8. Salt Dough Reindeer Gift Tags
Salt dough is old-fashioned, cheap, and endlessly useful. Rolled thin and stamped, it makes gift tags that double as ornaments, so nothing ends up in the bin on December 26th.
What you need: one cup flour, half a cup salt, half a cup water, a rolling pin, a straw for the hole, acrylic paint, and ribbon. A small reindeer cookie cutter helps, though you can shape by hand.
Mix the dough until it holds together without cracking, roll it to about a quarter inch, and cut your shapes. Poke a hole near the top before baking. Dry the shapes in a low oven for two to three hours, flipping once, until they are hard all the way through. Cool, then paint faces and antlers, and thread ribbon through the hole.
Time: 20 minutes of hands-on work, plus drying. Difficulty: beginner, and a great one for kids.
Write names on the back with a fine marker and they become place cards too. Dough that puffs or cracks usually means it was rolled too thick or dried too fast, so keep the oven low and be patient.