To Make the Dough: In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.
Add water and blend well.
Form into ball; knead on lightly floured surface until smooth, 5 to 10 minutes.
Shape small portions of dough at a time and keep the remaining dough tightly covered.
To tint dough: For each cup of dough, knead in 10 to l5 drops of food color.
To roll: With rolling pin, roll dough to l/4-inch thickness.
Cut with cookie cutters or cut around paper patterns with sharp knife.
To mold by hand: Form dough into shapes 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick.
To hang ornament: Before baking, insert loop of craft wire in top of ornament or make hole, l/4-inch from top, using end of plastic straw.
Decorate with Writing Gels, Holiday Spnnkles, Sugar Crystals and other decorations.
To decorate: Sprinkle on holiday sprinkles or colored crystal sugars before baking (sugars may melt, but add a nice col or to finished ornaments).
Use writing gels to decorate ornaments before baking.
Press dough through garlic press to make tiny ropes for hair or Santa's beard.
Form larger ropes by hand-rolling.
To bake: Place decorated ornaments on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake at 250 degrees for one to two hours or until completely dry.
Remove from cookie sheet to wire racks; cool.
Place orna- ments on waxed paper and seal by spraying both sides with several coats of clear polyurethane or brush- ing with clear shellac.
Do not eat.
VARIATIONS: Personalized Placcards: Roll dough l/4-inch thick.
Cut into rectangles, 2 1/2x1 1/2-inch, or use 2-inch star cookie cutter.
Cut triangles from dough to make stands.
Make triangle slightly shorter than the height of placecard and taper to form an angle less than 90 degrees.
Before baking, write names using writing gels and decorate with any sprinkles, crystals, imperials or sugars.
Bake as indicated above.
Attach triangle to back of placecard with craft glue.
Let dry and seal with polyurethane or clear shellac.
Personalized Gift Tags: Roll dough 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick.
Cut dough into 1-x2-inch rectangles, or use small star cookie cutter.
Make hole for tag with end of plastic straw.
Decorate, bake and seal as directed for placecards.
Loop ribbon or string through hole to create gift tag.
Napkin Rings: Create mold by cutting 2 1/2-4-inch strips from bottom of aluminum foil pan; form into eircle.
Roll 3 small (1-inch) balls of dough to 6-inch ropes.
Braid loosely.
Wrap braid around foil mold; moisten ends and pinch together.
Place mold and braid on baking sheet.
Repeat with remaining molds and dough.
Bake and cool as directed; remove molds.
To adhere decorations, after dough has cooled, spray napkin rings with spray glue and decorate.
Let dry and seal with polyurethane or clear shellac.
** Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal -- Food section -- : 29 November 1995 ** Scanned and formatted for you by The WEE Scot -- paul macGregor
