One of my favorite things to do each holiday is a craft with my kids. These hearts are super simple, make a big impact and are easily packed away and stored each year. We like to add a few each year so it’s an ever growing and evolving project.
With each crayon you’ll get one large heart and two small or two large hearts so think about your space and how many hearts you want to create.
You will need:
- 12 crayons of various red, pink, purple and orange or any other color you want to add
- Wax paper
- Kraft paper or paper grocery bag
- Iron
- Paper clip
- String
- Needle
Cut your wax paper. My hearts are 5 1/2 inches tall so I cut my sheet 12 inches long and then fold in half. Then fold all other sides in about 1/4- 1/2 an inch, this helps keep the wax contained.
Unfold your wax paper and place it on top of your Kraft paper or paper bag making sure there’s a few inches all around the wax paper and then cut Kraft paper. This will serve as a buffer between the wax paper and your iron.
Take the paper off the crayons and using a manual pencil sharpener start at the flat end of the crayon and begin twisting, letting the shavings fall directly onto one half of the wax paper. Some colors are easier than others which means some will go faster than others. You may have to stop periodically and use your paper clip to push bits of stuck crayon out of the sharpener.
You want a thin layer of shavings across the wax paper, this makes the color distribution more even as the wax melts and spreads.
Once you’re done with your crayons, fold the other half of your wax paper over the shavings, re-crimp the edges and fold Kraft paper over covering wax paper on both sides.
Heat your iron as hot as it will go and make sure to turn off any steam settings. Iron over the top of the Kraft paper, keeping even pressure as you go. You’ll start to see a bit of color seep through the Kraft paper, this means the wax is melting. Periodically check under Kraft paper to see how things are looking and then continue ironing in spots that need more heat etc.
Unfold your Kraft paper, trace your heart shape onto the wax paper and cut.
Use a needle to thread your string through the top of the hearts and hang at different heights in front of a window. I like to have some overlap to create different colors as light filters. The more you have the bigger the impact.
Notes: The great part about these hearts is they can be touched up each year, so if the edges start to come apart or wax gets crumbly just re-iron them and they look brand new.
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