Here is a fun activity to do with the kids that leaves you with some adorable gingerbread ornaments to use as decorations. The kids and I made a huge batch of ornamental gingerbread hearts and used them to decorate the house for valentines day. They were fun to create and simply beautiful hung with some thin twine throughout the house.
I have never tried making gingerbread before, not even around Christmas time. I found a recipe here for ornamental gingerbread dough that I used for my first gingerbread making experience. The recipe was quick and easy to make and inexpensive too and worked great for our Valentines day hearts.
The kids had a great time rolling and cutting out the hearts. It was a little sticky and a bit difficult for them to handle without using wax paper, but they did great with a little extra help.
Once we had our hearts cut out and laid onto trays we used a straw to poke holes into the hearts so that we could hang them after they were baked.
We baked and cooled our gingerbread hearts. As soon as they were done the kids were excited to start hanging them. We had a roll of thin twine already at home that we used to hang the little hearts with. I carefully slid the twine through the holes that we made and tied a knot.
My favorite place that we hung them was over the dinning room table. We tied them to the light fixture over the table at alternating lengths.
We placed one around our table centerpiece too. We had an inexpensive glass vase filled with cranberries and a large votive candle in the center of the table that needed a gingerbread heart too.
Hanging these little ornamental cookies really added a lot of impact for the amount that we spent to make it. Not to mention, that this little project kept the kiddos busy for a few hours! They are very proud to have helped make these gingerbread hearts, as well as helping to decorate for Valentines Day. I love that they can feel proud of our home and have a part in making it pretty for the holidays. In making these gingerbread hearts we also cut out X’s and O’s to use for another project that I can’t wait to share with you. In fact, this gingerbread ornament project turned into three different ways to create Valentines Day decor for our home. I will be showing how I made chalkboard paint dipped hearts, and a cute hugs and kisses wreath, all using gingerbread cutouts! Check back soon for more Valentines Day fun!
Very pretty. The color of the hearts is perfect for your more “rustic” decor. I think they look old fashioned and beautiful. Can’t wait to see your other gingerbread projects!