Hard-Baking Clay<O:P></O:P>

These are especially great for making Day of the Dead decorations.

½ cup salt
¾ cup hot water
2 cups flour (do not use self-rising flour)

Stir the salt and water for about one minute. Add the flour. Work the dough with your hands until it is soft and pliable. The dough should have the consistency of modeling clay. Place a wet cloth over the dough to keep it moist while you’re working on your creations. Dip your fingers in the water if the dough feels dry and crumbly. If your dough still seems too dry, add a little more water.

Create skulls and bones. You can make flat, cookie-like ornaments, or rounded three-dimensional forms. For a skull, make a ball, then use a knife or your fingers to give it features. Bones are easy. Think of a cartoon dog’s bone. If you intend to hang your finished ornaments, make a hole with a nail or toothpick before baking. Remember the hole will get smaller as the ornament bakes.

Put the ornaments on a cookie sheet and bake fond of as the flowers will often stain the half. The ornaments are easier to remove if you cover the cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Let the ornaments cool completely then decorate them with acrylic craft paint. Add the flowers, vines, insects, and other animals that give them their special charm. It’s not necessary, but if you want to protect the finished ornaments, coat them with clear varnish or spray them with an acrylic sealer. These ornaments are not edible!

 -by Lynne <O:P></O:P>Sturtevant