DIY: Rainbow Toddler Crayons

Now that the older kids have gone back to school and we've settled into a routine here at Pure Bliss, I have some time to craft with my littlest munchkin. Our first project of the school year has been making crayons that are perfect for little hands. These crayons might just keep the little artist busy so that mommy can get some work done!
     Before we get into the how-to lets lay down some mommy truths about kids and art utensils...
         Truth #1 - No matter how hard you try to contain situations involving children and drawing utensils you will eventually experience art in random places ...like on the walls or furniture or even on bodies and clothing (especially with markers). Seriously though, my youngest is currently rocking a leg tattoo and our table has a bit of abstract flare. Pro-Tip: buy everything washable, they even make washable crayons now! Oh and whatever you do, keep the Sharpies hidden (you may even want to store them in a safe).
          Truth #2 - Kids eat drawing utensils, even the ones that you wouldn't expect. Markers? Who would want to eat a marker? ...Toddlers, toddlers want to eat markers. Who knew? For real, take your eyes off of them for a second and there will be a purple mouthed cuddle monster where you left your toddler.
          Truth #3 - You think that box of crayons or markers will last a while? ...Absolutely not, before you know it caps will be missing and each and every crayon will be broken or chewed. As for those colored pencils... you will be making those vanish like the Sharpies because sharpening pencils over and over again is not an enjoyable experience.
  
      Now, to talk about why I absolutely love these toddler crayons. First of all, those broken and chewed crayons now have new life. These are the perfect size for little hands and they are much harder to snap and/or chew. You can also make these in all sorts of color patterns which amazes little artists.
     The idea for these crayons came when Pure Bliss switched from the biodegradable Lotion Stick tubes to plastic Lotion Stick tubes. We loved the idea of biodegradable packaging, but the tubes were leaking and degrading faster than we would have liked. Quality is extremely important to us so we had to make a switch. With recycling in mind we looked for packaging that functions well and can serve a new purpose when empty. In fact, this has become a goal with all of our product packaging. There are lots of ways to reuse almost all of our current packaging. We will be sharing more ideas soon!
    

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Toddler Crayons (Big kids love these too)

You will need:

• 6-10 Crayons of your color choice with the paper peeled off (this is a great job for the munchkins)
• A microwavable container that you don't mind melting crayons in (you'll want it to be easy to pour with)
• A Pure Bliss Body Confections, Triple Butter Stick Plastic Tube (all used up).
• A sharp knife or a fine cheese grater (that you don't mind using crayons on)

     
     Prepping the tube - The bottom of the tube will come out through the top for easy cleaning. you can remove the label if you would like. To do so, soak tube in warm water with a little dish soap, a sprinkle of baking soda and a splash of vinegar. Allow the tube to soak for 10-15 minutes and the label should come off pretty easy. once the tube is washed and dried you can pop the bottom back in. It will go back in through the top and you can slide it all the way back to the bottom.
     If you're concerned with mess you may want to cover up your work area with newspaper for easy clean up.
    Once the workspace and tube are prepped, chop or grate the crayons. If you scroll down to the bottom you will find our process in pictures. You'll want the pieces to be as small as possible, (kind of like grated cheese). Be very careful with this step as the crayons are hard and it's easy for the knife or grater to slip. Keep the crayon shreds separated by color to avoid making a murky crayon.
     After all of the crayons are chopped pick your first color and place into microwavable container. Microwave times will vary depending on the crayons and the microwave. We found that some crayons melted faster than others (size and brand make a difference). Our microwave is ancient so it took about a 2-3 minute zap for each color. You could start with a minute and then check the container. If the pieces aren't melted microwave for another minute or until they're melted. Be very careful removing the container from the microwave as it will most likely be very hot! Pour your first color into the tube. allow it to cool for a minute or two and then melt your next crayon. Keep melting and pouring until you've used up all of the crayons or reached the top, whichever comes first. Make sure that you continue to allow each layer to cool a little to avoid colors running together.
     When you've finished layering the crayon allow it to cool completely and then remove by pushing up on the bottom of the tube. At this point you can use the tube to make more crayons or for another project. We found a cool idea for a DIY: Laundry Stain Stick over on Pinterest that you can find here at:
www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2015/05/homemade-laundry-stain-stick.html
     If you try this let us know how it goes for you. We would also love to hear about any ideas that you may have for reusing these tubes or any of our packaging. Look for more of our DIY/recycling ideas soon!
     You can find our Triple Butter Sticks Here: Moisturize (Lotion)