Of course, you can't pack broken crayons in your shoebox. But I bet all of you can find a pile of crayons that look like this. I will teach you a budget friendly way to repurpose these stubs into new crayons that are easy, fun, and cute.
Find a cheap silicone ice cube tray. I found this one at Goodwill for 99 cents. I have seen at Dollar Tree and Ikea. One of my favorites is this Lego one. Just google and you will find lots of shapes.
Take all the paper wrapper off the crayons. I find CRAYOLA brand turn out the best. Break into small pieces, I also use scissors to cut so the pieces are more uniform. They will melt more evenly.
Wrap foil on a cookie sheet. I use my toaster oven so I don't have to heat up the big oven. Fill the mold with crayon bits. You can mix and match or do just a single color. You need to over full as the empty spaces in between the crayons will fill in melted wax. You want the mold to be as filled as possible when done melting.
I put in the toaster oven, set to 250 degrees and set the timer for 10 min. I really don't think there a right or wrong temp. When I have made before, I didn't cook as long and there was still some definition in the crayon chunks but the colors didn't mix as much as this batch.
You can let set up in the oven once you've turned it off or CAREFULLY take the melted crayons out, being sure to leave as flat as possible, Once they are a little set, you can put in the freezer to speed it up.
I love to un-mold as you never know how they will look. Aren't they fun? I think a lot more fun than a plain old box of crayons.
I put six in the white bag, folded up and tied with multicolored yarn. I will add a tag that says crayons so when the box is inspected, it will be clear what is enclosed. You could also use sandwitch baggies or treat bags.
Cheap! Virtually free! Make a lot of sets to share with other shoebox packers. I would love to to see your crayon creations if you do this project.
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