Dad Boils Crayons and Runs Them Through a Pasta Strainer. But When He’s Done An Unexpected Surprise!
Just about every household in America, especially those with young kids, has a box of crayons laying around somewhere. The colorful wax sticks are a childhood staple, who doesn’t remember doodling and coloring for hours on end.
Parents also love crayons because they’re non-toxic, inexpensive, and less messy or permanent than paint or markers. They also never become unusable or dry up, which is half the reason why they usually end up somewhere in a box that gets put away and forgotten.
One man realized how crayons often sit around unused, collecting dust for years before eventually being tossed out in the trash, and decided to put them to a better use.
His name is Brian Ware and he started The Crayon Initiative at his house in Northern California. The program collects unwanted crayons from area schools and restaurants and recycles them into new and improved ones.
Once the crayons are collected in bulk they get sorted by color and melted down in large pots. The wax is then strained and poured into molds that Brian fashioned himself in order to make the crayons bigger than their original shape.
The new up-cycled crayons are finally boxed up and sent out to local hospitals where they are distributed to children recovering from surgery or treatment.
The Crayon Initiative has grown in scope size and it takes a small army of volunteers to sort through them all and melt, box, and distribute them. Brian estimates that on an average day they go through about 4,000 crayons!
Stacks of boxes filled with donated crayons take up space in his house and everyday new boxes arrive. Recently 100 volunteers gathered to help sort and process them and as you can see in this NBC Nightly News video, it’s no small task.
The children who end up with the crayons are thankful for the small gift. Some are recovering from surgery or illness, others are receiving treatments or have special needs, but they all want a distraction and something to keep their minds occupied.
The children interviewed in the news segment say that coloring helps them stay focused, positive, and less stressed. It gives them a creative outlet that’s therapeutic in a way and helps to keep their minds off of the pain and situation they’re in.
If you’ve ever stayed in a hospital then you know how boring and stifling the experience can be. Getting a box of crayons would brighten anyone’s day, especially kids, since it gives them something to do for hours one end, it’s perfect.
If this story doesn’t give you a reason to pull those old crayons out of storage and put them to good use again, nothing ever will! To learn more about The Crayon Initiative you can find them online at thecrayoninitiative.org, and they are on Facebook and Twitter as well.
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She Mixes Crayons With Crisco For One Weird Reason. But The Final Result Is Stunning!
Many people love having candles on hand around the house. Scented ones make the air smell wonderful and certain types, such as citronella ones, help to keep the bugs away. Whether you use them to add a little warm ambiance to a room, or keep some close by in case the power goes out, it’s always a good idea to have several extra on hand. A major downside to candles is that they can be quite expensive especially if you want a quality one that burns for many hours.
Instead of buying them, save yourself a bunch of money and get creative by making your own custom colored and scented candles. In this YouTube video Lisa Pullano gives a step by step tutorial on how to make candles at home using Crisco and a few other supplies you may already have on hand or that you can pick up at any craft store for a few dollars.
The main item these candles require is Crisco, or vegetable shortening, plus canning jars with lids, cotton candle wicks, oil soluble dyes, oil pastel crayons, fragrance or citronella oils, and various things that can be used to decorate them. Take a fire-safe container, like a glass canning jar or bottle, and hot glue a candle wick to the bottom of it.
If the jar is tall slip the wick through a straw to help keep it in place later, and if the jar is large use 2-3 wicks. Using a double boiler method, melt some Crisco in a glass container over low to medium heat, then allow it to cool for 10-20 minutes. Be very careful melting Crisco since it’s highly flammable and if you ever have the misfortune of a grease fire extinguish it by smothering the flames with a pot lid, salt, or baking soda (never use water!).
Take a lollipop stick, or any similar object, and tie the glued wick to it, then lay it across the jar opening. Melt in either candle wax, crayons, oil pastels, or makeup with mica in it to add color. If you want them scented use candle fragrance oil or essential oil, and for bug repellent ones use about 5-10 drops of citronella oil. Pour the colored and/or scented oil into the candle holder jars and wait about 5 hours for them to solidify before using. To speed the process up you can place them in the fridge for 35 minutes.
These candles make wonderful gifts and can be easily decorated to your liking. The video shows jars spruced up with lace appliques, seashells, ornaments, spray paint, ribbons, and more. Check out the video for more details and further instructions.
Please Share this fun, inexpensive, crafty idea with friends and family! 🙂
Father Boils Crayons and Runs Them Through a Spaghetti Strainer. But When He’s Done AMAZING!
Just about every household in America, especially those with young kids, has a box of crayons laying around somewhere. The colorful wax sticks are a childhood staple, who doesn’t remember doodling and coloring for hours on end!
Parents also love crayons because they’re non-toxic, inexpensive, and less messy or permanent than paint or markers. They also never become unusable or dry up, which is half the reason why they usually end up somewhere in a box that gets put away and forgotten.
One man realized how crayons often sit around unused, collecting dust for years before eventually being tossed out in the trash, and decided to put them to a better use.
His name is Brian Ware and he started The Crayon Initiative at his house in Northern California. The program collects unwanted crayons from area schools and restaurants and recycles them into new and improved ones.
Once the crayons are collected in bulk they get sorted by color and melted down in large pots. The wax is then strained and poured into molds that Brian fashioned himself in order to make the crayons bigger than their original shape.
The new up-cycled crayons are finally boxed up and sent out to local hospitals where they are distributed to children recovering from surgery or treatment.
The Crayon Initiative has grown in scope size and it takes a small army of volunteers to sort through them all and melt, box, and distribute them. Brian estimates that on an average day they go through about 4,000 crayons!
Stacks of boxes filled with donated crayons take up space in his house and everyday new boxes arrive. Recently 100 volunteers gathered to help sort and process them and as you can see in this NBC Nightly News video, it’s no small task.
The children who end up with the crayons are thankful for the small gift. Some are recovering from surgery or illness, others are receiving treatments or have special needs, but they all want a distraction and something to keep their minds occupied.
The children interviewed in the news segment say that coloring helps them stay focused, positive, and less stressed. It gives them a creative outlet that’s therapeutic in a way and helps to keep their minds off of the pain and situation they’re in.
If you’ve ever stayed in a hospital then you know how boring and stifling the experience can be. Getting a box of crayons would brighten anyone’s day, especially kids, since it gives them something to do for hours one end, it’s perfect.
If this story doesn’t give you a reason to pull those old crayons out of storage and put them to good use again, nothing ever will! To learn more about The Crayon Initiative you can find them online at thecrayoninitiative.org, and they are on Facebook and Twitter as well.
Please Share this story to help spread awareness of the work they do and inspire others to get involved!
