An "Animal Crackers" Wish Tree

Wish trees are a popular alternative to the traditional guest book these days and often, paper tags are used to adorn a manzanita branch. Manzanita branches are pricey ($20-45) and I wondered how well the paper tags would hold up after the wedding.

Initially, I thought ceramic ornaments, where guests could write on the back would be the solution. But, I couldn't find them at Michael's. What I found online cost $2+ per ornament, plus shipping. Then, I dug deep into my childhood memories: salt dough ornaments! 

Guitar Fred and I made a batch (4 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 1 cup hot tap water). Super cheap. We let it rest for 12 hours (half a day) and then rolled it out and used cookie cutters to punch out the ornaments. I only have a hippo and dog cookie cutter and I'll need to buy some more. We'll need to paint them with colored paint and then clear varnish to preserve them before guests can write their recipes for a good marriage on the back. They're still a work in progress, but I'm pretty happy with the direction we're going in so far. Ultimately, I can see the theme of our wish tree turning into "Animal Crackers." Super cute!