Crayon background

This is not a new technique. In fact, I made this tutorial last May. However, I lost all my photos when I lost my computer, so all I have are my blog photos.

I decided to repost this today because most everyone I know, including most of my devoted followers, are probably blog hopping around the OWOH (see sidebar for link) giveaway or have a giveaway they are hosting. If you haven't checked out the OWOH event, please do. That will keep you busy all day long, I promise.

Over the next few days, I will be posting a few of my favorite background techniques. Those of you who have never seen this technique will appreciate it, those who have can go back to blog hopping. Once the giveaway slows down a bit, I'll resume regular posting. As of midnight CST, there were 579 confirmed blogs and I had over 100 people who had visited me. I was thrilled, especially for the first day.

Without further ado, here is a simple and fun technique even your children will enjoy. My secret for fun is the warming tray. I have made these backgrounds before on the stove using a pizza pan, but it is hard to control the heat, so you end up smoking the crayons or taking the chance that they don't melt. When I found a warming tray at a garage sale awhile back, I was thrilled. It is just the ticket for this technique.

Supplies (from left):
Warming tray
Iron (I didn't use it)
Heat tool (optional, I didn't need to use)
Foil, preferably heavy duty
Crayons, preferably Crayola brand since they have more pigment
Substrate such as card stock (not shown)
Dress pattern or tissue for second background (not shown)
Beeswax for second background (optional, not shown)

Cover your warming tray with foil. Turn the warming tray on to medium.


While the tray is heating, remove the protective papers from your crayons. It is much easier to do this before you begin.


Draw a design on the heated foil. This is supposed to be a pumpkin. Have I not mentioned I can't draw anything?


Gently lay your card stock onto the melted crayon. Don't move it around, just lay it flat on the tray.


Gently press until the crayon has soaked into the card stock. You will be able to see the crayon soak through the paper.


Lift the paper straight up.


This is what the pumpkin looks like now.


I repeated the color in the same spot and repeated the process. This time I didn't let the crayons melt as much, so the color didn't spread as much and the pumpkin looks better defined and less like a blob.


Clean your foil using a paper towel. There is no need to add more foil. As long as you clean the foil after each color, the foil will last all day long.


For the second experiment, I repeated removing the protective paper from the crayon, but this time I simply squiggled lines on the foil.


Lay dress patterns over the melted crayon.


Add more crayon on top of the dress pattern, making sure it is completely saturated.


Lay your card stock or other substrate on top of the dress patterns, being careful to not twist the substrate.


Gently lift one edge of the card stock and remove from the warming tray.


This is my completed piece. You can see where I got more color in some areas than others. If I want to even the color, I can do that using my heat tool, an iron covered with protective foil, or a small clover iron (you get these at the craft store, but I don't own one).

Consider using tissue paper instead of a dress pattern and add leaves between layers of tissue. Always add crayons or beeswax between each layer for good coverage.

The warming tray doesn't get hot enough to burn or smoke, so it is safe for children. This is a fun technique that will keep children and parents occupied for hours. The bonus is, you will have loads of backgrounds or images you can use in any of your paper projects.

Today's blog is The Quilted Turtle. I had to search for blogs that didn't have the OWOH giveaway. This gal's blog is an eclectic mix, so it should appeal to some of my dear followers. By the way, her name is Liz.