Hey guys!

Today I'll show you how to make geodes or crystals using sugar and glue. No borax or epsom salt is needed and you don't have to wait for the crystals to grow, you just shape them however you want :)

Make them in all the colors of the rainbow - or put all the colors of the rainbow into one crystal! The possibilities are endless.

Note: These are not edible! Even though they look yummy! :)

Supplies

aluminium foil (or clay)
(black) acrylic paint
white sugar
clear glue
paintbrush
plastic knife or similar
plastic surface

for the color:

ink or
food dye or
markers / fineliners (not permanent)

Step 1: Making the Base

To start off, I like to use aluminium foil to make the base of my geodes. You can use any kind of clay as well to get an even more realistic effect. But foil is just a very quick and lazy way to do it ;)

You just need to paint it black or any color of your choice with acrylic paint. I just painted the rim for now, the rest can be painted later.

You can also just take something like a rock and cover it completely in crystals.

Step 2: Coloring Crystals With Ink / Food Dye

Now to the fun part: making the crystals!

The quickest option to make a big amount of crystals is to use ink or food dye. Start off by pouring a few drops of liquid on a smooth surface (like a plastic sheet or bowl) and add sugar until the liquid dissolves. Add some clear glue - just enough to add a bit of stickiness.

You might wonder how to know how much of everything you add, but don't worry! It's not that precise, you just want to aim for a dry crumbly paste. You can watch the video for more references.

Some tips:

- Don't add too much liquid and glue - the sugar crystals won't be as visible.

- At the same time try not making the mixture too dry - the crystals might not look as shiny.

Some crystals just turn out better than others - experiment! I personally liked the darker colors I made the best.

Step 3: Coloring Crystals With Markers

The other option to color your crystals is to use markers or fineliners - any felt tip pens that are not permanent.

Draw on a sheet of plastic in order to get some ink on it and add sugar and glue again to make a crumbly paste.

Like I also showed in this tutorial, the glue can sometimes change the color of your ink. Magic!

Step 4: Filling the Geode

Once you have your crystals, use your paintbrush or something like a plastic knife to put the crystals inside your geode.

I noticed that with a paintbrush the crystals will be more loose and with a knife I got a more smooth and packed look. You can mix the methods!

Your crystals might seem like they will never stick to your base, but they will once they are dry. They will turn solid and you can brush off any loose crystals.

You can also blend colors - while they are still wet it works best. That way I made two rainbow geodes - one with classic bright colors and one more natural looking one where I mixed black crystals with rainbow colors while they were still wet.