Christmas Key Ornament {Comparing Cornstarch Dough or Salt Dough}

I’m sure many of you have seen the pin about making an ornament out of your house or apartment key.  I know that’s what got me inspired to do this project.  The original pin said to use salt dough, but I wasn’t completely sold because I’ve had less than impressive experiences using salt dough in the past (ie. making salt dough with 25 first graders only to discover the recipe I had wouldn’t work and we had to scrap that Mother’s Day project.  Whoops!)  So I took two different recipes, one for salt dough and one for cornstarch dough and decided to evaluate which one I liked best for this particular project.  I got the recipes from several sources: The Imagination Tree has great recipes for both cornstarch dough and salt dough.  I also found the same recipe for cornstarch dough from Tips for a Typical Mom.

Salt Dough Recipe

1 cup salt
1 cup flour
1/2 cup water

Stir dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Add the water and mix thoroughly until you get the consistency of Play Dough.  If it is too dry, add more water.  If it’s too sticky, add some more flour.

(Bonus: Kitties like salt dough, too.  Or at least trying to bury it….)

Cornstarch Dough Recipe

1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup warm water

Mix dry ingredients (careful that you don’t get a sandstorm of cornstarch and baking soda).  Add warm water.  Stir until dissolved.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly.  After about 5 minutes, dough will form lumps.  Cook until the consistency of Play Doh.  Remove from heat.  When cooled, knead with your hands until soft and smooth.

Making the Ornament

• Roll your dough out to your desired thickness.  Mine was about 1/4 inch thick
• Choose your desired house or apartment key.  Press the key into the dough so the top of the key is flush with the top of the dough.
• Use a cookie cutter or cup to cut out the shape of the ornament.  If it is a round cutter, I recommend twisting the cutter to get rid of the excess dough.
• Use a straw to make a hole for your string or hanger to go through.  Again, twist to get rid of excess dough.

• Discard (or save) the excess dough.
• Bake at 200 degrees Fahrenheit.  The salt dough needs to be baked for 2 hours or until dry.  The cornstarch dough needs to be baked for an hour or until hardened.

The Finished Products

Which one do you like better?