Gingerbread thyme

I just
LOVE
GINGERBREAD

This is such a busy thyme of year

in addition to painting and decorating

I've been making gingerbread ornaments

I've been rolling out gingerbread dough
this is a
VERY easy
dough to work with

here they are cooling on the rack

These little guys are soooooooo CUTE!

Here they are hanging out...I let them dry for several days....

I varnished them with a matte varnish

then

I added red homespun to hang them

I found some old wooden spoons

at

a thrift shop

I wired the ornaments to the spoon

and

added a coffee stained /vanilla scented tag

that says

GINGERBREAD

Happiness is licking the spoon

I took an old brown bottle and printed out a label that says

SANTA'S STOMACH REMEMDY

for use after excessive cookie consumption

I added some stained cheese cloth

and

pinned a rusty bell on

I have to thank Jan

at

Big Brown Dog Primitives

for the

AWESOME

Christmas labels

I also hung some gingerbreads on
my wooden Christmas Tree

My husband is making some of these trees for me for gifts

These were so much fun to make!

Ornamental Gingerbread Dough

3 T shortening

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 cup water

3 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. each: ground cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg



Beat shortening and sugar together until light and fluffy. Stir in molasses. Mix dry ingredients together. Stir them into sugar mixture and gradually add water. Dough will be very stiff. Refrigerate overnight.



Heat oven to 350º. Cut dough into three pieces. Roll one piece at a time (between two pieces of waxed paper) to a thickness of about 1/4 ". Cut out desired shapes and patterns. {*** If you are planning to hang these ornaments, poke holes in the shapes now with a straw or toothpick.***} Bake for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool and harden for several hours or overnight.



Finished ornaments can be painted, sealed, or dipped in melted wax. The possibilities are endless...

Happy Painting!

Lynn