Making a Clay Dog Paw Print Ornament at Home? Follow This Simple Guide for Great Results Easily.

Getting Started with the Paw Print

Alright, so I decided to make one of those dog paw print ornaments. Seemed like a nice little project. First thing, I needed some sort of dough or clay. I just went with a simple salt dough recipe I found ages ago. You know the one.

Making the Dough

I grabbed a bowl. Tossed in about a cup of flour, maybe half a cup of salt? Something like that. Then slowly added water, mixing it with my hands until it felt like, well, dough. Not too sticky, not too dry. Had to add a bit more flour at one point because I went a bit overboard with the water. Kneaded it for a few minutes on the counter until it was smoothish.

Getting the Print

This was the tricky part. My dog, bless him, isn't exactly patient. I rolled out a chunk of dough, maybe half an inch thick? Made a circle shape using the rim of a glass. Then I called Max over. Had to kind of gently but firmly press his paw into the dough. Took a couple of tries. The first one he pulled away too fast, smudged it. Second one, he stepped right through it. Third time was the charm, got a decent print. Cleaned his paw off right after, of course. Don't want him licking that salt.

Finishing Touches Before Baking

Okay, print secured. I used a straw to poke a hole near the top. You need that for the ribbon later, right? Made sure the hole was big enough. Then I carefully placed the dough circle onto a baking sheet lined with some parchment paper I had lying around.

Baking Time

Shoved it in the oven. Kept the temperature pretty low, maybe 250F? Didn't want it to puff up or brown too much, just dry it out. Left it in there for ages, seriously, like 2 or 3 hours. Checked it now and then, tapped it. Once it felt hard all the way through, I turned the oven off and just left it in there to cool down completely. Didn't want it cracking.

Decorating (or Trying To)

Once it was cool, which took a while, it was time to paint. Found some old acrylic paints. Decided to just paint the paw print part, make it stand out. Used a little brush. Let that dry. Then I thought about adding the date or his name, but my handwriting with paint is terrible, so I skipped that. Kept it simple. Maybe could have used a marker?

The Final Step

Last thing was the ribbon. Found some red ribbon in the craft box. Threaded it through the hole I made earlier, tied a knot. And that was it. Hung it up. Looks pretty neat, actually. A nice little memory of Max's paw. Definitely a bit rustic, but that's kind of the point, isn't it?