Stamped Gift Bags and Recycled Crayons
Welcome to Day #1 of the RemARKable Stampers Going Green Blog Tour! When I think of “Going Green”, my first thought is to recycle. So today’s project recycles in two different ways:
- create a “new” product by recycling something that would normally go into the trash and
- create gift packaging made from the scraps from a recent Stampin’ Up! project, instead of throwing them away
The Project: Gift bags with “Recycled” Crayons:
With two young children at home, I have more than my fair share of broken crayons! You too? Don’t throw them out; use them to create new ones! Not only will you be wasting less… but your kids will love them too! Here’s how:
1. Remove the paper wrappers from crayons. (Note: From my online research I have learned that for best results you should use Crayola crayons — not a different brand and not the washable kind.) You can use an exacto knife to slice the wrapper open or soak the crayons in warm-hot water for a few minutes and the paper will come off easier. Or… if you’re trying to keep your children busy for awhile, have them work on removing the papers on their own. (I think my two-year-old loves to remove the crayon papers more than she likes to color!)
2. Heat your oven to 275 degrees F.
3. Break or cut the crayons into pieces 1/2″ – 1″ long.
4. Spray a silicone mold with non-stick spray (e.g. Pam). I used a heart-shaped Wilton mold.
5. Put the mold on a sheet pan to make it easier to transport to and from the oven — and also to catch any spills.
5. Put the crayon pieces in the silicone mold. Make sure to use at least enough crayon pieces so that the bottom is covered. For small hands (like my 2-year-old’s), the crayons are easier to hold on to if they’re not too thick; so I only filled the molds half-full. For larger hands (like my 7-year-old’s), I filled the molds so they were almost overflowing.
6. Place the mold and sheet pan in your preheated oven and bake until the crayons melt (about 10 minutes).
7. Set the mold on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then place in the freezer (or a garage in Wisconsin during winter!) for another 15-25 minutes or until the crayons have re-solidified.
8. When the crayons are cooled and solid, gently push them out of each cup in the silicone mold.
Now your crayons are as good as (and possibly even better than) new! Your child will have the cutest crayons! These also make great gifts for children to give at Valentine’s Day or throughout the year. Here are some other ideas for making your crayons:
- Use star-shaped molds for 4th of July
- Use pumpkin-shaped molds for Halloween or Thanksgiving
- Try mixing different shades of the same color
- Swirl greens and browns for a camoflouge crayon
- Add silver and gold crayon pieces to the other colors
- Halfway through baking, add glitter
Now Let’s Work on the Packaging!
1. Cut a 3″ x 6 1/4″ piece of Pink Flamingo Designer Series paper. (Side note: One of the awesome things about Stampin’ Up!’s patterned paper is that it’s double-sided. So not only do you get to pick your favorite side to use… but in projects like this one, where you will see both the front and back side of the paper, you get to see a pattern on both sides of the project!)
2. Score the top of the paper at 1 1/4″ and punch the edge with the Scallop Edge Punch.
3. Place the paper in a small flat cello bag, with the scalloped edge sticking out at the top of the bag.
4. On a scrap piece of Whisper White cardstock, stamp the heart image (from the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set) with Tempting Turquoise ink.
5. Cut out the heart image, leaving a white border along the image, and adhere to the top of the bag.
6. Put 2 crayon hearts in the bag. Fold over the top flap and punch a hole – making sure to punch low enough on the paper that the hole gets punched through the bag.
7. Cut a small piece of Whisper White grosgrain ribbon. Fold it in half and thread it ends-first through the back side of the bag.
8. Pull the ribbon ends through to the front side, leaving a loop of ribbon in the back.
9. Fold up the ribbon ends and thread them through the loop.
10. Pull up on the ribbon, forming a knot on the top edge of the bag topper.
11. Punch out 2 small hearts and adhere them to the left side of the bag topper.
12. Then outline the hearts with a black journaler and write each child’s name on the right side.
Stampin’ Up! Supplies Used:
Small Flat Cello Bags
“ I {Heart} Hearts” Stamp Set*
Tempting Turquoise Classic Ink Pad
Pink Flamingo Designer Series Patterned Paper
Cardstock: Whisper White and Tempting Turquoise
Scallop Edge Punch
Small Heart Punch*
1/4″ Grosgrain Ribbon: Whisper White
Paper trimmer with scoring blade
Basic Black Stampin’ Write Journaler
*Items from the Occasions Mini Catalog (available January 5 – April 30, 2010)
Make sure to come back tomorrow for my next “Going Green” project! I think you’ll be suprised to see what I recycled next!
