Salt dough is one of the most popular craft materials for children and adults. It has the practical advantage over craft clay that you don't have to buy it first. You can make spontaneous salt dough using simple ingredients that you already have at home. So if the bad weather caught you unprepared and you now want to pass the time in your own four walls, you are making exactly the right choice with DIY ideas for salt dough. But of course you can't just do thatcreative in rainy weatherwith it become. The good weather season has begun and that's why today we're showing you some great crafts made from this simple material, especially for outdoor use. These salt dough ideas for the garden are not only pretty to look at, they are also really practical and make a wonderful gift idea.
In the three links below you will not only find suggestions for specific onesOccasions like Easterand Christmas, but also a selection of recipes that you can also use for today's salt dough ideas for the garden. Some recipes require you to bake the dough, while others result in salt dough without baking.
Salt dough ideas for the garden – signs for flower pots and beds
Have manySpices planted, it would of course be practical to label them so that you know where everything is. Newcomers in particular cannot easily distinguish between plants visually and receive weatherproof information with such labels. But even professionals could forget which pot or where in the bed which plants are located immediately after sowing and while the plants are not yet visible. Either way, these salt dough ideas for the garden prove to be really practical. Or how about putting together a set as a gift? A flower pot, seeds, potting soil and of course the matching tag and you will receive great salt dough gifts that you can use to make someone happy.
- Salt dough
- small stamps with letters (or alternatively Edding for labeling)
- Knife, cookie cutters or other tools for cutting out
- optionally transparent varnish
Use any salt dough recipe to make the dough, roll it out thinly and then cut into any shapes you likefor the labelsto. As in the example, they can be long, narrow shapes with a tapered side, but circles to which you add a point, triangles and other interesting shapes are also ideal. Just experiment! If you use stamps, do this before baking the dough. Simply press the letters into the soft dough. If you use a sharpie or other colors for labeling, you can do this after baking and cooling. Finally, you can give the finished signs a shine by painting the salt dough. However, this is optional (keep in mind that varnish can dissolve the Sharpie, depending on what type of varnish you use).
Fairy garden as salt dough decoration
You've probably seen these mini gardens in a pot or in a bowl before. The so-called fairy gardens are very trendy and are decorating more and more outdoor areas - be it on the terrace, on the balcony, the veranda and the entrance area or a seating area in the garden. But it's not always easy to find exactly the elements to decorate that you have in mind. So just make them yourself! The following salt dough ideas for the garden are especially for youMini garden in a bowlthought - by the way, it's also a great idea if you want to make gifts out of salt dough!
In principle, you can make any figure yourself from the salt dough.
- ForStepping stonesFor example, you form small balls out of the dough and then flatten them. You can then use a sharp object (e.g. toothpick) to scratch patterns into it.
- Mushroomsconsist of two elements. Make the stem first. To do this, first form a ball and then form a cylinder shape. This doesn't have to be perfectly shaped. Press the ends flat on a flat surface. For the umbrella, first make a ball and press it flat. Then press in the middle to get the typical umbrella shape. Once the elements are baked and hard, you can glue them together and so onMake mushrooms.
- TheBirdbathIn principle, make it in exactly the same way as the mushroom, except that you place the shield element upside down on the cylinder. To do this, you need to make sure that the pointed side of the umbrella becomes flat this time. Place the elements on top of each other and smooth the edges to create an even transition without a joint.
- How about oneSpring? Starting again with a ball, press your thumb into the center to create a well, then use your fingers to form the walls. You end up with a hollow cylinder. You can give this a stone or brick pattern. For example, use a toothpick for this.
Make your own fairy door for a tree
With a little skill you can do this tooplayful doorsMake ideas for the garden as salt dough. They usually decorate a tree in the garden, making it appear as if a fairy or gnome lives in the tree. You could also make some windows to match the door and attach them to the tree. Roll out the dough a little thicker and then cut out the door shape you want. It can be classic rectangular or oval, but also round or in an irregular or heart shape.
