FREE Patterns

A couple of months ago we were contacted by Rhythm of the Home and asked to submit a project for their Autumn Edition. We were very excited to participate since we so enjoy the publication. If you are not familiar with Rhythm of the Home, here is a description from their website:

"Rhythm of the Home is a quarterly online magazine. Our focus is to unite a readership which is interested in Waldorf or Montessori education, or simply living intentionally and hoping to incorporate a rhythm and reverence for the natural world in the lives of their children. Each edition will publish seasonally, with articles and projects dedicated to incorporating the upcoming season into the family’s rhythm."

The hard part was trying to decide what to make. We decided to share something that anyone could use to celebrate the season. Michelle and I love to use wreathes in our decorating. The wreath, a symbol of eternity, reminds us of the circle of life; of how one season flows into another, only to return again and again. So, we designed the Autumn Oak Leaf Wreath, combining sewing and stenciling. To get directions for this wreath visit Rhythm of the Home.

And while you are there, pay a visit to their blog. As an extra bonus, they are hosting a giveaway featuring handmade goodies from some of this edition's contributors. They asked for a giveaway that directly related to the submitted project, so we created two over-sized Maple Leaf Potholders, using the same fabrics and stenciling techniques as our wreath. You can sign up to win our potholders or any of the other giveaway items being offered from Rhythm of the Home blog.

It has been a lot of fun crafting and contributing to another publication. You can now visit Rhythm of the Home to find our tutorial for the Autumn Oak Leaf Wreath and check out all the other wonderful crafts being shared to help us celebrate this beautiful season!

I've already mentioned that Pixie has a birthday coming up and all the gifts I'm making for her have a rainbow theme. When thinking about all the little things I'll be crafting, I thought (dangerous past time, I know :) that I needed something to put them in. Back in the 80s I was really into using the upholstery cording to make all sorts of things. I haven't used it in years, so I decided, what fun! So, here are the directions for Pixie's Rainbow Coiled Rag Bowl. I'll be sharing my "stuffings" as I get them done!

Materials:
new or used light to medium weight cotton
(I bought 1 yard each of 6 rainbow colors and have tons left for other projects)
1/2" upholstery cording
(I bought 10 yards and used 9. Yardage depends on the size of the bowl you cover)
embroidery floss (2 strands) or quilting thread (needs to be heavy duty)
sturdy needle

BEFORE YOU BEGIN… IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT TACKING: As you start assembling your bowl, you will be asked to tack the cording together to form the bowl. When tacking, you must go through 2 pieces of cording; the piece already part of the bowl, and the new piece you are adding. The method I used was to go through the center of a new piece, and bring the needle out halfway through the cord below.

I would then push the needle back into the cord, close to where the thread came out, and angle my needle so it comes up through the center of the strip of the new cord that has not been tacked down yet. (Sounds much more complicated than it is. Check out the photo!)
Pull the thread tight enough so it holds the coils together but not so tight that it begins to dimple the cord. I then put a very small tack stitch where the thread came out to stop the threads from loosening up.
When tacking your bowl together, you want to keep the outside of the bowl stitch free. So as you form your bowl, think about how the next piece of coiling will be added to the bowl, and make your tack stitches so they will be hidden by the next row of cording. On my final row you will be able to see your tacks, but if you use matching thread, and evenly space your tacks, it will not detract from the finished bowl.

Directions:
Pick a bowl you want to use as a form. My bowl was 4" at the base, 8" across the top, and 5" high. Turn the bowl over so the bottom is up.

Rip your fabric in 1" strips. Again, how many strips you need depends on the size of your bowl. I needed 4 strips, 1 yard long of my purple, blue, green and 3 strips of yellow, orange and red. I suggest you rip as you go, so you only rip as many strips as you will actually use. You will also need a 2" square of the first color you use.

Begin by wrapping the end of the cording with the 2" square of fabric. I wrapped my matching embroidery floss around the outside of the fabric to hold in place before I tacked it to the cording.


Take your first color and place the end of the strip near the tip of the covered end of the cording. Pin in place. Begin wrapping the cording with a strip by wrapping on an angle, always overlapping the previous piece by 1/2". Continue wrapping the cord firmly, slightly condensing the cording as you go. Stop when you are about 3" from the end. Pin the strip to the cording so it does not untwist.

To start forming the bowl, begin coiling the covered cording, tacking as you go. (See note above about tacking.)

