Crayon Holder Out of Crayons

When I saw the Crayon Contest, my first thought was of the box of loose crayons I have sitting in a drawer. I'd rather have the crayons in something better than an old cardboard box, and I had the crayons to play with, so my next thought was to make a crayon holder out of the crayons themselves. (It could also be used to hold pencils or pens.)

Crayons (of course)

Razor Blade

Silicone Mold

Spoons

Paper Coffee Cup

Tube (pictured later)

Magnets

Work Gloves

Large Frying Pan (pictured later)

The first step is to get your crayons ready. This is the most time consuming and tedious step, so throw on your favorite show while you do it. Peel the wrappers off of your crayons. Sometimes, especially if the crayons are older, the glue that holds the paper on will stay on the crayon; you'll want to scrape that off so it doesn't gum up the melted crayons later. Next, break your crayons into smaller pieces (not pictured) - they melt faster this way. I used a razor blade to cut them up really tiny, and it took less than a minute for them to completely melt once they were under heat.

I saw a lot of ways that a mold could be made, some harder than others, but my primary deciding factor was that I didn't want to completely decimate my crayon supply, so I went with a paper coffee cup. Insert a tube into the cup (I used a case from an old child's jigsaw puzzle - it had lids, so I could overtop it with my melted crayon). Wrapping the tube tightly with wax paper may help you get it out at the end of the project. The top of the tube needs to be LOWER than the top of the coffee cup, cut it down if you need to. Make sure the tube is held securely in the center, that's where the magnets come in. Put one magnet on the bottom of the cup, and the other magnet on the inside of the tube (lower lid), and the magnets will hold the tube in position. You will pour the melted crayon between the cup and the tube. Most importantly, your mold will be UPSIDE DOWN! The eventual opening for the crayons (pens, pencils) is now at the bottom of the mold; the top of the tube will be completely covered with melted crayon (that's why a cap or cover is necessary) and will form the base of your crayon holder.

To do the next step, you need to keep multiple colors melted over a relatively long period of time, rather than melting the crayons for just one pour. Get a frying pan or pot that has a diameter large enough to fit your silicone mold. Fill the pan with water, but keep the water level low enough that it doesn't spill into the silicone. Boil the water - the boiling water is what will keep your crayons melted (refill as necessary). Put your crayon bits in the mold, and watch them melt; you can speed it along by stirring them a little with a spoon. WEAR GLOVES! Your hands will constantly be over heat, so wear proper protection for you hands.

This is the second longest step in the process, but it's also where your personal creativity shines! Use a spoon to scoop as much or little of colors of crayon into your mold, in whatever patterns, layers, or globs you want to. Using a different spoon for each color will stop the colors from running together too much. This will work best if you do thin layers by putting in only enough crayon to just barely cover the previous layer (unless you prefer really thick layers, it's your project!). It is important to let each layer HARDEN somewhat before adding the next layer, otherwise the colors mostly just mix. Letting each layer harden is what makes this step take so long; you could speed it up by putting your mold in a freezer between adding layers, but that will increase the chances of the whole thing cracking (I know from experience). When you get to the top of the tube, add several good, thick layers over it to create a sturdy base.

Let your mold sit overnight to harden at room temperature (again, a refrigerator or freezer would speed this up, but that might cause cracks). Remove your solid crayon holder from the mold. To do this, I used the razor blade to cut the coffee cup off, rather than trying to pull it off. If you have trouble getting the tube out, I would suggest just taking off whatever cap you have on that end and leaving the tube as part of the holder, rather than trying to fight it and inadvertently breaking your crayon holder. Use the razor blade again to cut and smooth off any rough edges until you have the base and rim of the crayon holder flat and level. Display your crayon holder in a prominent place where all who see it can marvel at your creativity and skill!

Before you leave the project to harden overnight, make sure you have taken care of anything that is still hot. That means turning off the stove, disposing of the boiling water, and either hardening or dumping whatever melted crayon is left over - you don't want anyone to get burned! Also, have "fun" scrubbing the crayon from your mold, the spoons, countertop, etc. ;)