Must have a Reindeer up my butt today LOL.

We were at our festive and crafty best today. I decided to do some salt dough projects, and then threw in some fun Christmas balls too.


So excited to be working with the salt dough.

Handprints.

I found this recipe on giftideacenter.com

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
5tsp cinnamon
1 cup water


Directions:1. Mix salt and flour.
2. Add in half the water, then gradually add the remaining water.
3. Knead until the dough is smooth, this can take up to 10 minutes.
4. For flat dough ornaments roll out the dough on baking paper
Or be creative and make odd shapes and wreaths (takes longer to bake)


Create:
Use cookie cutters, cut-out templates, or just use your hands.
Dust dough with flour and begin to add details to the ornaments with a toothpick, popsicle stick, and knife.   


Don't Forget:
Use a straw to make a hole so you can hang the ornament.


Baking: Time varies based on thickness of ornament
Temperature: 325 degrees
Time: 1 1/2 hours - or until dry


Decorate: Let cool before you begin
Paint with acrylic paints
Glue on beads, buttons, or any fun accessory


Preservation: Making them last a long time
Coat with acrylic varnish when everything is dry


While the dough was cooking we moved on to doing another craft. We did snowman handprints on these orniment balls. Yet another Pinterest gem :)

Once the dough was cooked and cooled it was time to paint.

All done just need them to dry so we can varnish them.

We have some silly kids. Xander grabbed these stockings and said he was Santa :)

All our projects dry and varnished...they turned out pretty great!

If all of the above wasn't enough...I added baking some yummy banana nut bread to my list. I got this recipe, where else...starts with a 'P', anyone, anyone??? It turned out fantastic!
Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread
***Makes 2 loaves***


3/4 c. butter, softened
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
2 c. sugar
2 large eggs
3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 medium bananas)
1 cup roughly chopped pecans, toasted ...we used macadamia's instead.
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract


Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.


Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanillla. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8x4 inch loafpans.


Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan, shielding with aluminum foil last 15 minutes to prevent browning, if necessary. (I found that after one hour, my banana bread wasn't completely cooked through. I ended up baking it for an extra 10-15 minutes.) Cool bread in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.
http://sugarandspice-celeste.blogspot.com/2010/10/cream-cheese-banana-nut-bread-southern.html