I’m back! Wait, I feel like I’ve said that before. It’s possible. I like being predictable with my inconsistencies.
I’ve been in that weird space lately. The one where you want to be creative, and you have ideas but you also want to take a nap and your dog is starting to sound like a baby dino, and then you decide to go to Los Angeles for a blogging conference in the middle of it all while also getting certified in inbound marketing by HubSpot? Okay, I know that is really specific, but stick with me here.
I’ve got nothing. My rationalizations have the sticky power of old post-it notes.
But for reals, that inbound marketing certification was the easiest part of the whole thing, which is probably no surprise considering the super excellent high-quality content I’m consistently creating for all of you. On a regular basis. Like, every 12 days. Besides, I got a fancy badge thing on my LinkedIn profile for it. #goals
If you are in any similar situation or just really really don’t want to put on pants today, then I have the project for you. After mixing some stuff together, playing with pipe cleaners, and putting it in a jar, you let it take an 8-12 hour nap. Preferably while you also do the same.
What happens after the nap? THIS:
Okay, maybe not your hopes and dreams, but look at how well that gemstone paperweight is holding down those two objects that are sitting on an entirely flat surface. Those papers aren’t going ANYWHERE. And you’ve learned how to make crystals! The gemstone kind, not the drug kind. If you are looking for the drug kind, you’ve probably come to the wrong blog.
Wait, I just realized that this might technically not be a gemstone. Sort of like how one of my posts is for making a clay triangle necklace, but the necklace I made is actually in the shape of a diamond. DOUBLE TRIANGLE. That’s what I keep telling myself at least. Man, the SEO on this post is going to be all over the place.
The best part about this craft is you learn how to make crystals! Crystals with Borax! That can be used for anything! Like tricking your friends into thinking, they are rock candy! (Please don’t do that last part.) So what is borax and where do you find it? Borax is the salt of boric acid, and you will find it in the laundry aisle and is mostly used as a water softener when washing clothes. However, it’s also used in artisanal gold mining, as neutron-capture shields for radioactive sources, a texturing agent in cooking, an ingredient in making Flubber, and many other things. Oh, and it’s used for turning flies green. Maybe that’s like some weird Saint Patrick’s Day tradition no one has ever heard of?
So, let us gather up a jar, some string, a wooden skewer, a pipe cleaner, food coloring, and some borax and start making those neutron-capture shields! I mean, making crystals with borax.
SUPPLIES FOR MAKING CRYSTALS WITH BORAX
- Borax
- A large mason jar (or similar sized heatproof liquid containment object)
- Two pipe cleaners, preferably white
- Some string
- Food coloring
- Wooden skewer (or something to tie the string to so you can suspend the pipe cleaner in the solution)
HOW TO MAKE CRYSTALS WITH BORAX
- Fill your mason jar about 2/3 of the way with water and empty it into a small pot.
- Turn on stove to medium-high. You want the water to get hot, but not like crazy boiling.
- Add Borax 1/4 cup at a time, stirring until dissolved. Keep adding until you notice that the Borax is no longer dissolving. Congrats! You’ve just made a supersaturated solution! #science
- CAREFULLY pour the solution into your container and add food coloring. A lot of food coloring. Like, think of the color you want and then make it ten times darker. The crystal will come out a lot lighter than the Borax solution.
- Bend your pipe cleaners together so they look like a small funnel cake.
- Tie the string to the pipe cleaners, making sure your length of string is long enough that your pipe cleaners are completely covered, but also not touching the bottom or sides.
- Tie the other end of the string to the skewer and dunk the pipe cleaner in the solution a few times like you would a tea bag, then rest the skewer on top of the jar, cover with something (a kitchen towel, some cardboard, an old plastic Starbucks lid) and place it somewhere where it won’t be disturbed for 8 – 12 hours.
- After it’s nap, remove from solution and place on some paper towels to let it dry. You can stain things at this point because you are handling something that is covered in food coloring soaked water.
- Once dry, trim the string, and you now know how to make crystals with Borax!
DIRECTIONS FOR TURNING YOUR CRYSTAL INTO A GEMSTONE PAPERWEIGHT
- Place crystal on a pile of papers.
xx
