Here we are, my first tutorial. I guess I'll make it pretty simple. Valentine's day is coming up and if your chilren's school is anything like my neice's then you know how restricting the no-sweets rules can be. So here's another option: heart shaped crayons. they're super simple to make, and the kids can help too!
Valentine's Day Crayons.
Step one: Gather all your household's broken crayons. They don't have to be the same color or the same brand. Any will do!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWLABKELnU1CBQnIsizpoxe5jLdFQ1DOXoLEj4GQCZajgQj4i0DV15jULCMv_XJRFxZN6kOq1ufKQbfBzZxwrHIWNlxwpsXg-XJUaptldnOzrHsq1l8fxA8bxut6vXDQH3ERxPg1qo-VXJ/s320/Thanksgiving+and+christmas+2009+263.jpg)
Step two: Use an exacto knife to slit the wrappers lenthwise (adults only). Then pass the slit crayons to the kids so they can easily peel the wrappers off. Tip: use two gallon size ziplocs, one to collect the wrappers and one to collect the crayons.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pFey7x8IZOIJhVLHg7c1UE_rMCHofzNgDEeWYHxK9pPHxWENWXOoREVEF_Bt-k4X6MB8CQAiP6vmQjL6zWQ3geQBKioLpJSyiwafpaMAyxYisjL9OL6QH1zPpJhIrrAf8ncuZ9rr3ICT/s320/Thanksgiving+and+christmas+2009+264.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12R9tGUwdberiwz5BsJj5XslX9IqW2BlnsNP0ihLcGeHNdA8FEUjR57l2wbo6yXoJGPxhCJLwzscAZcm5cKO3djwVqpKsjuS3k49vnc6VfIpfzbAM2ci3Wzi-Xhukx9o8tqUmkqLb9Jec/s320/Thanksgiving+and+christmas+2009+265.jpg)
Step three: sort by color (relatively). being sure to keep warm colors with warm and cool with cool. (so you won't end up with murky muddy looking crayons). Feel free to scribble a little with each one - you'd be surprised at how much those purples and blues look like black!
Step four: Break each whole crayon into 3-4 peices (depending on the size of broken ones they can be left alone or broken again).
Step five: nearly fill each section of a silicone heart shaped ice cube tray (found in a pack of two for $2.5o at target right now). Keep colors sorted by warm/cold tone.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQUPjdh4wIq0WZeBm8t5hsdSKQH1Osp3IecTLbDnuLaLFus3VSXzCQ8gIlOt0DJT3LZy2MPgazwTV-EgMvmmismbCmjhdiUwZR0CeWY03U_7B5AhhSGZ5ZLIiNUwrra_uCyMCRgJPE815c/s320/Thanksgiving+and+christmas+2009+267.jpg)
Step six: carefully place full tray into microwave and turn on for about 5-7 minutes. Stopping periodically to check and poke with a toothpick (as per 9yr old's liking). Crayons should look shiny but with some solid looking parts remaining (for swirled crayon). Melting too much will give you a solid colored crayon and possibly some melting of your silicone tray.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9slE_fwOA6VbCrrIzTeIipIZvLVFFsdhQP07IGs8rmKF85c0_wNKd_wunOnq9bo5x1HEf1WWsojQMMBf1lzdyAvdW-fgChgo2A3KQBOg0mOwCLHyK2cBRVswXsWIML1kLNs5Km6vgkUDV/s320/Thanksgiving+and+christmas+2009+268.jpg)
Step seven: Carefully remove tray from microwave (adults only!) and place into freezer for several minutes. Remove from freezer when crayons are still a little warm - this makes it much easier to remove them from the tray.
Step eight: Remove crayons from tray and enjoy!