Kid Ornament Craft 1

 I am sort of boycotting fall this year, so we are skipping fall crafts and going straight to Christmas ones. If the North West can't provide fall weather and skipped straight to winter, well so can I. Christmas is happy, cold rain instead of crisp sun is not so I am clinging to the happy place.

I was fondly remembering melting shaved crayons between wax-paper as a kid, and was thus inspired to try doing a wax-paper styled stained glass ornament with L. The only problem being that L is rather fond of her crayons, as I am of my cheese-grader so grading the crayons seemed potentially traumatic for both of us. So we opted out of crayon shavings for the more delectable candy sprinkles. The sprinkles don't melt as easily but they are a bit more tasty.

Materials
Black paper
Wax-paper
Iron (I used our regular one and it cleaned up easily)
Ruler
Scissors                                                
Cookie cutter(s)   
Candy sprinkles or shaved crayons                                                            

First place a cookie cutter on the black paper, and then trace a square around the ornament (you are going to need to do this twice so you end up with two squares the same size. 

                                             

Next trace your cookie cutter inside each of the two squares.

Cut out the squares, then trace two more squares on wax paper. Cut  out the wax paper squares. So you end up with two black squares (each with traced cookie cutter shape) and two wax paper squares.

 

Next, and I am sorry I couldn't take a picture of myself doing it, you are going to want to cutout the inside shape of the cookie cutter. So you end up with two black squares with a cookie cutter shaped hole each. (in the middle of the traced cookie cutter pinch the paper, and cut the pinch to get your scissors in there with out cutting the edge of the frame).

Put one wax paper square on a piece of construction paper and let your kiddo have at it with sprinkles.

The waxy ones melt the fastest, but the clear sugar ones look the most like glass. The little balls that L is pouring are just a pain.

Now place the other piece of wax paper on top.

And let your kid just iron away. JUST JOKING! The iron wasn't even plugged in yet. I did the ironing while she....

...tried to get the lid off the sprinkles for consumption (Sorry for the blur it was hard to iron and take a picture at the same time.)

She settled for picking up the sprinkles on the counter instead.

You will want to iron until it looks kind of like this. If using candy sprinkles it is kind of a temperature balance of not letting the iron get to hot, it will burn the sugar, and making sure it is hot enough to melt the sprinkles. This is where using crayon shavings is WAY easier. 

Add glue to one side of your cut out squares. I recommended clear glue if you can, and not to too much.

Press the melted wax paper squares down. And then put glue on the the other cutout square and glue on top of the wax paper. So it looks like this...

But make sure to....

To line up your cutouts because if you don't you end up with something like this sad star.

Now enjoy watching your kids enjoy putting light through their creation.

L spent a long time lining her ornaments up against the window and holding them up in different ways.

When we actually put up our tree (the day after Thanksgiving can't come soon enough!) I will hole punch each one and tie a ribbon through it.

The heart ornament is L's favorite and is currently missing from the temporary spot I put them. I have a sneaking suspicion it is now up in her room and will emerge again when it is time to hang on the tree.

L was extremely proud of her creations and kept saying, "Mommy, take my picture! CHEESE I MADE THESE!"