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DIY Fun Shape Crayons

My days can be chaotic with three kids and balancing my Etsy shop,plus selling locally on the weekends. It can be difficult at times to find ways to keep them entertain. My kids love to paint, draw, and especially color, but the crayons or even the pencils could be boring to use. One day the kids pulled out the crayon box and we all noticed that the crayons were mostly broken, so this is when I had an idea to melt down the broken pieces and re shape them into new pieces! ( I saw this once on Pintrest and I thought to myself lets try it!) So the kids joined in and helped make tiny pieces of red, yellow, blue, green crayons and mold them into heart shapes. We had taken an old baking cupcake heart pan from the kitchen, put the broken pieces of crayons into the pan and melted the crayons in the oven for about 15 minutes. When the time was up outcome heart-shaped new crayons!

After collecting more candy and baking pans over time I have created all different fun shapes for my kids and to sell on Etsy. It’s easy to create any fun shape if you have the right molds! I like to use silicone molds they are easier to clean and the shape looks better as well.

So don’t throw out those broken crayon pieces this DIY is a huge hit with kids, and it’s a great opportunity to have fun with the kids! Follow these easy steps to get started & have fun!

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Next, peel the paper wrappers from each crayon.
Break the crayons into small pieces if needed ( ½”). Smaller bits will melt more quickly in the oven.
Fill molds with crayon pieces. If you want crayons to have an ombré look, group similar colors together, graduating from dark to light, but rainbow crayons are a fun look too.
Place the mold on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the crayons are completely melted.
When removing the cookie sheet from the oven, be very careful, not to spill any, melted crayons.
As the crayons cool, they will harden you can speed up the process, by transfering the molds into the freezer after the crayons firm up.
After about 30 minutes, remove the molds from the freezer. If the bottoms of the mold are cool, you can release the crayons from the mold by first gently pulling and stretching the molds to loosen up the crayons and then pushing each crayon up and out from the bottom. If the molds are still warm to the touch, return them to the freezer and check again in 10 minutes.
Start coloring with your new colorful crayons!

You can check out all the fun shaped crayons at my shop by following the link below:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/210218771/little-girl-princess-crayons

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Growing Tomatoes

Summer has passed, but you don’t have to give up on your fresh tomatoes on the vine there is a way that you can keep them throughout the long winter days! The plants that harvest small, cherry- or grape-sized tomatoes in large quantities usually do better indoors than larger “slicing” selections. At my Etsy shop Flymeawaycreations you can find a great and unique way to start your own tomato plant indoors! I love having fresh tomatoes right in the kitchen that you can enjoy in so many different recipes. This year I have three plants growing indoors on my kitchen window sill and they are thriving! The planter is a kit to help anyone start their own tomato garden. After the plant starts blooming and about 14-16” tall it might be best to replant into a larger container.

When you begin your tomato plant, you will plant the seeds in a starter soil mix, about 1/4 inches deep. To maintain the plant water by keeping the soil moist but not soggy, and keep it in a warm area, therefore in 5-10 days the seeds should germinate. While growing any plant indoors, you may have to experiment with location and lighting to get the best results. Nevertheless with a little time and care, soon you should be able to have your fresh off the vine tomatoes!

Check out the planter by following the link

https://www.etsy.com/listing/226168990/flower-pot-inspired-campbells-tomato

Give yourself to the Dark Side

That’s right… Go to the Dark side!

In the pantheon of movie villains, few figures are as daunting or unforgettable as Darth Vader. I remember as a child watching Star Wars with my dad and loving the plots and twists of each movie. Today, I still enjoy watching the movies with my hubby and kids. Many people who watch the Star Wars movies pick a side “Light” or “Dark”, for me, it has always been the Dark side. Darth Vader was impressive as he presented terror when he walked into a room , he always seemed confident and thought he was unstoppable.

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I am always trying to think about what the next unique planter could be in my shop, so I wanted to create an impressive and social spotlight for any room. That is when I said; why not take one of my favorite “Dark” characters and create him into a one of a kind planter!

My inspired 3D printed Darth Vader is printed with PLA plastic and works perfect with small succulents or air plants. The size of the planter fits perfect on a small desk in an office or a window sill! You can check out the planter by visiting the shop at www.flymeawaycreations.com

Planting with Alligators

Growing up I was fascinated with a wide array of animals and at one time thought about being a Zoologist, but, my creativity and ideas directed me into a different direction, towards my business. I love to design or recreate an item to sell in the shop that has a meaning behind it. Take for instance, the Alligator planter which is one of my favorite planters that I have listed on my Etsy shop. The planter is made from plastic and yes you might be able to find it in the toy isle of a store, but I didn’t see the alligator as a toy for one of my children to play with, I saw it as a cool unique planter to showcase one of my air plants. I had so many compliments for the planter I started creating them to sell at my shop. After listing it within a few days it sold! You can find the golden alligator planter at the shop by following the link

https://www.etsy.com/your/shops/Flymeawaycreations/tools/listings/section:11343693,sort:stock,order:ascending,stats:true/249414524

Printing For Flymeawaycreations

3D printing is evolving almost by the day, and, as this technology continues to enter more widely and deeply across industrial, and consumer worlds, as the years go on this

is only set to increase. The shop first started with one 3D printer and from growing with ideas of new objects to print we just added another printer to keep up with our inventory!

3D Printing is a method for making a physical object from a three-dimensional digital model on a computer, typically by laying down many successive thin layers of a plastic (ABA or PLA). So, it brings an idea that was created on the computer into its physical form! The shop has several 3D printed planters created from designs that were inspired by nature or a favorite character from their childhood memories. You can check out all the 3D printed planters at the shop by following the link

www.flymeawaycreations.com

Creating the planters is the fun part, as the design leaves the digital world and starts to print it can be fascinating to watch. You can check out many videos on our Facebook page Flymeawaycreations or our Instagram page @flymeawaycreations

https://www.facebook.com/Flymeawaycreations/videos