Presents.

So my husband and I have been so poor since we've been married.  We got married young, and we have expected and embraced poverty.  Every Christmas since we've been married, we bring cookies or jello to family gatherings and call that our gift.  We're young and poor, everyone understands.  But I love giving gifts.  I can honestly say that I love giving gifts more than I love receiving them.  I usually make stuff, because it's fun.  I enjoy so much, the trick of figuring out what is the perfect gift for each person, and then waiting to see them open it up and declare that it is actually awesome.  Love it!

So this year, thanks to our beautiful, perfect baby, we're even more poor than usual!  But also, this year I wanted so badly to give EVERYONE a gift.  So I started searching Pinterest for ideas.  I'd made salt dough before, for my Primary children at church, so when I saw blog after blog about baby hand and footprints, I knew this was something easy and inexpensive, that everyone would love!

Salt Dough Recipe

1 Cup Salt
1 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Warm Water

Knead it until it is stretchy, so it won't break and crumble.  Super easy!

I didn't have cookie cutters the right size, so I used a glass to cut out the circles.  Juliet loved putting in her handprints.  4 1/2 months old, everything is fun to touch.  She was only mad she couldn't put it in her mouth.

After the handprints, I used small alphabet stamps to stamp in her name along the side.  Use a straw to punch out the hole.

Bake in the oven (preheated to 100 degrees F) for 3 hours.  We didn't hear the timer, and baked them for who knows how long, but they came out great!

We painted them red, used a fine point sharpie to fill in the name.

Then I got Juliet's Christmas portrait printed (making sure it would fit the ornaments).  I used a smaller glass to trace a circle, a hole punch, and then used modge podge to add the pictures.

I couldn't find my red ribbon, but I think it looks so classy with black!

Sorry about the cruddy photography.  Too sick to pull out the Canon = Cell phone pictures.