Eco-friendly Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Ashley Hackshaw / Lil Blue Boo

Recycled Crayons (A Tutorial)

March 3, 2012 by Ashley Hackshaw

Recycled crayons have been around forever but Boo and I wanted to share our take on them: colorpillars! These are great as a fun weekend project or as party favors and gifts.

We bought our centipede silicone mold from TJ Maxx….they have some really cute ones at Marshall’s too now and then: dinosaur bones, legos, robots, butterflys etc. You could just do an internet search for “silicon ice cube mold” if you are looking for a specific theme.

I keep a Ziploc bag around to collect broken crayons so we always have a supply of them:

Boo and I broke the crayon pieces into small pieces and filled the molds:

I set the oven to 175 degrees and put the crayons in to melt:

It’s a slow process and took about 30 minutes for them to melt entirely. You don’t want to melt them any faster or the colors will become too soupy and turn a brownish color. Once the crayons were melted I removed the pan from the oven and let the mold cool for about 2 hours.

The finished colorpillars! Aren’t they cute?

A few tips!

1. The smaller the bits of crayon….the better the result. It will take less time for the crayon bits to melt and the colors won’t mix as much. Chop them up using a sharp knife.
2. Using the lowest heat possible on the oven is ideal…..you’ll just have to be REALLY patient for the bits to melt. 150 to 175 degrees is recommended.
3. Allow ample time for the crayons to cool so they won’t break as you remove them from the mold.
4. Stay away from washable crayons….they have a wax in them that will float to the top. I use them anyways just in very small amounts.
5. Don’t mix too many colors….in case you end up heating the crayons too much you’ll keep the colors brighter. Mixing across the color wheel results in brownish colors!
6. Quality of crayon can make a difference! I had some cheap dollar store crayons that took too long to melt and left some large chunks. The color seemed duller too.

DIY Homeopathic Hot Packs

January 9, 2012 by Ashley Hackshaw

DIY Homeopathic Aromatherapy Hot Packs, these are great hot compresses that you just stick in the microwave for 60 seconds. So easy to make and you can be sure there aren’t any scary chemicals inside. My mother and Boo are responsible for this tutorial….I just took the photos for them. It’s the perfect use for those cute baby legwarmers your kiddo might have grown out of. Make some as gifts to add to a basket of bath products! They’ve been great for when my leg hurts!

All you need is white rice (or buckwheat if you prefer), long socks or baby leg warmers. needle and thread, and some essential oils:

If you are using long socks you can cut the foot off or just skip this step. With the baby legwarmers, Boo sewed one end shut:

It’s such an easy sewing project a 4-year-old can do it:

Here’s the closed end:

Fill a measuring cup with white rice:

Fill the sock or legwarmer to the top with rice:

If you want to use essential oils, make sure you use pure, therapeutic-grade oils. Not only do they smell amazing but they have many medicinal and therapeutic benefits. Just add a few drops to the rice as you go….it will spread through the rice after you close the sock. We used rose oil in our because it smells so good but you can add any oil you like (I purchase my oils these days from Young Living and recommend starting with a starter kit because you get the diffuser!)

Sew up the other end of the sock or legwarmer so the rice is completely enclosed. Finished hot packs!

To heat the hot pack just put in the microwave for about a minute. You’ll be surprised at how long it stays hot! Put it on your shoulders, or under your back as you rest to relieve aches and pains!