So many hours of an 'impossible' borderless puzzle, games of Memory and Zingo and family movies only last so long.  We love these things,  but variety is a necessity for everyone young and old.

So over the weekend I started thinking of something different for the girls and I to do together. Something they've never done before and that would attract and retain their attention. I thought to myself of being a girl, and what pastimes meant the most to me still today.

Memories began washing back to the surface and I wanted to share with my daughters something that was meaningful to me. I wanted to give them a piece of my past that my mother had given to me. I wanted to make memories like the ones I was recalling from so many years ago, leaving them with imprints in their minds of time with their mom. I shared with them the story of my mother teaching me and my brothers and sisters this craft. And we made a new story together as we designed our own art.
 
I can't say where the idea originated, other than the mind of my creative mother. My father had passed away when us four kids were all under the age of nine, leaving my mom pinching pennies and learning how to live as a single parent . That didn't stop her from teaching us to make something out of nothing.

Having four kids in the house...or even just one if that's your case...there's sure to be a box of crayons somewhere. Being a woman and mom, there's sure to  be a box of wax paper found in the kitchen. The kind that comes in the roll like tinfoil and plastic wrap to put your cookies on after baking. Yes, it's there in the drawer with the other baking supplies! A small hand-spun pencil sharpener and an iron is all that's needed.

These are all things I am quite sure already exist in any mother's home, as they are all things we use on a quite regular basis. We're about to have a meltdown! We begin by tearing off pieces of the wax paper into desired sizes. They can't be too small as an iron needs to go over it, but at the same time nothing enormous.

Choose the colors of crayons desired and peel the paper back from the tip of the crayon so that it can fit into the sharpener. A crayon is wider than a pencil so it's going to have to be pushed with gentle force to get started. The idea isn't to sharpen the crayon, but to catch the shavings onto the paper.

Many different colors or a few different shades of the same color all work nicely. Try not to make clumps of the wax crayon shavings but spread them out evenly, and  not close to the edges. Once you've gotten the wax shavings of the colors desired you then place a second sheet of wax paper over the top.

I simply put a kitchen towel over the counter for my working area. Just set the wax paper with shavings over the towel to protect the counter from the heat. Using a regular clothing iron on low heat gently swipe the edge of the iron over the wax paper. You DO NOT want to just press the iron down. Be observant and watch the colors melt and form a gorgeous colorful picture.

If you want the colors to spread out a  bit more just gently swipe with the iron until you have the desired look. Each and every one will look unique and different, expressing each individuals character. You'll want to allow the art to dry before handling. Then you can decide how and where to display your creations!!

I found it greatly rewarding sharing this fond memory with my own daughters. Watching their faces and feeling their enjoyment left me satisfied, knowing each day we are creating our own story to be told again one day. I hope you can enjoy our one-of-a-kind creative art, even if I was tempted to keep it a family secret. Our stories are all meant to be shared, to invoke a smile in another and express love. This has been a part of our story and we hope you make it part of yours, too.

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