A Fall Garland

Hello and happy September! 

Can we all say that we're excited for fall now that September is here?  I think so.  I've been trying to come up with some new ways of decorating for fall out our house.  I love garlands lately and can't get enough!  So, I decided to make some of my own for the upcoming season. 

Here's what I did.  I made my own clay from this recipe, which I found ages ago in an old teaching book.

You will need:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup salt

3/4 cup hot water

Knead flour, salt, and water for 1-2 minutes until smooth and elastic.  Roll out on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/4'' thick.  Cut with cookie cutters.  Dry at room temperature until hardened or put into a 200 degree oven for an hour.  Turn over clay cutouts and return them to the oven for another hour.  When they turn white and have hardened, they are done.

I had the cutest little helper when I made this.  He worked really hard!  Since Oliver was napping, we took our time and had so much fun!

Look at those sweet little hands!  I love him.

Before I baked the clay, I made holes in the tops of the cutouts so that I could thread my twine after they had dried and been painted.

This cutouts on the right show what the clay should look like after one hour in the oven.  I turned them over and baked them for another hour.

After they were completely dry, I spray painted them white and tied them together with twine to form my garland. 

That's it!  This was an easy and quick project that was fun to do with my little Henry.  I think it adds a little "fall fun" to the chalkboard in our back entryway.  What about you?  Have you done any decorating for fall yet?  Do you have a thing for garlands, like me?  Please share!