December 3, 2012

Cinnamon Gift Tags and Ornaments


Now that Christmas is just a few weeks away, I can officially start getting ready for the holiday! I spent the weekend tackling little projects that I've been looking forward to, including these Cinnamon Gift Tags and Ornaments. I'm sure you've seen these before - they're like cinnamon cookies that you don't eat, but they last forever and smell delicious!


1. Admittedly, I hadn't made these cinnamon ornaments/tags before, so after some Internet research I found a recipe that seemed ideal: cinnamon (of course), ground cloves, ground nutmeg, applesauce (really?!) and glue (I don't have white glue lying around, I I substituted with some modge podge). If you want the exact recipe, I've included it below!
2. According to the recipe, I measured all the ingredients and poured them into an old bowl. I was a little nervous that the project woudn't clean up well, so I used old utensils, etc.... but I was pleased to learn that everything cleaned up without an issue- what a relief!
3. After a bit of mixing (I found it was easier to just use my hands), the dough came together.
4. So I sprinkled some cinnamon on my counter top, and prepared to roll out the dough with a rolling pin.


Once the dough was an even thickness, I cut out my ornament and tags using a cookie cutter. I wanted some of my holiday gifts/decorations this year to represent my Swedish heritage, so I used a Dala Horse cookie cutter.


And in order to make the holes for my ornaments/tags, I used a plain, ol' drinking straw to punch holes in the dough.


In no time at all, I had cut all the dough and put it on cookie sheets lined with foil. Then I placed the pans in a warm oven for several hours to dry out.


Once they were dry (and my apartment smelled amazing), I couldn't wait to see how my tags/ornaments had turned out. 


I grabbed some ribbon to hang the ornaments...
 

And threaded some ribbon through the tags to decorate some holiday packages. 


This was a really fun and easy project that I hope will become an annual tradition! And since all of the ingredients were so inexpensive, I can certainly afford to make a few more batches... maybe even this year!

Non-Edible Cinnamon Ornament/Tag Recipe
-1 cup cinnamon
-1 tablespoon ground cloves
-1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
-3/4 cup applesauce
-2 tablespoons glue (or in my case, modge podge)

CINNAMON GIFT TAGS AND ORNAMENTS SUPPLY LIST
Non-Edible Cinnamon dough (see above for recipe)
Rolling pin
Cookie cutter
Cookie sheet
Oven (optional)
Scissors
Ribbon

13 comments:

  1. These is certainly a christmas project I'll be trying soon! Love the smell of cinnamon and the dala shape is gorgeous! Thanks for the inspiration! X. Maria

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  2. Can you tell me approximately how many ornaments/tags this recipe will make? We would like to make some sets as gifts and wanted to make sure we had enough. Thanks for sharing!!!

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    1. When I made them they made well over 20 or so.

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  3. They are wonderful. Can you tell me what the temperature of the oven was and how many hours? Are they durable?

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    1. You don't bake them, you dry them out in the oven, I put my oven on "WM" which was warm, but didn't bake them or you could turn your oven light on that should help dry them out. I'd suggest at least 1-2 hours for them to dry out completely and harden.

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  4. This looks amazingly simple. Once the cookie cutters I ordered come in, this will be done.

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  5. If you live in a warm climate they can be left in a warm spot in the house and they will dry out over a couple of days depending on thickness. They add a festive scent to the home.

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  6. What a great idea, can't wait to make these!
    I don't have any applesauce right now, is there anything you would recommend I could use instead?

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  7. I think I'll make these with the kids and add a little dark copper glitter...they will love these!

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  8. Where did you get your ribbon from? It's such a gorgeous colour!

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  9. How thin did you roll the dough?

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  10. Your website is very beautiful or Articles. I love it thank you for sharing for everyone. Ground Nutmeg

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