Halloween Crafts

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How to Make Salt Dough Pumpkins

Mix up an easy batch of salt dough and make yourself a patch of bright, sparkling pumpkins for Halloween.

It's important to note that this recipe for salt dough makes a lot of projects. If you only plan on making a few, cut the recipe into fourths or in half.

Salt Dough Pumpkin Patch

by Amanda Formaro

Salt dough is a great medium for fun and creative crafting. Take this sparkly pumpkin patch for instance! Salt dough recipes aren't just for kids. Make these fun and festive pumpkins this Fall for your holiday decorating.

You will need

1 cup salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup water
orange acrylic paint
paintbrush
Gold glitter paint
2 green toothpicks, broken or cut in half

What you do

Preheat oven to 250 F. Mix together, salt, flour, and water until a dough is formed. Knead the dough on a floured surface until the mixture is elastic and smooth. If dough is too sticky, sprinkle with flour, continue to do so until stickiness is gone. BE CAREFUL. Do not add too much flour, this will dry out the dough and will cause it to crack before you get a chance to bake it.

THIS DOUGH IS NOT EDIBLE, though it won't hurt you or your kids, it just won't taste very good!

Roll dough in your hands to form different sized balls. Line them up on a cookie sheet, touching each other so that they will be one piece after baking. Use a toothpick to draw lines on the pumpkins.

Insert toothpick halves, point size down, into the top center of the pumpkin to create the stem. Be sure to do this step BEFORE baking.

Bake for approximately 2 - 2.5 hours. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. For best results, allow to cool and dry overnight, or for at least 4 hours.

Paint pumpkins with two coats of orange paint, allowing to dry in between coats. When dry, paint with a coat of gold glitter paint or glitter glue. Let dry.

About the Author:
Amanda Formaro is the entrepreneurial mother of four children. She is also the Chief Editor and Craft Expert of FamilyCorner.com Magazine.