Halloween Crayons - An Oldie But a Goodie

I have a thing about old crayons...I don't like them. Once the papers get soiled, the tips are worn flat, and pieces start to break off, I just can't use them. Wasteful...I know, but I have come up with a three-part solution:

1. Ignore - just choose not to see the broken, dirty, used up crayons in the box...use all the ones that still look pretty.

2. Retire - Once they can no longer be ignored, hide them away. I keep a bag of old crayons in the bottom drawer of our art supply cabinet. They just hang out waiting for their chance to be reclaimed, given a face lift, made new again.

3. Recreate - Turn those old dirty stubs into fabulous, new, designer crayons.


I bought this mold at our local craft store. It was about $10, but we will be able to use it for baking as well as crafting, so it was worth the splurge. You could probably get these in the after holiday sales if you're smarter than me, but I couldn't wait that long:)

Belle and I spent a rainy afternoon peeling and breaking those old crayons. We sorted them by colors and dropped them into the mold. I wasn't so sure about the blue cat, but she insisted and she was right...non-traditional, but pretty fantastic!

Pop the pan into the oven on 200 degrees. Be sure to turn on your oven light so your little one/s can watch them ooze! Pull them out when they are 99% melted. If you let them become totally liquidy then the pigment and wax will separate some and you will end up with a colorless wax layer on the back of each crayon. I let ours go too long, we have colorless wax, it's not a big deal except that only the front side of the crayon colors well, so it can be a little frustrating for small hands. Oh well!

This project has been around a while...nothing new here, but cute and fun none the less! Enjoy:)