To add a new color, you can either sew the pieces together by simply overlapping and stitching, or you can tuck the new color under the old color by 2” – 3” and continue wrapping as if they were 1 continuous piece. The tacking and wrapping you do will hold them together, and since this is a rag bowl, some unfinished ends showing are acceptable HOWEVER, make sure any of the unfinished ends are in the inside of the bowl, not the outside, and you can trim back some of unfinished ends on the inside to “neaten up” the bowl when you are done.

To begin with, you can work on a flat surface. Periodically place your piece on the bowl bottom. When your coil is as big as the base of the bowl, continue wrapping the cord with the strips as you have been, but now, as you coil the wrapped cording, use the bowl as a form. Wrap the cord around the bowl, pinning the cording to the previous coils, on the angles the bowl is creating. Continue tacking in place as you build up your bowl.


When your bowl is as tall as you want, cut the cording. Then, taper the last 4” of the cording before wrapping it. Wrap in the same manner. The cording will diminish in height, but you should keep the width the same. Pin in place, and tack as before. You may want to put a couple of extra tacks in at the very end.

Have you ever had a summer that you felt like you lost? Here we are, with Fall around the corner, and I realized that I did precious few of my summer activities. It was an extraordinary summer. Memorial Day weekend my mother decided it was time to move into a condo... something I've been suggesting for 5 years. Before she had a change of heart, I jumped right in. The summer was grueling with buying, selling and moving BUT last weekend we were all done. The last of the boxes unpacked and on Friday we closed on their old home. They are now just 4 miles from me... 2 from Michelle... so spending time with them will be so much easier... definitely making up for the lost summer.

You may be wondering where I'm going with this since this is a tutorial. Well... one of the last things we put on my parent's wall was a eucalyptus wreath I made for them over 20 years ago. It was the year I made everyone I knew a eucalyptus wreath for Christmas. I'm sure most people have gotten rid of theirs many years ago, but Mom still has hers. And I was shocked that it still smelled like eucalyptus. Sure, the smell wasn't as strong as it use to be, but if I gave it a very hot shower, I'm sure it would stimulate the oils and much of it's old smell would return. You gotta love eucalyptus!

Anyway... I realized that I missed my old wreath. Somewhere over the years, in one of our many moves, I probably decided it was time to get rid of it. But looking at my mom's the other day, I realized that I needed to find time in my "catch up" existence, to make a new one. And I'm so glad I did! The house smells wonderful, and it takes me back years and years ago, when I made them as gifts. They are very easy to make, although I remember now that it was hard on my hands. If you have very good, thin leather gardening gloves, you could probably use them. It is a little pricey, too. It took 3 bunches of eucalyptus that I bought from Joann's, each costing $9.00 a piece. But I suppose when you consider my mom has had hers for 20 years, it's a pretty good investment!

Materials:
3 bunches eucalyptus (I bought one red, one brown and one green)
3 packages (300) 3" floral picks
14" straw wreath
optional: I like to add bows and dried flowers seasonally
Pruning shears or kitchen shears
 

1] Begin by cutting the eucalyptus into 5" - 6" pieces.

2] When cutting the pieces, cut one piece off just above a set of leaves. This will make the next piece look more like the tip of a eucalyptus stem.

3] If necessary, pull off a couple of leaves at the bottom of a piece so approximately 1" of the stem is leafless.

4] Place a floral pick against a piece so they overlap about an inch and attach the stem and floral pick together.

5] Beginning on the front of the wreath, add pieces of the stem to the wreath on an angle, pushing the floral pick into the wreath about every 1 1/2". Make a complete circle.

6] Stagger your next row so the stems are between the stems in the previous row. Continue adding pieces until the front and sides of the wreath are covered. Do not cover the back.

7] When you are done, check for "bald spots" and fill in with additional pieces. Also, look for wild and crazy pieces and give them a little snip. If you would like, you can tuck dried flowers directly between the eucalyptus stems without using florist picks. You can also add a bow or tuck ribbon in the wreath.

8] To hang it on the wall, use a wire from one of the floral picks and make a loop around one of the strings, on the back, holding the straw wreath together. Hang the wreath on a nail.

9] Now sit back and enjoy the beauty and aroma of your new wreath. Over time you can give your wreath a very hot shower to remove dust and to rejuvenate the scent. 

10] BTW... don't throw away the eucalyptus scraps. Break them up and use them as potpourri.
 

