stopped bottles (each one is only 5ml), and then decided I wanted letters a-z in white with tiny white lights. Things escalate don't they? I bloomin love Christmas decs though and love making it look 'just so'

Thanks all for your help. I have ordered some white glitter Fimo from eBay and will try with salt dough and see which works best.

I make normal salt dough and add cinnamon to it. I dry it in the microwave too.

With salt dough I find it best to airdry in a warm room for a few days before baking as you get less cracks.

We still have a salt dough nativity that I made when I was 7/8 or so. I'm 31 now and it's still perfect amd comes out every year.

Wondering about doing salt dough handprint decorations with baby ds this year so also searching for the perfect recipe as I think fimo might be too tricky.

Ohourbilly, I think Fimo would be too hard for handprints, salt dough would probably be the better option!

My Fimo came today from eBay in my living room colours, so we're making co-ordinated decorations tomorrow!

no they're not ediable,thought it was a bizzare recipe having so much apple suace in them ,but they turned out so well