Instructions

1. Mix baking soda and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Add water, stir until smooth. Add 10 drops of each oil. The scent will be strong, but it all works out in the end.
2. Put this soup-like mixture on the stove and cook on medium-high heat, stirring constantly, for about 3-5 minutes. As you stir, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. The mixture will first get bubbly before it gets thicker and thicker and you need to scrape the pot to get all of that combined.
3. Once the mixture is very thick it’ll resemble a dense, sticky lump of dough. Remove it from the stove at this point.
4. Transfer dough to a cool plate and let cool at room temperature. It gets cold fairly quickly. Once it is, knead this lump into a smooth dough. If it’s sticky or too wet add more cornstarch (like you would flour when making regular dough).
5. Lightly dust the dough with cornstarch and roll it out to no less than 6mm (1/4 inch) thick. Cut out desired shapes and transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut out holes (for hanging the ornaments) with a straw. Optional: roll out leftover dough into two long strips and make a small wreath with them.
6. Let ornaments dry in a warm space for a day, flip them over the next day and let them dry until they’re completely set, ideally another day. The longer you wait the better.
7. Finally, add some twine and hang them up… wherever! I’m keeping mine in the kitchen.