Next, use a toothpick to create the boards and wood grains, as well as other elements for the door (such as a border of stones). Any other decorations can then be added. For example, make small door hinges, a blade, leaves, flowers, a door wreath or anything else you can think of out of the dough and simply attach them to the desired places. Once the dough has dried or been baked and cooled, you can paint the door however you want. However, use paints that are suitable for outdoor use and it is best to seal them with a layer of varnish. In addition to the dough, you can also use other elements to decorate the door: beads, stickers, stones, etc.
What to paint salt dough with?
Finally, you can paint all the finished baked or dried salt dough elements. Felt-tip pens are just as suitable for thislike acrylic paints, finger paints (for example, if you use the salt dough craft ideas with children), window paints, paint pens and even wax crayons and watercolors. Or how about using colored glitter by applying glue first and then sprinkling glitter on top? Keep in mind that not all of the colors mentioned are weather-resistant and therefore not necessarily suitable for salt dough ideas for the garden. Some of them belong in covered outdoor areas where they don't get rain or direct sunlight.
Make figures out of salt dough with children - snakes
Working with salt dough is just as much fun for the children as with play dough - the big difference here is that the homemade works can be preserved and displayed later. How about some snakes as salt dough ideas for the garden? After all, they often inhabit our gardens. They're really easy to make, so...Craft project even for smaller childrenideally suited. What you need:
- Salt dough
- Acrylic paint
- Clear varnish for sealing
- Paint brush
And the cute salt dough ideas for the garden are so easy to make: The children form rolls of any length from the salt dough. You can then shape these as you wish - into a wave shape typical of snakes, rolled up in a spiral or irregularly wavy. There are no limits to your imagination! Then bake the snakes or let them air dry for several days (since they are thick figures, baking would probably be the more advantageous option). Once the dough has cooled, the children can paint the snakes however they like. For this purpose, you are welcome to select pictures of real snakes and use them as a template for colors and patterns. Seal the colors with a coat of clear varnish and spread the snakes around the garden.
Salt dough ideas for spring and summer – snails
Snails are also an integral part of the home garden and these cute figures as salt dough ideas for the garden are not only super friendly, but even easier to make than the snakes. Form rolls again, but this time shorter ones. You then plug into these rollsempty snail shell. You can use beads for the eyes.
Tipp: Would you perhaps like colorful snails? Then you can color the dough any color you want in advance. You can color salt dough with food coloring, for example. These are also harmless to children.
Salt dough ideas for the garden – flower pots as a gift idea
This is a great project for both children and adultsFlower or planter. This can not only decorate your own garden, but also serve as a wonderful gift. For example, are you looking for some salt dough ideas for Mother's Day? Then you have one right here! And the best thing is that you don't have to try to create a regular and perfect container, which is why it is so suitable for children. The more irregular, the better!
You can either form your dough into a large ball, then press it in the middle with your fist and then use your hands to form the sides of the pot, or you can roll out the dough, place a bowl upside down in front of you, cut the desired piece and place it over the bowl to maintain its shape. Then let the dough dry. If you don't want it to be a planter but a flower pot for planting, you should add a few drainage holes before drying.
How about using the finished pot for the gift idea mentioned above? Add seeds and potting soil and make a few more salt dough plugs that you label. By the way, you can also use this idea toSalt dough tea light holderto produce. To do this, simply make the same container in a significantly smaller sizefor a tea lightor slightly larger for a pillar candle.
Pendants made from this craft material are the ultimate classic and of course they can also be madein the garden as decorationuse. With prints, colorfully painted or as a suncatcher with transparent beads - the variations are really numerous. Especially for children, pendants are quick and easy salt dough craft ideas that can fill an afternoon. And the salt dough ideas for the garden can then decorate trees, bushes, railings and the terrace.
The best thing is that salt dough is quite weather-resistant, so such pendants can decorate the garden at any time of the year. To get the right shapes, you can use regular cookie cutters and work with them as you would with regular cookie dough. For example, snowflakes are great salt dough ideas for Christmas, you can use them in the falltypical autumn colors and motifs, while in spring Easter motifs or simple floral patterns are suitable. For example, press leaves or flowers into the still soft dough to create a nice impression. This can then be additionally designed with colors.
Decorate a large plate to lean on with stones
