Parents and crafters alike know the pain of a broken crayon. Broken crayons are still usable, but those little stubs of color are easy to lose and harder for small hands to grasp. One innovative mom found a way to beautifully repurpose the crayon waste.
The scoop
Ali, known as Tiny Waste (@tiny_waste) on TikTok, shares her efforts as a mom "trying to shrink my waste." She posts clips about her home, garden, and, of course, parenting. In one video, she showed how to save broken crayons, saying "custom crayons have become one of my favorite gifts or party favors."
@tiny_waste Replying to @123ashwey the trick for a perfect Earth is small pieces of various shades of green, blue, and a little white! #partyfavors #toddlermom #crayola #kidart ♬ club penguin ice fishing theme song - julie on the internet
In the clip, Ali showed how to use silicone molds to create cute new crayons. She said she sees silicone molds at the thrift store often, so you won't have to spend much to try this craft.
In the video, she made crayons using a space-themed mold and simple round mold. "For more intricate molds, I like to cut my crayons up into teeny tiny pieces that as the wax melts it fills in every little detail." Using this technique, she made very cute multicolored planet crayons. In the larger mold, she used larger crayon chunks sorted by color.
Once you have laid out your crayon pieces, the next step is to melt the wax. This creator pre-heated her oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit, put the molds on a baking sheet, and let the wax melt completely. Once it's melted, remove the molds from the oven and let them cool and harden completely. Your new custom crayons should pop out easily from the silicone molds.
How it's helping
This craft is a great way to repurpose your old and unused supplies. Giving "trash" new life is a fun way to declutter. This creator made party favors for her son's birthday, so she saved money on gifts while using up broken crayons that could have been tossed otherwise.
Reusing and repurposing everyday items also helps keep trash out of our landfills. Waste in the United States is an issue that continues to grow. The average American creates around 5 pounds of trash per day. Even the small act of upcycling crayons helps reduce your impact and helps keep our planet a little healthier.
What everyone's saying
Folks in the comments loved this cute craft. One person wrote, "I have paw print molds maybe I'll do some for my local 4h dog club."
"That is so satisfying and beautiful," someone else chimed in.
Another commenter said, "Why have I never thought of this!"
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