Salt Dough Rainbow Hearts Cloud Mobile
We ADORE Salt Dough. Our Salt Dough Recipe is super easy to make and use and there are so many fantastic things you can make using Salt Dough. A couple of years ago we made a Yarn Wrapped Rainbow Cloud.. it inspired us to have a go at making a Salt Dough Rainbow Heart Cloud Mobile too! A gorgeous, cheerful decoration for the bedroom or window! Come and a a have a go at our Salt Dough Rainbow Hearts today! This is part of our Best Makes Ever series! Keep an eye out for new projects added regularly!
These Saltdough Rainbow Clouds are part of our TV series commission by Sky Kids 18 months ago. We are now allowed to share them with you again here on Red Ted Art! Enjoy! This series was co hosted with Arty Crafty Kids.
Salt Dough Recipe:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup salt
- Upto 1/2 cup warm water
To make your Salt Dough Rainbow Hearts Cloud, you will also need:
- either cardboard to make a stencil or a blunt knife to “cut your cloud”
- small heart shaped cookie cutters
- a chop stick to poke holes with
- paints
- sharpies (for the kawaii cloud’s face)
- bakers twine/ string for connecting and hanging
You can watch the Rainbow Cloud video here or follow the step by step instructions below!
How to make a Salt Dough Rainbow Hearts Cloud Mobile
First make your salt dough
Time needed: 10 minutes
Making Salt Dough is super easy and quick! Here is a quick overview of what you need to do. With full details and step by step photos below!
- Mix your ingredients slowly
Add flour and salt together and gradually add your water. You may not need ALL you water, so don’t put it in all at once.
- Keep kneading
Keep kneeding until you have a smooth dough
- Make your salt dough shapes
- Bake in the oven
Bake in the oven at 120 C for 3-4 hours.
At the beginning, reinsert my chop sticks into the holes, so they don’t close up. You may also wish to turn your salt dough every half hour or so, but it isn’t strictly necessary. - Paint
Once dry, your salt dough is ready to paint.
- Hang
Tie your pieces together and hang.
Making Salt Dough Clouds and Hearts
Once you have made your dough, roll it out to about 1/2 cm. Or a thickness you feel comfortable with.
If you wish you can make a cardboard cloud stencil from a cereal box. Or you can cut a cloud free hand.
Either way, once you have a cloud, use some word to soften down the edges.
With a chop stick, make one hole at the top for hanging and 5 holes along the bottom for your rainbow (we are only making 5 colours, as they make a better symmetry).
Cut out 5 small hearts with a cookie cutter – though I recommend making 7, in case one breaks. It does happen!
Also poke some holes!
Bake your salt dough shapes
Put them all on a baking tray and bake at 120C for 3-4 hours.
I like to turn the salt dough shapes every so often to help dry both sides. I also like to “repoke” the holes, so they don’t close up.
Paint your salt dough cloud and rainbow hearts
Using acrylic paints, paint your cloud and hearts in the desired colours. Gloss enamels also work really well.
If you want this to hang in your window – let one side dry and then paint the second side, so the hanging is pretty from both sides. It also helps “seal” the Salt Dough a little.
Once fully dry, add some kawaii features to the salt dough cloud with a posca pen or sharpie.
Hanging your salt dough rainbow hearts
Finally. Arrange your hearts in order, you don’t want them hanging too low. We put them in an inverse triangle shape.
Cut pieces of string in the desired lenght. Longer for the middle hear, shorter for the ones on the ends.
Thread through and tie on at the desired length.
When done, add one more thread for hanging.
You have finished your cloud salt dough mobile. Gorgeous! Enjoy!!
You may also like our Yarn Wrapped Rainbow Cloud here:
More Salt Dough Craft Ideas here:
More from this series – check out the Best Makes Ever tag – as I add more and more projects over time. But for now, we have the Pirate Finger Puppets:
