Baker's Clay Jar Lids craft

This is a unique way to decorate jars containing your own preserves, candy, nuts, potpourri or other "gifts in a jar.

4 cups unsifted flour
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup salt

NOTE: Do not halve or double recipe.

Mix ingredients together thoroughly and knead for 5 minutes. Use your hands or kitchen utensils to shape and form figures. Aluminum foil over the table makes a good work surface.

Roll out dough about 1/4 inch thick. Place jar lid on dough and cut out a circle about 1 inch wider than the lid. Gently shape dough over the lid. For the excess dough around the edges, pinch dough between your thumb and forefinger all the way around the lid to form a scallop. If you want more of a solid edge, take a sharp knife and very gently cut the dough from the top of the lid to the bottom of the dough. Take one side of the cut and fold over the other. Seal by painting with water and pressing edges together.

You can make interesting fruit or flower decorations for your jar lids, forming them and attaching to lid before baking, or baking them separately and attaching to finished lids with glue.

Bake the lid and all at 300 degrees F for 1/2 hour to 1 hour, until dough is golden and dry but not brittle. Paint before baking with beaten egg for a more golden-bread appearance. Or, if you want colored lids, wait until lids have cooled, and then paint with acrylic. Shellac or varnish to seal.