We Can Do It Girls: A Handmade Christmas

This Christmas I am going for a more homespun feel. I am wrapping my presents in kraft paper, and making many of my gifts. I decided to carry this through to our Christmas tree, and make a popcorn garland and ornaments by hand. It didn't hurt that our movers lost all our Christmas stuff during the move to Rhode Island, and we now are starting from scratch. It is working out fine, though. I have to say, I love the look of a handmade Christmas.
I made some of our ornaments using an old fashioned recipe of applesauce and cinnamon. They are so cute, and the smell in our house is divine! Here is the recipe I used:

1/2 cup applesauce

1 container of cinnamon

extra cinnamon

1 Tablespoon flour

I mixed the applesauce and cinnamon in a bowl with the flour until it was a nice dough-like consistency. You will have to do this by "feel." You do not want it to be too sticky or too crumbly. I know cinnamon can be a little expensive if you buy it at the grocery, so try finding it at the dollar store, or some place similar. I found mine at a local store called the Christmas Tree Shops for 89 cents.

Roll your dough out on wax paper after dusting the paper with cinnamon. Dust the top of the dough with cinnamon as well. This will keep your dough from sticking to your rolling pin. (Flour will discolor your ornaments.) Use cookie cutters to cut shapes into your dough. You will need to poke a hole in each ornament with a straw to thread ribbon through it later.

Bake shapes in your oven at 200 degrees for 2 1/2 hours. I know this sounds like forever, but it will make your house smell awesome! When the time is finished, place on cooling racks. They may need to dry a little bit more before you hang them up. Note: If you wish to forego the oven method, you may lay out the ornaments for several days on drying racks.