Make your own recycled crayons!

I've always wanted to try making recycled crayons, but never knew just how easy and fun it was until I read Jen's recent blog post. And since we have tons of broken crayons on account of them not always being picked up promptly and Isaiah often pushing too hard, I decided to give it a shot.

1) Peel the wrappers off - Also known as "making the crayons nakie", according to Abbie. Some of them came off easily, but others were quite difficult for the kids, and even for myself. Next time, I might try soaking the stubborn ones in water a few minutes. But, it was a calming activity, and an exercise in perseverance and like Jen pointed out, fine motor skills.

2) Put the crayon bits in an paper-lined muffin tin - This is the fun part, deciding which colors to mix. Try solid colors, tone-on-tone, or a random rainbow mix. I filled the tins up to about halfway, but if I did it again, I would do it to 3/4 because they melt down quite a bit.

3) Place pan in a 300* oven until completely melted - This only took about 7 minutes for us, but may take a few minutes longer if the tins are fuller.

4) Remove and let cool - You'll want to remove them from the oven very carefully to preserve the color swirls. Let them cool for a few hours before attempting to remove from liners.

5) Clear a space on the refrigerator door - For all your child's new artwork, of course! Abbie was amazed she could draw in rainbow colors, and has declared these to be magic crayons. Isaiah loves his giant yellow and orange crayon, as those are his favorite colors.

We'll definitely be doing this activity again. I've already put a baggie in the activity closet with "broken crayons" written on it to save little bits and pieces until we have enough. Let me know if you give it a try!

DIY Banner!

I wanted a small banner to use at my upcoming craft show. However, the vinyl ones were so expensive. I was looking at a minimum of $25 (+ shipping), and that's plain, black font on a white background. And once you got into customization, the prices skyrocketed from there. So, I decided to make my own.

Start with a half a yard of cotton fabric. I found this cute daisy print in the perfect colors (almost matching the virtual banner in my shop!). I trimmed it a bit lengthwise, and hemmed the edges. The finished size was 36" x 15".

Iron it flat, and using a yardstick and pencil, trace a few lines to keep everything straight and uniform. Also, decide what you want to write/draw. (I printed off my name in my favorite font to use as a guide.)

Again, in pencil, sketch out your design. Keep it on the simple side; you don't want your banner to be overwhelming and hard to read. However, feel free to be as creative as you want! (Don't look at my banner for inspiration- I'm a horrible artist, LOL!)

Next, fill it your design. I used regular acrylic paint, since this isn't something I'll be washing, or even using, frequently. (Note: it's easier to do this without 2 toddlers running around. Of course, today had to be the day they decided to skip naptime. *sigh*)

Ta-da! Your very own, completely customized, DIY banner! And for only a fraction of the cost. (The fabric cost me less than $2. A bottle of acrylic paint was $0.50, and I already had the brushes in my drawer.) While it did take me a few hours, I think it turned out very well, and I can't wait to hang it* on my table next weekend!

* I plan on using safety pins to discreetly pin it to the tablecloth in front of the table. You could also add small grommets on the corners to hang it above your table.