How to Make a Crayon Holder

I love going out to eat.  Very much.  All the time.

I like cooking, I guess.  It’s okay.  I like the eating part better.  Jack is really talented in the kitchen (come over for mashed potato pizza on the grill one night), so he’ll cook mainly on Saturdays.  We don’t really go out to eat often, because we have small-and-sometimes-loud children and dining out every night wouldn’t be fiscally responsible.  But…

There’s this really amazing Turkish restaurant a few minutes from our house.  We always order the “mixed appetizer.”  It really deserves a more clever name, but it IS a mixed appetizer – hummus, eggplant, and other yummy things to spread on warm, crusty bread.  Divine.  And the waitstaff is so nice to my kids.  Rembot is allergic to nuts and seeds.  They always bring her separate, not-seedy bread and point out what’s okay for her to eat and what isn’t.  So nice!

There’s also a great Thai restaurant close by.  I started going there when they opened up and met the owner and his fam.  They make me feel like an insider.  They gave me a little card giving me 10% off my check every time I go.  And being a creature of habit, I always order the same thing – sweet and sour beef with cashews – four stars hot.  Four stars isn’t even an option on the menu, y’all!  It only goes up to three.  THAT’S how important I am there.

And of course the other really appealing aspect of going out is being served.  No prep work and no clean-up.  (Can I get an amen?)

Enter children (my girls are 6 months old and almost 2 years old) into the picture.  Anyone with a pulse knows that sometimes dining with children can be difficult, sucking all of the joy out of my dining out experience.  I like to travel with entertainment in my bag, and crayons usually fit the bill.  I’ve seen the extremely cutie-cute crayon rolls out in blogland, but I think that would be too bulky for my bag and would take up some prime real estate designated for sippy cups and extra pairs of princess undies.  So I took five minutes (maybe even four) and made a super compact crayon holder.

How to Make a Crayon Holder

Step #1:  Acquire some mini M&Ms.  Eat.  Give container to baby to play with as a chew toy.

Step #2:  Peel off the label.  Use the label as a template to cut out a piece of paper.  Decorate piece of paper.  Or not.  :)  I used plain paper because I couldn’t find any patterned paper.

Step #3:  Put adhesive on the back of your paper.  I used Elmer’s spray adhesive, but I’m guessing just about anything would work.  Wrap paper around tube.  I ended up decorating after adhering the paper to the tube.

Step #4:  Put crayons inside!  I fit four of the Twistable crayons – I like these because Rembot can’t break them/crush them into little bits at the dinner table.  You could probably fit more of the regular ones, but four is enough for us.  :)

This is my favorite type of craft: easy, cute, practical – the trifecta.  I’d love to see if you make one of your own!