Valentines day comes at the time of year when our family has just settled down from the holidays, birthdays, travel, our anniversary and beginning school again. It’s not the most convenient of times, to say the least. Valentine’s day seems so commercialized that I can barely make myself buy things knowing it will end up being thrown away or eaten in a fury of sugar-induced excitement.
This is where I buckle down and get creative by making Lego Mini-fig recycled crayons. I’m sure you also have a box of dirty broken crayons somewhere, that no one even colors with anymore. In my somewhat obsessive/compulsive drive to continually clean out our art supply cabinets I came across a brilliant idea that fills the needs to conserve and clean, as well as the urgent need for a viable valentines craft. So for the past few years we have been making larger crayons in some of our baking molds. The varieties are endless, but we have settled on hearts and Lego Mini-fig recycled crayons. Not much of a surprise in a house with four young boys in need of valentines to give their friends and classmates!
The best molds to use to use are baking grade silicon. The cleanup is easy!
Lego Molds:
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Set the oven to 350 degrees. Tear off the papers, break the crayons into appropriate sizes for the molds and arrange however you’d like, being careful to account for the melted size. You may want to experiment with a batch, or load the molds lightly. You can mix colors or go with single shades, though I prefer the random combinations and patterns made from mixing. Feel free to experiment! The crayons don’t muddy and mix unless you stir them around. After 15-20 minutes take them out carefully, and if you are impatient like we are, put them straight in the fridge or freezer! If you prefer the lazy route, set them on the counter until completely cool before attempting to take the crayons out of the molds.
After admiring your Lego Mini-fig recycled crayons, pack them up quick before the urge to keep them sets in… And really, who doesn’t love new crayons?