I don't make everything I own. I buy stuff at stores... really I do. But you have to remember I began crafting early. I knitted my first cable knit cardigan sweater, including button holes, at the age of 8, thanks to Grandma Pearl and her faith and patience with me. Because of this background, and an overly zealous attitude of "I could do that", I have a tendency to approach all purchases by first asking... "Can I make that?" Seldom do I follow it up with the logical and possibly more appropriate question of "Should I make it?" 

But  I learned very early on, that not everyone shares my "Can do" attitude. Case in point... when I was in high school I went shopping with my mom for a formal dress she needed for a holiday party. Although my mom could sew, and did quite well making curtains, quilts and some clothing for me, I must admit she was a more gifted shopper than crafter... an equally impressive ability I might add... one that I'm lacking to this day! Anyway... on this particular outing, she found the perfect dress. It was a long sleeved, black bodice dress, embellished with wide ribbon. The attached skirt was a long, creamy satin, gathered at the waist, and cinched with a wide belt. She looked lovely in it.

However, I took a look at the price tag, and the simple lines of the dress, did a quick bit of mental math and said, "Oh, Mom. You could make that for a third of the price."

I don't know why she agreed with me that day. Perhaps she felt like I had thrown down a gauntlet, and that she had to protect her integrity by proving she was capable of replicating the gown. Or maybe she had spotted some expensive shoes that would be affordable if she saved money on the dress. Whatever the reason was, we left the clothing store and headed to the fabric shop. Sure enough, we found a pattern for a dress almost identical to one she had tried on. Within a half an hour, we had loaded our cart with fabric and ribbon that would create a knock off for the other dress, and I was right, it cost about a third of the finished gown.

When I went off to school the next day, Mom was already at the dining room table laying out the pattern. It appeared to be a straight forward pattern, and I was sure as I was walking home from the bus stop, that my Mom would be done with the dress, and she'd justly thank me for encouraging her to make her own dress. That's not exactly what I found. As I was walking up the driveway, I saw something fly out of a second story window. On closer inspection, I discovered her partially completed dress lying on a snowbank.

I won't share the ensuing "conversation"... let's just say it didn't include very many words of gratitude! After liberal usage of a seam ripper, we worked together to finish the dress. It did look every bit as lovely as the dress in the store, and it did cost substantially less, but my mother felt no joy when slipping into it for her party. Because, sewn on the dress, as surely as the ribbon, was frustration and tension. I can't say I remember my mom ever wearing that dress again. Perhaps she did. But I can tell you this, I NEVER again suggested she make something that she could buy!

But that hasn't stopped me. The other day I was at Target with Michelle and the wee ones. I was replenishing my stock of cloth covered ponytail holders. I'm convinced our whimsy of gnomes absconds with them, because they seem to disappear almost as quickly as I buy them. Anyway... while picking up several packs, I noticed these adorable headbands. Simple headbands, made with ribbon and elastic. I gathered up 3 or 4 of them, and was ready to toss them in my cart, when I looked at the price... $7.00 a piece!

"You have got to be kidding," I said. "I can make these for a fraction of the cost."

So, I put them back, made a mental note to add ribbon headbands to my "to do" list and continued on. I thought about them again today. I went upstairs and hit my ribbon stash. I then grabbed some 1/4" elastic, and in less time than it took you to read this blog, I had made 4 ribbon headbands. I jumped in the car and made it over to Michelle's (a 5 minute drive) right before the kids were going to bed. After the chaos died down, I was able to try the headbands on the girls. I realized that I needed to make them slightly larger for Fairy, but they fit Pixie perfectly. She picked out the Hello Kitty Headband to model for me. Totally adorable, right?

These truly are one of the fastest and easiest crafts you will ever make, and they literally cost pennies if you buy your ribbon in the dollar bin like I do. These would make great stocking stuffers or party favors. Put together 6 different ones for your child to give as a birthday gift. Or, if you are involved in any type of craft fair this holiday season, these will make wonderful, affordable items, that will surely be snatched up quickly!

Materials:
ribbon - (I used 3/4" ribbon)
elastic - (I used 1/4" elastic)

Note: You can use any width ribbon. If you use a wider ribbon, you will probably want to use a wider elastic.

Determining sizes for cutting:
Measure the size of the head where the headband will lie.

Cut the ribbon 4" smaller than the head measurement. 
Cut the elastic 4".

Lay one end of the elastic on the right side of the ribbon even with an end.

Fold one corner of the ribbon over the elastic on a slight angle.

Fold the other side of the ribbon over the elastic on a slight angle. Pin in place.

