Crayon Suncatcher | Wax Paper Melted Crayon Art
Our broken crayon baggie in our craft bin was starting to overflow and I knew this wax paper melted crayon art craft was the perfect thing to use up the crayons and let my boys let their creative juices flow!
I love the process of taking recycled broken crayons and turning them into beautiful melted crayon art. You can create so many things with this craft and my boys loved getting creative with this project!
Materials
- Cheese grater
- Old crayons
- Iron
- Wax paper
- Ironing board or other hard surface to iron on
- Old towels (I used tea towels)
- Scissors
How To Create Wax Paper Melted Crayon Art
First you need to peel off the paper on the crayons
Grate the crayons with your cheese grater- separating like colors together in a bowl
Start your iron and put it on the lowest setting, then set aside until later
Break off 2 pieces of wax paper and place one in front of your child
Allow your child to make a fun pattern or creation on the wax paper with the crayon bits
Once your child is done making their creation with the crayon pieces transfer the paper to your ironing board. Put an old towel between your iron board and wax paper
Take your second sheet of wax paper and put on top of the crayon shavings
Use another old towel to put on top of the wax paper
Then use your hot iron to iron on top of the towel. See my tips and tricks below for some things I learned through trial and error! I would recommend doing this step for your child. If you want your older child to iron their art they will need adult supervision. It’s okay to peek every once in a while to check out the color combinations that start to form.
Take a white crayon and make an outline of what you want to create on your waxed paper
Cut out your shapes
Hang your creation in a window for a darling sun catcher
Tips & Tricks When Making Your Melted Crayon Art (Learn From My Mistakes 🙂)
Some crayons were very easy to peel the paper off of, but others became a bit frustrating for my kids. I found that if I scored the paper with a sharp knife (an adult should do this) it was so much easier for my boys to peel the paper off.
Grating the crayons was harder for my boys because the pieces were so small. If you want your kids to be part of this step I recommend using full crayons so they have a bigger surface to grate safely.
Make sure your iron is on low heat. Ours was on medium heat and it was just a bit too hot. Once I turned it down to low heat the end result of our creations were much better!
If you are doing this craft with younger kids (toddlers or preschoolers) I would highly recommend having all of the crayon shavings done before bringing them up to the table. The process of grating the crayons can take a while and my little one did not have the patience to wait.
When ironing I found our creations were the best when I picked up the iron and left it on for a few seconds and then picked it up to move to a different part of the wax paper. By doing this the colors didn’t mix as much as they did when I rubbed the iron around the wax paper. In the picture below the left creation was when I put down and picked up the iron. The creation on the right was when I rubbed the iron around to melt the crayons.
Some people use a handheld pencil sharpener or crayon sharpener to grate the crayons . Honestly, this may have been easier than the cheese grater.
Use old towels because you may have some crayon wax that seeps out from the wax paper. Your towels will be stained if this happens. It was also helpful to have some paper towels on hand for any crayon wax that seeped out.
If you find that your creation separates a little after cutting out your shape you can do the iron process again. Just make sure to not let the iron sit for too long on your craft. It only takes a few seconds to have the wax paper adhere.
What To Create With Your Wax Paper Crayon Art
There are so many different ways to use this craft, honestly the sky is the limit for what you could create!
We made this fun easter garland with some twine and a hole punch. My boys also made crosses we hung up on our window.
Bookmarks were fun to make and super simple! You just need a hole punch and ribbon and you have a sweet bookmark to use or gift to loved ones.
We made a heart to celebrate Valentine’s Day and it was such a cute window hanging that had a stained glass effect.
My older two boys wanted me to make sure that I also shared how this craft would be a great way to celebrate Earth Day because we are reusing old broken crayons we would have otherwise thrown away! (I promised them I would share this idea with you 🙂)
​Other Fun Crafts For Kids
- These rolled beeswax candles are a great craft for older kids and teens
- I love these nature sun suncatchers and they are perfect way to welcome Spring
- These DIY nature paint brushes were a hit with my kiddos & a great outdoor activity
