Alice

Hi all,

I'm going to try to get this out quickly so that one hundred other
emails don't get here first with the same thing. (this is why I am an
interminable lurker - I'm almost never actually caught up and by the
time I would get around to writing a reply, lots of others have beat me
to it) (an intro is coming up, honest)

Here's what we've done to grow crystals. We haven't used one of those
kits, so haven't got any advice about those. They look pretty neat. What
a bummer that they didn't work for you.

Get some borax, colored pipe cleaners, a pencil, ribbon and a glass jar
or can. (make sure the glass jar has a mouth that is big enough, though,
or you might have to break the jar to get the crystal out. :-o )

Get the pipe cleaner ready by shaping it - spirals, hearts, stars,
whatever - then using the ribbon (or whatever else might look nice to
hang it from), tie it to the pencil so it will hang down into the jar or
can. (but don't put it in the jar yet) Put some boiling water into the
jar and mix in borax a bit at a time, constantly stirring until it stops
dissolving. It took quite a bit in a peanut butter jar though. (The
amount of borax reaches some kind of limit in the solution - what's that
called - saturation?) Then hang the pipe cleaner from the pencil across
the top of the jar. Make sure there is enough room around the pipe
cleaner in all directions (and that it's deep enough) for the crystals
to grow. I don't remember exactly how long it takes, but let it sit and
in a couple/few days you'll have crystals growing on the pipe cleaner.
It makes a very nice (but very heavy) christmas ornament and looks nice
hanging in a window too.

Uh-oh, this took too long, the intro will have to wait... :-)

Alice