Sew in place 1/4" from end. Sew other side in the same manner.


Turn the seams right side out and wah-lah... 5 minutes, right?

Just a gentle reminder of all that we have to be grateful for. Thank you, Irving!

I Got the Sun in the Morning - Words & Music by Irving Berlin
Got no diamond, got no pearl,
Still I think I'm a lucky girl.
I've got the sun in the morning
And the moon at night.
Got no mansion, got no yacht,
Still I'm happy with what I got.
I've got the sun in the morning
And the moon at night

Sunshine gives me a lovely day,
Moonlight gives me the Milky Way.
Got no checkbooks, got no banks,
Still, I'd like to express my thanks.
I've got the sun in the morning
And the moon at night.
And with the sun in the morning
And the moon in the evening
I'm alright.

Got no butler, got no maid.
Still I think I've been overpaid,
I've got the sun in the morning
And the moon at night.
Got no silver, got no gold,
What you've got can't be bought or sold.
I've got the sun in the morning
And the moon at night.

Sunshine gives me a lovely day,
Moonlight gives me the Milky Way.
Got no heirlooms for my kin,
Made no will but when I cash in
I'll leave the sun in the morning
And the moon at night.
And with the sun in the morning
And the moon in the evening
I'm alright.

As always, the Sun and Moon Applique Block were made to fit a 6" x 6" block, but can be enlarged or reduced to meet your needs. Directions for the Sun and Moon Applique Block can be found HERE or with our FREE Appliques.

(You knew I would have to do this tutorial sooner or later :)

A couple of fun things happened in the past few weeks. First, a lovely reader sent us the book Magical Window Stars (thanks Sarah!)

and second, we got a stack of kite paper from Bella Luna Toys. As I sat down and started leafing through the book, it occurred to me that these stars were a little advanced for someone that's never folded a star before, so I decided to start with a simpler star. I've made origami stars in the past, but never out of the kite paper. So, I made a simple, 8 pointed star, that you can find on most Waldorf craft sites. I think it is a beautiful way to begin working with kite paper. Below are the directions on how to make a Basic Kite Paper Window Star. Later, I will share other patterns as I experiment and play with different designs.

Materials:
8 squares of kite paper
clear drying craft glue

Place one square of kite paper in front of you.

Fold the paper in half creating a sharp crease. Then open the paper.


Fold the paper in half again the other way, creating a sharp crease. Open the paper.


Bring 1 corner to the middle of the paper making sure the edges of the corner touch the folds on the paper. Create a sharp crease.

Fold the other 3 corners to the middle. You will now have another square.

Turn the square to form a diamond and make sure the flaps are up. Fold the left corner in so the outside edge of the paper is against the center fold line. You will be creating a sharp star point.

Do the same with the other side.

Fold a total of 8 squares into these star points.

Decide on the arrangement of the points. The smooth side should be on top and the folded sides under. Lay out your first piece. Then turn your 2nd piece over and put several small drops of glue along the edge.

Place the edge with the glue on top of the first star point, laying the glued edge of piece 2 on the fold of piece 1. The points should match exactly.

Continue adding pieces in this manner until you've added 7 star points.


Glue the 8th star point on in the same way. The 8th star point will be laying on top of the 1st star point.

Gently lift the 1st star point and slip the edge of the 8th star point under the 1st. Raise the edge of the 1st piece, put glue along the edge, and press in place.


When the glue has dried, turn the piece over and put a small drop of glue under each flap to hold it down on the star.

Allow to dry. If your star is not laying completely flat, weight it down with books or magazines for several hours.

Your star is now ready to put on your window. You can use double sticky tape or roll your tape. (I rolled my tape but I don't like the fact that you can see the tape in the sun. I will try double sticky tape later.) I've read that people will actually glue them to their windows, but I change things around too much to do that! You can fill your window with different sized stars or use different color themes. I will share more star patterns soon!

If Tim forgot our anniversary I would be far from understanding. How could you possibly forget something so important? Well, it just occurred to me that our 2nd Anniversary of Wee Folk Art was on July 29, and being knee deep in life, neither Michelle nor I remembered! Geeze! Anyway, we are a couple of days late, but wanted to acknowledge the event. It is hard to believe we've been at this for 2 years. It seems we've hardly scratched the surface of all the crafting we want to share. But we have time :)

Tradition has it that people usually have a give away on their anniversary. But before I say anything more about that, just wanted to let you know what the kids and I have been up to this past week. I just purchased a nifty little braiding disc from Magic Cabin. It is a must have for old and young alike. It is a great way to introduce children to the wonder of fibers. Using 7 strands of cotton yarn and the wooden disc, you can braid a wonderful cord which can be used for chokers, bracelets, ankle bracelets, shoe laces, headbands, drawstring cords and much, much more. And what's great, is even 3 year old Pixie can use it!

