In this Instructable, I will be showing you how to make astonishing crystals at home, in a snap with very few, easy to find ingredients found in a grocery store.

Step 1: Ingredients

Ingredients Include:
Borax
Pipe Cleaners (white preferred)
String or Wire
A Mason Jar or Vase
A Spoon
Water
Gold or Silver Paint (optional)
Food coloring -any brand, nothing fancy required (optional)

Step 2: Shaping

Now you can be creative and make a shape out of your pipe cleaners.

Step 3: Making the Solution:

When making these crystals, add 2-3 cups or so of water, depending on size of container. Note: Water must reach* a boiling temperature in order to get a proper solution.
Add a half of a cup of borax to every 2-3 cups of water, almost immediately to water while it is still hot. (but it's not the end of the world if you do not get it in quickly)

Also, boiling water can be done in the jar, in a microwave for 2 minutes.

Add food coloring. Do NOT skimp on the amount of coloring you add. One or two drops will have little to no affect on your crystal later on. I added 9 drops of blue and 4 drops of green for one crystal.

Stir solution until the mixture is as transparent as water (not shown in images)

Step 4: Dipping, and Hanging on String or Wire

All you need to do is to fasten or tie your pipe cleaner shape to a string. Then tie the other end of the string or wire to a stick or even pipe cleaner like I did. Next lay the stick across the top of the jar or vase so that the shape hangs is the solution in the center of the jar, completely submerged, inches from the surface, sides, and bottom of the jar.

IMPORTANT: Before you can let it sit (next step) you need to dip the shape 3 or 4 times, like a teabag. As shown in images 3-5

Step 5: Letting It Sit

Now go to bed, (hence; "over night crystals") and wake up to find that your crystal has grown and attached its self to the pipe cleaners. Also see that it has absorbed the color(s) you have chosen. Image #4
(In the mean time though, it is important not to disturb the pipe cleaner while it is becoming crystalized.)

Step 6: Clean Up

Now you can go ahead, and remove the string or wire. For string, you can cut very closely to the crystal to remove the string cleanly. For wire you need to trim the wire and pull the wire out of the crystal which can be tricky, but I was able to do it successfully. Very sorry that I do not really have pictures that explain for this step! But if you look at image 2 (for wire users) you can see how the wire is twisted with the other end. All you need to do is just untwist, and trim both ends, and flatten the now shortened wire out. Then pull with needle nose pliers (or fingers) right out of your crystal.

Step 7: Paint & Display

The final product plus 2 others, is in image 2. You can choose to paint to edges of the crystal with gold or silver paint as I did. P.S. These crystals are so much more beautiful looking in person.