One of my favorite crafts to do in the fall is making window art with leaves and crayon shavings. After spending some time collecting various leaves and ferns, the little guy and I sharpened several wax crayons to collect the shavings. We used two shades each in a palette of four fall colors: green, yellow, orange and red.
I was struck by how pretty the shavings looked all mixed together in their containers, and the way the pairs of colors looked together, and against the other hues. I wanted to try and capture this look with beads, just to satisfy my curiosity. Would it be possible to get this vibrant, cheerful look with just seed beads?
I combined pairs of similar colors - one transparent and one opaque for each set. Although the palette is interesting, and would make for some beautiful beadwork, it doesn’t have quite the same appeal as those colorful bits of crayon.
How to Make Crayon Window Art
To make your own fall pictures you need some dried leaves, ferns and other thin, flat nature finds. Arrange them face down on a sheet of waxed paper, with the sticky side facing up. Sprinkle generously with wax crayon shavings.
Place a second sheet of waxed paper over your picture, then carefully press it with an iron on the lowest setting. Move the iron quickly outwards from the center until all of the crayon is melted and the waxed paper is fused together. Tape your creation to a sunny window and enjoy the colors!
Copyright 2011 Inspirational Beading
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That is pretty! I think I remember doing something like this as a child.
ReplyDeleteHm, I've done this crayon craft before, but not with the leaves. Great idea!
ReplyDeleteVery cool! Love this idea. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI have done this before but like others, it's been a long time! Thanks for the refresher. Love your crayon colors, too.
ReplyDeleteWow I've never seen the crayon art thing before, what a great idea.
ReplyDeleteI love your bead mixes.