So, I bought a star braid kit for myself, but very soon the kiddos were asking to borrow it. The solution? Get 3 more. The problem... although I was willing to pay $20.00 for 1, I'm not willing to pay $80.00 for four. The solution? Make our own, of course! So, that is exactly what Tim and I set to work on yesterday afternoon. The children were over while Michelle and assorted visitors were off golfing. The children watched as their Othy cut out the wooden braiding discs. (They will be doing the sanding and finishing.) 

Fairy: Can I paint mine?
Pixie: Me, too.
Bug: Yeah, let's paint them all different!

My wooden braiding disc has a natural finish, which I really love. But, if the kids would like to paint theirs, then of course they should. The project reached a standstill when the golfers returned. There is a good chance we will not get to them again to later in the week. But when we are done, the children will get to paint theirs, and I will make a couple extra for...

Our 2nd Anniversary Give Away!

So, be a bit patient with us. Michelle has jury duty this week, I'm moving my parent's into their new condo on Friday, and the girls are in princess camp this week! Somewhere in there, we will hopefully be able to get these finished.

As soon as we do, we will have the give away, PLUS, I will be doing a tutorial on how to make your own wooden braiding disc and how to create a 7 string braid. The children can't wait to get their own. They were talking about making bracelets for Christmas gifts. Brilliant idea, right? And I can't wait to get a couple done so we can give them away on Wee Folk Art. Watch for more later in the week!  

I bought this cabinet over ten years ago to hold my ever expanding collection of music cds. Designed for that purpose, it served me well. Then, in the past few years, I started buying my music online and was going to the cabinet less and less. Finally, I moved the collection downstairs and began using the cabinet for napkins. It was in my dining room and the shelves were the perfect size for napkins. I had a few stacks of homespun napkins and stored votive candles in there as well.

Then, last summer, I decided I wanted napkins for each month of the year. I made my own using the easy Rip and Tear Napkins that I wrote about last August. So here I am, 1 year later, and I did it! I now have 24 napkins for each month of the year. (Actually, I have 48 for December since we have a large Christmas dinner.) Before you start taxing your brain, that is 312 napkins. Crazy, right? Given the fact that you can get 4 napkins from a yard of material (let's see... 312 divided by 4)  that's, gulp, 78 yards of fabric!

Me: Ah, Tim... we have 312 napkins.

Tim: I love you.

 Me: You must.

But, in my defense, the children LOVE them! They are excited each month to get out the new napkins. Some months, like March and August, all the napkins are the same. Some months have 2 prints, some 3 and April and December have 4. Each day the wee ones try to be the first to get out napkins so they are sure to get their favorite pattern. (BTW... Gammy is very tolerant of napkin exchanges so everyone gets a favorite!) I have to admit, even though I bought all of the fabrics on sale or with coupons, it was an expense, BUT, they will last for years and years. 

I'm not suggesting any one else should get so carried away... BUT if you do... it's tons of fun, and I love leaving the cabinet door open and just staring at them! 

January:

February:

March:  

April:

May:

June:

July:

August:

September:

October:

November:

December:

I have a confession to make... I am an infant swaddler! Give me a crying infant that has been feed and changed and still is fussing, I swaddle. In my experience, most infants enjoy the security of being swaddled and almost instantly relax. I highly recomment you do a quick Google search on the benefits of swaddling an infant. There are many. So, it should come as no surprise, that I make all my grandbabies swaddles. Typically, babies are only swaddled for the first 1 or 2 months, as they grow accustom to life outside the womb, but when you are done using it as a swaddle, it can still be used as a small blankie. Bug, Fairy and Pixie also used theirs as capes when they first began playing "dress up". 

Here is the swaddling I just finished for "Little Lady". I made it with a chunky acrylic yarn. Our family has many wool allergies so I chose to make the swaddling out of a synthetic just in case. Any chunky weight yarn can be used or you can opt to knit with 2 strands of a worsted weight. Fairy was nice enough to let me use her baby doll for a photo session. I would consider this a beginning knitting project, with a simple crocheted scalloped edge.        

