Create this Valentine’s Day garland with melted crayon hearts. Suncatcher heartstrings are fun to make for all ages and look beautiful hanging in the window!
Updated December 2021
We love making melted crayon hearts to hang as suncatchers and make a new batch almost every Valentine’s Day. They look so pretty hanging in a sunny window!
We’ve also done this with all kinds of shapes and seasonal ideas (flowers, leaves, pumpkins, stars, buntings, etc), but the hearts are the ones we make the most.
You can hang them individually, and even gift them, but today, we’re going to share how to make beautiful heartstrings from melted crayon hearts.
How to Make Suncatcher Heartstrings
This is one of the Valentine crafts from my book, The Artful Year: Celebrating the Seasons & Holidays with Crafts & Recipes.
Melted-Crayon Heartstrings
From The Artful Year, by Jean Van’t Hul, © 2015 by Jean Van’t Hul. Reprinted by arrangement with Roost Books, an imprint of Shambhala Publications Inc., Boulder, CO.
These heartstrings combine the symbol of the season with one of our favorite craft projects and look beautiful in a sunny window.
MATERIALS
- Cheese grater
- Crayons in Valentine colors
- Bowls or muffin tins
- Iron
- Wax paper
- Scissors
- Ironing board
- Newsprint or scrap paper
- Sewing machine (or see non-sewing option below)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prep your materials
First, grate the crayons. Be sure to keep the colors separate in bowls or muffin tin sections.
Then, preheat the iron to the cotton setting. Make sure to turn off the steam.
Lastly, prep the wax paper. Cut a length of it and fold it in half, making a crease at the center. - Sprinkle grated crayons over the wax paper
Cover one half of the wax paper with crayon shavings. Fold the other half on top to cover the crayon shavings, so it resembles a sandwich.
- Melt the crayon shavings
Carefully set the wax paper sandwich on your ironing board between layers of newsprint (the newsprint will protect your iron from being damaged by the melting crayon). Iron the sandwich enough to melt the crayon.
Make as many as desired. Replace the newsprint as it gets oily and covered in crayon.
- Create heart shapes!
Cut the melted-crayon sheets into heart shapes.
- Stitch the hearts together
Sew the hearts together with a basting stitch through the center of the hearts horizontally, leaving an inch or two between hearts.
If you prefer not to sew, you can use a hot glue gun to create your heartstrings. Place a dab of hot glue in the center of two hearts and gently run a thread or fine string between the two. Continue by adding more glue dots and hearts.
Hang the hearts in a sunny window and enjoy!
Want more seasonal and holiday craft ideas for your family? You’ll find lots in my book, The Artful Year: Celebrating the Seasons & Holidays with Crafts & Recipes, including 23 spring crafts, 10+ summer crafts, 28 autumn crafts, and 39 winter crafts.
More Valentine Crafts for Kids
- How to Make DIY Valentines for Kids with Cardboard Hearts
- 12 Process Art Ideas for Valentine’s Day Projects for Kids
- The Best Valentine Books about Love to Inspire Creative Family Fun
- 30 Valentine Crafts and Activities for Kids (with Printable List!)
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