Borax Snowflakes {well...ummm... Shapes}

I saw this pinned on Pinterest from this lovely blog, and I knew my little one would dig it!

:don't you just love the phrase 'dig it'?!:

Snowflakes, pipe cleaner, yarn... oh yeah! It was perfect for the BOTH of us! This would make a great rainy/snowy day project!!

I already had the Borax (I use it to make laundry soap), the yarn, the craft sticks, and the glasses. I have a crazy horrible addiction to keeping glass jars. It's true. Pasta sauce, salsa, canning jars - you name it - I have them in all sizes. Finally my jar collection had come in handy! :) The only thing I had to purchase for this project was the pipe cleaners ($0.99 at Hobby Lobby). I got them specifically in white so that I would have solid white snowflakes.
So to sum it up..

You'll need:

Borax (laundry aisle)

cotton yarn or thread

wooden craft sticks

pipe cleaners

glass jars - pint sized

1/3 c. measuring cup

LET'S GET CRAFTY!!!

Have fun bending and shaping the pipe cleaners! I had originally planned for this project to be snowflakes, but my little diva had other plans in mind. Before we knew it, we had a little collection of hearts, stars, snowflakes, a butterfly, fish... even a peace sign!

Wrap a long piece of the yarn or string around the part of the shape that you want to be the top. Then, take the tail and wrap several times around the craft stick.

SAFETY NOTE: Borax is a chemical. This portion of the craft is NOT kid-friendly. Please take the time to read all of the safety precautions on the Borax packaging and use latex gloves when handling, if possible.

Grown-ups Only: I didn't get to photo the pouring process, but it's super simple! Boil water and while that's heating up, put 1/3 c. of Borax into each jar. It seems like a lot, but you need it to form the crystals properly. Once the water is boiling, fill the jars with about an inch left at the top. Using a spoon or butterknife, gently stir the Borax and water until mostly dissolved. Submerge the shapes into the water (without touching the water), and roll the yarn or string up onto the craft stick so that the shapes do not touch the bottom or sides of the jar. Do this before bed and let sit overnight. When you wake up in the morning, you'll have beautiful 'crystal' shapes to hang and enjoy!!

Another safety note: For those of you with toddlers and if you have pets in the home, please sit the jars out of reach of the babies and pets!! I put my jars on the bathroom counter with the door closed to sit overnight.

*Let finished shapes dry on a few paper towels before hanging.

Remember that the 'crystals' are just as dangerous as the Borax in powder form!*

Pretty, pretty snowflakes hanging inside the kitchen!!

*As a note, I tried to use 1/4 cup of the Borax, just to see if it would work with less, and it did not work as well. Crystals formed, but nearly as many as the others. You could still tell it was a pipe cleaner.

My little one's butterfly.. she is so super proud of this one!! {Mommy beams with love}

Peace and Love

Great, fun project!! I used clear thumbtacks and hung them from the long strands of cotton yarn that I used to hang them in the jars. Smiles curl up every time we enter the kitchen :)

Make it your Own:
Use colored pipe cleaners or add a few drops of food coloring for colored snowflakes/shapes!