a little treat for valentine's day.. and here is how I did it...first you'll need : crayons, small pot, water, spoon, molds (you can also use ice cube trays, candy or silicone baking molds)
1. collect all your broken crayons.. to help remove the labels.. I found that soaking them in water works best, remove labels, allow crayons to dry.
2. color coordinate your broken crayons, blues, yellows.. you get the idea.
3. I used two sets of plastic/silicone molds.. I found the heart mold at ikea and the alphabet molds at a little baking shop.. but you can buy them online here
4. boil about 2 inches of water, add glass measuring cup to pot.. crayons will melt slowly.. I found that if I added the larger crayons first and then the smaller ones.. the melting process worked better, stir often. when your crayons have melted, simply pour the liquid into the molds. allow to sit for a couple hours. If you are having trouble getting your molded crayons out of the trays.. I suggest putting them in the freezer for 20 mins and try again.
and thats it! there are so many neat molds you can buy online.. i loved these.. lego , false teeth, and these gems would all make perfect upcycled crayons.. if you find that you don't have the time.. or want to spare the mess.. you can just buy some from the many talented shops on etsy..
my favorites are chase dreams and ivy lane designs
Hi,
i want to add you to my friday's favourites list with this... please could I use one of your photos to head the post?? The one with the bowls of crayons??
Jenni x
Posted by: jennifer Williams | 19 February 2010 at 12:07 PM
Such a fun idea. We've only ever made them in plain old muffin tins before, the shapes you use make them even more fun.
Posted by: Heather | 15 February 2010 at 03:29 PM
I stumbled on your blog today. Seeing the crayons - recycled - brought back memories. When my older son was in kindergarten, we crumbled up pinks, purples and red broken crayons. I melted the pieces in small heart shaped tins. He gvae them as Valentines. We loved the marbled color and how the "new" crayon produced crazy colors when you used it. Thanks for the memory! I'll stop back in.
Posted by: Becky | 27 January 2010 at 12:25 PM
I have a two year old who loves taking all the paper off of his crayons! Perfect project for us. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Andrea | 25 January 2010 at 08:51 PM
How cute are these! This is such a great way to recycle instead of chunking all the little bits we end up being left with.
Posted by: solstice letters | 25 January 2010 at 02:04 PM