Hello! We’ve been struck down by some nasty bugs in the last few weeks so sorry (once again!) for the lack of updates.
Last night, I finally managed to peel myself off the sofa(!) and made these galaxy crayons for son #1 (he is currently fascinated with stars and planets).
If you, too, are interested in the night sky then did you know you can download high-res images from the hubble site? {Thanks Oh Happy Day for the heads up}. (I can feel a project coming on!)
Anyway, the crayons are really easy to make and fun to draw with. If you wanna have a go then see the tutorial after the jump.
If your little ones (or you) prefer bright colours then you can also make regular glitter crayons! Yay!
More starry links:
Galaxy playdough here!
Amazing ‘Stardust’ fashion photography by Ignacio Torres.
(I do still regularly pin my favorite crafts at Pinterest by the way…so if you wanna pop over then that would be cool!)
You will need:
Old crayons
Superfine glitter (I used silver)
Muffin tray/silicon mold
How to
1. Round up some old crayons. If you want to make galaxy crayons then dark colours work best. Remove all the paper jackets. If you are having a job getting them off then soak them in water first.
2. Break the crayons into pieces and pop them in your silicon mold/muffin tray. I used single colours but you can mix them up if you want.
3. Lay your hands on some glitter. Superfine glitter works best!
4. Sprinkle glitter into your tin/mold. (Please make sure you don’t use your best muffin tin)
5. Pop your mold in the oven. I put mine in at 140°C….and it took about 5 minutes for the crayons to melt. I recommend you watch your crayons all the time and take them out as soon as they have melted. It can get a bit smelly/smoky if you leave them in too long.
6. Take your mold/tray out of the oven and leave to cool. If you are impatient (like me) then pop them in the fridge. Make sure they have completely set before attempting to remove them from the mold. (Impatience ruined quite a few of my homemade crayons!!)
Happy drawing!
I happen to own a very limited edition crayon maker from Crayola. It works like an Easy Bake oven. I bought it for my sister, a school teacher and the mom of two toddlers way back then, and demanded it back when I had my own kids and my own box of broken crayons my type A kids refused to use. Not sure I could put sparkles in it but I am willing to try.
I hope you get over whatever ails you all. My son told me this morning that he’s not going back to his preschool until his cold leaves his nose. I loved the take-charge attitude he adopted … we’ve all been up and down since January with colds. #ridic
I love the addition of glitter to the crayons. I read a tip once suggesting that a paper cutter works well for getting the paper off of crayons. I guess it would have to be the slider kind of cutter not the guillotine kind. Here’s a link so what I mean is clear http://www.chicaandjo.com/2009/08/12/tips-for-collecting-peeling-making-crayons/
The crayon maker sounds cool…I never knew such a thing existed. I’m sure the sparkles wouldn’t do it any harm?!
Yeah we all have had so many germs since Christmas…I’m fed up of it!! Hope you son gets better soon!
Thanks for the tip Louise 🙂
These are fabulous! I’ve made round crayons in tinfoil cups before but stars are a much better shape for little hands to grip and draw and the glitter makes them extra special – I’ll make a set for my little nephew.
Awesome idea 🙂 can’t wait to try this out! Hope you are feeling much better now
Jen@madeinminch
We too have been stricken by the darn cold bug! I am so impressed you made something while sick! bravo
Awesome idea! 😀
Makes me wanna be a kid again XD
The contrast of the sparkles against that first dark crayon is INCREDIBLE! A fabulous space crayon indeed 🙂 Beautifully done, as always.
OMG I never knew you could download Hubble pix! I am having a nebula room! 🙂 Thank you!!!!!
So cool! I love glitter it makes everything better : D even crayons!
Love these space crayons!
Had to share: http://minipiccolini.com/2012/03/its-friday-10/
Hi Cara…yes that’s exactly right ^_^
Hi Rachael…thanks for the kind words. I got my mold ages ago…from ebay. It’s a UK based shop though. Here is the link:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silicone-STAR-shapes-Wax-Melt-Mould-/190659729125?pt=UK_Carfts_Candle_SoapMaking_EH&hash=item2c643496e5#ht_2866wt_938
I like your site by the way ^_^
What a cute project! I love it so much that I decided to feature it in our roundup of galaxy print projects! Check it out here: http://www.favecraftsblog.com/link-love-galaxy-print-diy-craft-projects/
Have a great day!
These ideas are relly great…i went thru almost all ur crafty stuff and they r beautiful as well as colourful
Thank u so much 4 sharein
Craft lover just like u
Thanks Harmony…happy crafting 🙂
Super cute!
Super fun and cute idea!! We loved it and we have written about this post in our blog creativeyou.se 🙂