Divas on a Dime: Easy handprint treasure for Mother’s Day

It’s a quandary every year; what do we get for Mom, Grandma and all the other important women in your life on Mother’s Day.

Here’s a great inexpensive gift that they will treasure forever. A sweet little salt dough handprint dish.

Now, this is perfect if you have young children with cute chubby little hands.

But if you’re fresh out of baby hands, you could use a pet footprint or a stamp to create an impression. Or borrow a kid, like I did. Sweet little Sydney Grace was so happy to help.

Salt Dough Handprint Dish

Yield: One dish and one flat handprint ornament Time: 6 hours plus paint time

What You’ll Need:

1/2 cup table salt

1/3 cup water

2 tsp. vegetable or canola oil

1 cup all-purpose flour

Paint and brushes

Here’s How:

Boil the water, either on the stovetop or in the microwave in a Pyrex measuring cup. Add salt and stir to dissolve the salt. It won’t all dissolve so don’t worry if there’s some left. Add the vegetable oil to the salt mixture and stir. Place the flour in a mixing bowl and add the salt mixture and stir, stir, stir. Use your hands eventually. If the mixture seems dry, add water in 1 tablespoon increments until a soft dough forms. Knead until it’s smooth. Cover the dough and let it sit for an hour, this is optional but I think it makes the texture smoother.

Knead the dough until soft and pliable. Roll the dough to your desired thickness. I used about ¼ inch thickness. Select a small oven-safe bowl to give your dish its shape. Help your child press his or her handprint into the dough. Make sure the impression is deep. Cut out the handprint in a round shape that will fit into your bowl. Place your slab with handprint into the bowl. Optional - use the extra dough to make a flat handprint ornament.

Preheat oven to 180°F. Place your bowl on a baking sheet and bake for two hours. By then you should be able to remove the dish from the bowl and it’ll hold its shape. Place the dish upside-down to cure the bottom side and bake for two to three more hours depending on thickness. Don’t try to rush this by baking at a higher temperature or the dough may puff up and ruin your handprint. Bake until solid and dry.

Let cool completely. Smooth any uneven or sharp points with sandpaper and paint as desired. Better yet, let the kiddie paint it. Paint according to directions on your paint. I used Waverly metallic paint in White Opal and Moonstone.

This salt dough recipe is useful to keep because it’s so versatile, costs pennies and you probably already have the ingredients in your cupboard. It makes beautiful seasonal ornaments and keepsakes all year long. All of us at Divas On A Dime wish you a very happy Mother’s Day.

Frugal Festivity contributed by Patti Diamond from Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! http://divasonadime.com/ Join us on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom