Trimming the Tree

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 250°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour and salt together. Pour in the water and stir with a sturdy spoon. When the dough gets too stiff to stir, finish mixing with clean hands. If it feels sticky, work in a little more flour. If it is crumbly, add water a few drops at a time.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, until it is smooth and soft. Divide it into 3 or 4 pieces, and keep the pieces you aren't using covered so they don't dry out.
4. Roll one piece about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and set them on the lined baking sheets. Gather the scraps and roll them again.
5. Poke a hole near the top of each ornament with a drinking straw or skewer, so you can hang it later.
6. Bake until the ornaments are hard and completely dry, about 2 hours for 1/4-inch ornaments, turning them over halfway through. Thicker ornaments take longer, so check them and keep baking until they are firm all the way through.
7. Let the ornaments cool completely on a rack.
8. Paint them with acrylic or other water-based craft paint, and let the paint dry.
9. If you like, brush on a clear sealer such as Mod Podge, following the directions on the label, and let it dry.
10. Thread a piece of ribbon through each hole, tie it in a loop, and hang your ornaments high on the tree.