Materials:

5 skeins chunk yarn or use 2 strands of a worsted weight

#6 knitting needles
size I crochet hook
yarn needle

Gauge: Gauge is not important because you knit until swaddling is the desired size.

Finished size: 22" square

Swaddle:
Cast On 1 stitch.

Increase Rows:
Row 1 - Knit front and back (Kfb) of the first stitch. (now 2 stitches) 
All remaining increase rows - Kfb of 1st stitch; knit to the end of the row.

Continue in this manner until sides measure 20".

Decrease Rows:
Cast off 1 stitch at the beginning of each row until 1 stitch remains. Pull yarn through.

Optional Hood:
Cast On 1 stitch.

Row 1 - Knit front and back (Kfb) of the first stitch. (now 2 stitches)
All remaining increase rows - Kfb of 1st stitch; knit to the end of the row.

When sides measure 7", bind off leaving a 36" tail.

Pin the hood to the swaddling at a center corner. Using the tail, sew in place along 2 outside edges.

To add edging:
Using a size I crochet hook, and beginning at the corner opposite the hood, single crochet around the entire blanket.

Note: If you made the swaddling without a hood, simply single crochet around the whole swaddle. If you added a hood, single crochet until you reach the bottom edge of the hood. Continue single crocheting across the edge of the hood, then continue around the swaddling until you return to the start.

Continuing from the starting point, crochet a scalloped edge along the single crochet row. To do this:

Chain 2 and work 4 double crochets into the first corner stitch.
 
*Skip next 2 stitches. Single crochet in next stitch. Skip next 2 stitches. Work 5 double crochets into next stitch.
 
Repeat from * until you come close to a corner. If the pattern does not work out exactly you can "fudge" by backing up a couple scallops and only skipping 1 stitch  a couple of times. When you are done this will hardly be noticeable. 

Create 1 scallop in the corner. I only made the 5 double crochets in the corner because I felt like it laid nicely. You can make up to 8 double crochets in the corner if necessary.

Continue around the swaddling until you come back to the beginning. Join to chain 2 with slip stitch and finish off.

Weave in all yarn tails.

To swaddle your baby or doll:

Place baby's head in hood. (If you made the swaddling without a hood, fold the corner down about 7".

Bring the bottom up to the chest.

Bring 1st side across the body, snug but not tight. Tuck it slightly under the baby.

Bring 2nd side across the body. With this method you do not tuck the blanket edge into the swaddling.

There are many different variations for beeswax crayons, but most use equal weight amounts of beeswax and white bar soap. This is the recipe I've used with great success over the years. How do these compare to the Soy Crayons we made several months ago? I find the beeswax crayons to be harder than the soy, giving the ability to add more details to pictures. Both are wonderful and VERY child friendly. BTW... I found out that little puppies LOVE to chew on these. Shocker, right?

BEESWAX CRAYONS

(Use equal weights of soap and beeswax.)
1 part soap, grated (inexpensive bar white bar soap)
1 part beeswax, chopped into pieces
Paste or liquid food coloring or a veggie based colorant. Note: You can use tempera paints or fresco pigments instead of food coloring for deeper colors, but they should not be ingested so they are not safe for small children.
2 cup Pyrex measuring cup or other microwave safe container
Molds – see note in directions
Veggie spray or shortening

Chop up beeswax into pieces and grate soap.

In your microwave melt soap and beeswax in Pyrex measuring cup. Caution: the liquid will be very hot! You can also melt the soap and beeswax in the top of a double boiler. Watch the mixture closely. You do not want it to boil or it will foam up putting air bubbles in your crayons. If this does happen, let it set for a couple of minutes, gently stirring to remove air bubbles. 

When the soap and beeswax have melted, carefully mix in color. I used paste food coloring. Obviously, the more you add, the more vibrant the color. I also wanted to make 4 colors so I divided the hot liquid before adding colors. Note: If using a veggie based colorant, you may have to return it to the microwave to completely melt the tart.

Lightly grease the mold you will be using to pour the liquid into. Possible molds are ice cube trays, mini muffin pans, depressions in artist clay, disposable mini paper cups, or make your own mold using foil paper.

Pour the melted mixture into your mold and allow to dry completely. Note: If the crayons have become "gloppy" and you are using an oven safe mold, pop them in a 350 oven for a few minutes to melt a bit. Be careful not to let them go too long or they will begin to foam!

Remove from mold and use!

BTW… I have had parents tell me that if you use glycerin soap the crayons will be harder. I have not tried it yet, but you may wish the experiment.