make super cute crayons out of, you guessed it, crayons!

i’m sure you’ve seen this before.  i first saw it on miss martha stewart’s website and fell in love with the idea.  so, when i saw some molds at the recycling depot  for 25 cents (holler!!!), i snatched them right up with wild eyes along with a bag of…wait for it…wait for it….drum rolls…a huge bag of broken crayons. seriously.  same trip.  game on!  so, i came home and had the funnest afternoon with my lil man!  check it!

first off, you can use silicone ice cube trays, candy molds, or mini muffin tins for these but be aware, once you use them for this, they will always be for this…because the crayon is impossible to get off.  you can thrift them of get them from ikea for $1.  true story.

first, pull out all of those old broken crayons and start peeling all the papers off. (or, you can buy a freshie new box).  if you cut a slit down the side of the crayon, it’s easier to peel the paper away. or plan ahead and soak them in water.  either tip will save you some time trying to get the papers off.  employ the kid lets. they love this part.  we listened to disney stories on vinyl and pretty much whistled while we worked.  

you will need a nice variety of colors, all freshly peeled and broken into little pieces.  i used a knife and cutting board.  Loji just went to town breaking them.

we had fun separating colours into little bowls.  i loved how the skin tones and gold came out in the end.  next time i want to try primary colour mixing…like blue and yellow to make green when you draw.  and red and blue to make purple…an so on.  you could also do these to fit a holiday or theme.  for instance, if you want to make these for a st. patties day celebration, take out just the green toned crayons and find a shamrock mold and save the other colors for another time.  oh ideas.  oh the babbletron.

start filling up the little molds with a variety of colours, breaking up the crayon pieces a little smaller if necessary.  

then place the molds in a pre-heated 250 degree (F) oven for 5-10 minutes…….peeking in on them every so often.  depending on the quality of the crayons, some melt faster or waaaay slower.  also, place tin foil down on a baking sheet under the molds, in case there are any spills.  melted wax is absolutely no fun to clean out of the oven or smell for days after.  believe me, i learned the hard way.  oof.

once the crayons are completely melted, pull the molds out of the oven and allow them to cool completely. takes about 15 minz.  careful, silicone trays are wobbly.  you don’t want to spill or burn yourself with hot wax. or do you? 

run the bottoms of each mold under hot water, to help soften up the silicone tray and help separate the crayons from the bottom of the mold. then push the molds from the bottom and pop out each crayon.  note: don’t use too complicated of a shape or they might break when you pop them out.

enjoy!!!!