By Reba Luiken, Arboretum coordinator of informal interpretation
There are many plants that play a special role during the holidays, but mistletoe may be one of the strangest. It does have green leaves, but it mostly acts like a parasite, sucking nutrients out of the trees that it grows in. Of course, there's also that strange tradition of kissing under the mistletoe! No one really knows how that tradition started, but it seems to have begun in England in the 1700s.
Mistletoe does not grow in Minnesota, but you can make your own creative interpretation with this craft. The best part is capturing cute baby toes for the future!
Materials
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 cup of salt
- 1 cup of water
- Green food coloring
- Rolling pin
- Knife
- Metal spatula
- Small cap or cookie cutter (for making berries)
- Straw or wooden skewer (for making holes)
- Cookie sheet + parchment paper or non-stick cookie sheet
- Ribbon or string (for hanging)
- Permanent marker (optional, for dating)
Instructions
- Mix together flour, salt, and enough water for the dough to just stick together. I used about 3/4 of a cup for this. Your hands work best for this.
- Separate your dough into balls for each color you would like to make. I separated out a small ball of white dough for my berries and the rest was to make my green mistletoe.
- Add food coloring and the rest of your water to the large ball of dough and mix with your hands. I added 10 drops of liquid green food coloring. Keep in mind, your ornaments will likely get lighter in color as they dry.
- Roll out in a thin layer. Aim for 1/4 inch thick.
- Bring in your model toes! Carefully imprint your sample foot (or feet). You'll want to make an impression that is deep enough to see but not so deep that it goes all the way through.
- Use a knife to cut out around the foot prints.
- Roll out your white dough and use the small cookie cutter and cap to cut out berries.
- Use your spatula to carefully move them onto your cookie sheet.
- Use a skewer or straw to punch holes in the heels of your feet and your berries so you can hang them later.
- Bake in the oven at 200°F for 1-2 hours to dry. Leave overnight to dry longer, if you'd like.
- String a foot and one or more berries onto a ribbon and tie.
- Add a year to the back of your mistletoes.
- Hang and enjoy!