I'm a crafty kind of person. I love hands-on art projects with my kids but admittedly, I don't like things to get *too* messy. A daunting-seeming cleanup will make me shy away from an awesome looking art project in my house. I have three kids and a business - there's really only so much cleaning up I can muster in a given day.

So when I came upon this make-your-own crayon project on Pinterest, it seemed exactly up my alley! Not only did my kids make their own multi-colored crayons, they made use of those tiny bits of crayon that usually turn up under the couch and then get tossed into the garbage. Economical and creative all in one!

Want to make your own crayons? Here's how:

1. Gather a large pile of crayons, peel them and put in a pile on a cutting board. The peeling can be tedious but it's worth the effort.

2. Use a large knife and chop the crayons into small pieces. Preheat the oven to 230 degrees.

3. Place the crayon pieces into a silicone baking dish (ours had mini squares but the one I saw on Pinterest had mini heart shapes).

4. Bake at 230 degrees for 20 minutes and then set aside to cool for about one hour. Be sure to place a cookie sheet underneath the pan to catch any melted crayon liquid. Voila!