Salt Dough Pendant

Hi first grade friends!  Time to make some jewelry, and all you really need is flour, water, and salt!  We will be making salt dough pendants for this week's art lesson.

First, to make the dough....you'll need...

1/8 c. salt

1/8 cup water

1/4 cup flour

Stir it up...

Squish it together, to get all the ingredients together....

Once mixed, take out the dough, and break it apart into two pieces (if you are making only one pendant.  You probably could make two with this amount of dough) - one for the pendant, and one for the decorations.  I made one section of the dough slightly larger than the other.

Squish the larger piece flat with the palm of your hand.

Decide on a shape, and simply use your fingertips to squish it into place.  For this one, I went with a heart shaped pendant.

Then it will be time to decorate.  You can experiment with different techniques to create these decorations....roll a ball, a coil, make some zig zags or triangles. 

To attach, all you have to do is push it onto the pendant.  The dough will stick to itself while it is wet.

I also used a little play doh tool (or simple butter knife) to push some designs into the dough.

When you are satisfied with your design, it is time to make the bail.  This is the little hole for the chain or string of your necklace/medallion.  Start by rolling out a little coil (worm-like shape) with the dough.

Gently push it flat with the tip of your finger.

Gently fold it in half, leaving space between for the string.

Attach it to the back of your pendant by smooshing it into the dough.  Really rub this part in so it doesn't fall off when it dries, but be careful that the hole doesn't collapse.

Here's a view from the side/front, so that you can see what it should look like.

I had to wait several days for the pendant to be fully dried.  You'll know it is dry because it will become lighter in color, hard like a rock, and a little spotty or speckled from the salt in the dough. 

After it is dry, you can paint or color.  Keep in mind that if you are going to wear your pendant, and you choose something washable when coloring, the color could rub off on your skin. 

You could also keep these as ornaments or chimes.  Either way, they are pretty cool, and I hope you had lots of fun making them!