Don't be so quick to cry over cracked crayons. As it turns out, broken crayons are way more fun than a shiny new box of them. Don't believe me? Before you toss those broken pieces in the trash, take a look at the wildly creative ways to use up the reject pile.

Fit for a tree

Chop up pieces of a few crayons and place them in a clear glass Christmas ornament. A quick blast with a blowdryer melts the crayons, blending and swirling the colors into a gorgeously random pattern. Put the little metal top back on, and you've got an ornament fit for any holiday celebration.

Dipped to perfection

Make your own artsy dipped candles with a few extra crayons and some white candles. Keep some for yourself and make a few extra to give away as great gifts.

Spell it out

A crayon monogram is a cute thank you gift for a teacher or a darling way to decorate a bedroom. Some crayons, glue, and a frame is all you need- but feel free to get creative! Usecrayons to outline a heart, a number to celebrate a birthday, or anything else your heart fancies.

Moldable, foldable color

Add melted crayons to color your next batch of DIY play dough. This tutorial walks you through it, so you can make a rainbow of colors without a hitch.

Dip and dry

Go for a nature walk and fill a basket of things to dip into hot crayon wax. Use the microwave to melt down the wax slowly, and feel free to combine colors. The wax coats objects like pinecones, rocks, shells, acorns and other goodies to create something pretty enough to display on the dinner table.

Molded to perfection

A muffin tin will work just fine, but little molds (like pine trees, stars, or even Legos) are the cutest way to make your own crayons. Peel off the paper covering and combine pieces of any color into the molds, and melt the crayons down in the oven. Once cooled, pop them out, and see how fun it is to color with a mega crayon, or a little Lego man.

Ah, there's the rub

Collecting leaves is fun on its own, but making leaf rubbings to creates something really special. Broken crayons with the paper wrapping removed are perfect for this craft.

Fashion Forward

Turns out an iron, some sandpaper, and crayons are all you need to make a printed tee shirt. The sandpaper gives any drawing a range of different textures while the crayons give great color to any tee shirt. It's a perfect match

Heart stained windows

Broken crayons find a new home in these masterpieces. Shave down the crayons into little pieces and set between two sheets of wax paper. Melt your creation with a warm iron and cut out into a heart shape (or whatever else you'd like). Hang up in front of a window and enjoy your own stained glass window effect!

Scratch art

I loved these projects as a kid, and now you can make pages and pages of scratch art at home. This bloggives a great tutorial with awesome pictures that will inspire the inner kid in you. Oh, and they also would be great for your kids if you're willing to share.

Lovely little lanterns

Crayons, wax paper, and craft sticks are all you'll need to create the perfect night light for a dark bedroom. Check out this site to get easy step-by-step directions.

Style like Seurat

Add in a little art lessons to play time with a pointillism inspired craft. Talk about the artist George Seurat and then let your kids make their own masterpieces in the same style.

Melty masterpieces

A little parental supervision is required in this project, but the effect is mesmerizing. Peeled crayons melt beautifully onto paper when set atop a warming tray on low. Watch little fingers so they don't get burnt, but kids will love seeing the colors blend and melt all together.

Construction zone coloring

This mom figured out a surefire way to keep kids quiet with one creative twist to coloring. Line the floor with butcher paper or pasteboards and tape a few crayons on little play cards for hours of fun.

Contently Quiet

Broken up crayons make them a perfect addition to a quiet bottle. A few other ingredients help the crayon pieces swirl together making a neat thing to look at.

Water art

Watercolors and crayons don't mix but that's exactly the point inthis craft. The waxy crayons create areas where the watercolor paint won't stick, making spiderwebs look extra cool.

By crayon candlelight

These color block candles are almost too cute to use, and would make a perfect DIY gift. By mixing a little wax and melting it down with crayons bits, you can create endless stripes and patterns to mold into a candle. Check out this tutorialfor instructions and inspiration.

Rocking afternoons

Snag a few smooth rocks from your afternoon nature walk and pop them in the oven. After being washed and dried, color the hot rocks with crayons (this blog shows you how) and watch as the hot wax melts all over the stones. Make designs, faces, or different colors for quite the collection.

Rainbow ribbons of color

And of course,this popular crayon projecthad to make the list. Lining up crayons on a canvas and melting with a blowdryer is all you need to do in order to make some beautiful crayon drip art.

These crafts are kid friendly but that doesn't mean you can't join in on the fun. Riffle through your craft bucket for all the crayons you can find and get to creating with some serious color.