Eco-Friendly Christmas Magic: Baking Soda dough Ornaments to Craft with Your Kids

DIY Christmas Ornaments: Baking Soda Dough Magic for the Holidays

If you’re looking for a simple, fun, and eco-friendly holiday craft to do with your kids, you’re going to love this one! A few Christmases ago, I whipped up some baking soda dough ornaments with my little crew, and honestly, they were so easy to make and turned out super cute, and we still love putting them up on the tree.

The process was fun, fuss-free, and the result? Gorgeous porcelain-white decorations that are sturdy & looked pretty fancy for family crafting, if you know what I mean! After making our baking soda dough, we used biscuit cutters to shape our ornaments—think stars, hearts, circles and even some gingerbread men—and added a special touch by stamping them with ink and a cute stamp while they were still soft. Some we left plain for that minimalist vibe, while others became little canvases for the kids, who used markers and paints to decorate after the ornaments had dried. I strung ours up with a mix of simple sewing cotton & ribbon, but have seen some cool rustic ones with twine too.

The next time I make these I think I'll make a nature set, imprinting different leaves and flowers from the garden into the soft dough. The plant print detail would look neat with a touch of colour wash on the impression too - Thinking about these makes me realise, I need these on my tree this year! Here’s how you can make your own baking soda dough ornaments at home.

Whether your kids are 3 or 10 (or even teenagers), they’ll love getting creative with this craft. Plus, it’s a lovely way to spend some quality time together during the holiday season.

Let's get making these cute decorations!

This recipe is as straightforward as it gets—no fancy ingredients or tools required - this really is living simply by using what you have to hand to create special memories.

Here’s the ingredients that you’ll need:

• 1 cup baking soda (Figgy baking soda is perfect for this)
• 1/2 cup cornflour
• 3/4 cup water

Tools:

• A medium saucepan to cook your dough
• Rolling pin or bottle to roll it flat
• Biscuit cutters or similar for shaping
• Straw or skewer for making holes for your string
• Paints, markers, plants or stamps (for decorating)
• Twine, ribbon, or sewing thread for hanging (beads would look neat on the string too)

How to Make your Baking Soda Dough Christmas Ornaments

1. Mix Your Ingredients: Combine the baking soda, cornflour, and water in a medium saucepan. Mix then stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens into a dough that looks a bit like mashed potatoes. Don’t panic if it feels sticky—it’ll smooth out when it cools. This comes together in 5-10 minutes.
2. Cool and Knead: Scoop the dough onto a plate or clean surface and cover with a damp cloth. Let it cool for about 30 minutes, then knead it until it’s silky smooth.
3. Roll and Cut: Roll out the dough to about 5mm thick (this helps them dry evenly). Use biscuit cutters to create your shapes.
4. Get creative: You can stamp your dough when it is still soft with regular ink—just like you would paper. A textured rolling pin, lace, or even leaves to add unique patterns to your ornaments. After they dry, you can paint them or felts or even use a vivid to get a monochromatic look. Because the dough is so white any decorating looks great and really pops!
5. Make Hanging Holes: Use a straw or skewer to poke a hole near the top of each ornament. This is where you’ll thread your ribbon or twine later.
6. Dry: The ornaments will air dry in about 24 hours or you can bake them at a low temperature (80°C) for about an hour. Either method works, but baking speeds up the process if your kids are impatient to decorate just make sure you let them cool first

Decorating your Baking Soda Ornaments

Once your dough comes together and is rolled out, the fun really begins! Here are a few ideas for decorating your Christmas ornaments:

• Keep it natural: Leave them plain for a classic, porcelain-white look—you can add texture and detail but leave them white.
• Get colourful: Let the kids paint them or use markers to add designs. Metallics and glitter pens work beautifully here! Paint can be watered down a little for a colour wash look.
• Stamp it up: Use ink pads or paint and stamps to make some cute matching ornaments. Letter stamps are a neat way of adding a name or 'ho ho ho!'. Propper biscuit stamps or fabric stamps are ideal too.

String Them Up and Enjoy Your Handmade Decorations!

Once your ornaments are decorated and ready to go, thread them with twine, ribbon, or sewing thread. A bead treaded onto the string is a nice touch too. These beauties are perfect for:

• Decorating your Christmas tree, or car or office.
• Tying onto gifts as a little something extra
• Creating a handmade garland to keep it festive
• Sweet hand made gifts—grandparents especially love these

Why You’ll Love This Christmas time Crafting

Not only are these ornaments eco-friendly and free from nasties, but they’re also a perfect way to slow down during the busy holiday season and create something meaningful.

There is nothing so lovely as opening up your Christmas decorations box in December and seeing your sweet hand-made creations. The dough is simple enough for younger kids to roll and shape, while older kids can dive into the decorating process to create personalised masterpieces or sweet presents to give to friends or teachers.

So grab your baking soda and gather your little helpers—it’s time to turn a few humble pantry staples into holiday magic! Let us know how yours turn out, and tag us on social media if you share your creations. We can’t wait to see how you’ve made these ornaments your own. Happy crafting!

Get Natural Cleaning Tips From Our Blog!

We want you to have everything you need to clean your home healthier while avoiding unwanted chemicals – and looking out for the planet too! Take a browse through our blog and learn more about natural cleaning, safe ingredients and so much more!