Crystal Ornaments

Boiling water
20 Mule Team Borax
Pipe cleaners
Wide mouth container
String, yarn or fishing line
pencil

Shape the pipe cleaners as desired, crescents, hearts, angels, stars, flowers, etc.

Pour boiling water into a container wide enough to hang your ornament in, make sure it doesn't touch the bottom or sides. If you use a clear container you can see the Borax dissolving. Add enough Borax so the water is very cloudy, about a cup, more or less depending on the size of your container and the amount of water.

Tie a piece of string, yarn, or fishing line to the ornament and suspend it in the solution. Tie the other end of the string to a pencil, and lay the pencil across the top of your container. Make sure the pipe cleaner is completely dipped in the solution and is not touching the sides or bottom of the container. As the solution begins to cool, the crystals will start to form on the pipe cleaner. Allow to sit overnight. Remove from the solution and allow to dry.

Soaking overnight will produce very thickly crystallized ornaments. If you prefer some of the color of the pipe cleaner show through, leave it in the solution for less time, as little as 2 hours.

Spraying your finished ornament with acrylic sealer or clear spray paint will keep the crystals from falling off as quickly.

Completed ornaments may be made into a crystal mobile, hung on yule trees, tied on gifts, hung in windows etc. You can glue them to cardboard to make a photo frame or as refridgerator magnets. Use a strong magnet because they are heavy