NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Debrah Sickler-Voigt, a professor of art education in Middle Tennessee State University’s Department of Art and Design, knows that art can heal during the busy holiday season and help bring the holiday spirit to life.  

On the Friday, Dec. 6, “MTSU Local on 2” segment from the studios of WKRN-TV News 2, the ABC affiliate in Nashville, Sickler-Voigt shared how to create a one of a kind stamped, flour clay ornament with haiku keepsake that people of all ages will enjoy making.

Using kitchen staple ingredients, the ornaments are made with:

• 2 cups of non-rising flour
• 1 cup of salt
• 1 cup of water
• 1 ½ tablespoons of oil
• ¼ cup of flour for coating surfaces

Click here for the full recipe and instructions.

Watch the segment, part of the station’s Local on 2 programming, with program co-hosts Laura Schweizer and MTSU alum Stephanie Langston, below.

“If we mess up, that’s no problem because we can just roll the clay back up in a ball and roll it back out again,” Sickler-Voigt said. “Just be patient with yourself.”

To give the ornaments a special touch, Sickler-Voigt recommends writing a haiku — a Japanese poem with three lines, five syllables in the first and third lines, and seven syllables in the second line — on the back of the unique holiday ornament.

Sickler-Voigt adds that any extra moist dough you have left over can be stored in an airtight container or storage bag in the refrigerator for five to seven days. Bring to room temperature before creating additional ornaments.

Watch Sickler-Voigt in MTSU’s annual holiday television special “Joys of the Season,” which premieres on Monday, Dec. 9 at 6 p.m. True Blue TV.

To learn more about the programs offered in the MTSU Department of Art and Design in the College of Liberal Arts, visit https://art.mtsu.edu/.

— DeAnn Hays (deann.hays@mtsu.edu)