Melted Crayon Sun Catcher
I have created a new concept for Sun Catchers - by using all those broken crayons in the bottom of the box!!! This is not only a great project for adults, but also fun for kids and elderly - just please have an adult shave the crayons with the cheese grater!!!
Supplies
My favorite part is all the supplies you need are simple, cheap, and so easy to find!
- Wax Paper ($4 but do not get parchment paper, has to be wax to form with the melted crayons!)
- Iron (any iron will work, I bought the cheapest iron at Walmart for this project, $10)
- Crayons (I bought two 24 packs at $0.75 each)
- A cheese grater (please be careful with your fingers)
- An exacto knife?
- Scissors
- Adhesive Foam Sheets
For decorative add-ons
- String to hang in windows
Take the Crayons Back to Their Natural State
This step can be completed in so many ways, I've seen people soak the crayons in warm water so soften the labels - But I had the tools, so I used an exacto knife and CAREFULLY sliced a line through each crayon wrapper, and tadah! I had two boxes of 24 crayons, a plain set and a neon set!
Choose Your Colors and Shave!
Once you have turned all your crayons back into their true form, you are ready to start using the grater and get to shaving the crayons into these cute little curls!
REMINDER - Please be careful, and don't lose any fingers!
Adding to the Wax Paper
After shaving for a while, I realized this step could actually be done while over your wax paper sheets!
First, get a big sheet (I matched it with the adhesive foam sheet, to use half the foam sheet for a frame)! You are going to have to fold the wax paper in half when you're ready to iron so keep that in mind for the final sizes of your sun catchers!
Second, lay your crayon shavings in any way! I started out with just an assortment of 5 colors, 4 regular and 1 dark/neutral to balance it out?
Iron Is Hot & Ready to Melt!
Fold the blank side/half over your crayon shavings on the wax paper and turn your iron on to the lowest setting!!
Once your iron is ready, go slow and gently press the iron plate onto the folded wax paper, once you start to see the crayons melting, move the iron over the full piece until its all melted!
REMINDER - The iron is hot even on low, so be slow, careful and have an adult help with this step!
Get Fun With It
GET CREATIVE!
After my first multicolor piece, I wanted to do more of an ombre style so i chose all my blue and red color variations! Then got to shaving and layering. You can do any styles, shapes, sizes - Just have fun :)
Ready for Frames and Hanging!
Once the crayons/wax paper have cooled and hardened back up - its time to add some frames! I used a pencil first and drew my desired shape then got to cutting! There is absolutely NO LIMIT TO YOUR IMAGINATION!!!
For the frames, use the adhesive side of the foam sheets and attach/press onto the area you like best (there will be excess on the outside of the frame sets) then use scissors and cut off the extra wax paper!
For additional pieces, if you'd like to hang these, I suggest having a string ready and placing it in between the two adhesive foam sheets!