14 Days of DIY Love: Valentine Crayon Molds

  
I wanted a fun, usable, and sugarless Valentine idea for Cruz's two year old comrades this year, and after having such great luck with his crayon molds from his birthday bash, I thought I would try some hearts.  This project is almost penniless, and is an easy, fun, and creative idea that the kiddos can help with every step of the way.

**I changed up my process a little from the birthday crayons, in large part because I had three empty heart molds, each holding 14 individual crayons, instead of the lone 'C' and '2' I used for his birthday.  Because I didn't need as many and I had plenty of hearts to work with, I decided to bake my crayons in the oven instead of the microwave.  I couldn't believe the difference.  Seriously, so cute.

Here's what you do...

1.  Find your crayons.  Since not all of you likely went through a school closing recently, you may need to do a little searching for these.  Think art teachers, elementary teachers, Sunday schools, etc.

2.  Using an x acto knife (and being very very careful), it's easiest to slice a line through the paper of the crayon.  This makes for very easy peeling, far less time consuming them using your fingernails.  Just. Be. Careful.

3.  Break up your tiny crayons in tiny pieces.  You can break them with your bare hands, but I prefer to use an old scissors to get them in smaller pieces, about a half inch or so. 

4.  Now the fun part.  Arrange your crayon pieces in your silicone molds, heaping them slightly at the top.  I prefer experimenting with lots of different colors, but did more with shades of pinks, reds, and purples for Valentine's Day.  Just be careful not to put too many dark pieces with too many lights.  

5.  Watch 'em bake.  I baked the trays at a preheated 200 degree oven for about ten minutes, and took them out as soon as they looked melted through.  Put your trays on a baking sheet to avoid over drippings.  The heat time is the deal breaker for ensuring that the colors of your crayons don't seep into one another and appear as one solid color instead of the vibrant many you started with.  Just watch them closely!!!  I've heard some people say they've melted the trays because their oven was too hot or they left them in too long.  

6.  Let them cool.  Like forget about them for awhile.  I broke many Cs and 2s attempting to dig them out of the trays too early.  I waited about a half hour and the hearts came out wonderfully.     

7.  I found these super cute circle templates from etsy shop, Star Flight Designs, printed them on card stock, used a dot of tacky glue to adhere the crayon to the paper, and tied some ribbon for decoration.  I can't wait to send these with Cruz for his Valentine's party at school!

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