Easter Egg Decorating

I love decorating Easter eggs and decorating with them as well. In 2002 I was pregnant with my second child, Jaedan, (this picture was taken less than two months away from birthing him) and I was apparently breathing in too much Springtime air and in a fashion statement mood, LOL! So there you have it...the prego plastic egg princess :)

There are many fun ways to decorate Easter eggs and also to decorate with them. The Easter egg is used to celebrate Easter or Springtime. The Egg is widely used as a symbol of the start of new life, just as new life emerges from an egg when the baby chick hatches out. In Christianity it is the symbol of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

EASTER EGG TIPS:
Try dyeing or decorating different types of eggs in order to vary the sizes (quail for smaller and goose for larger). Also consider dyeing brown eggs to alter the range of colors you can produce.

To empty a raw egg, begin by using the tip of a sharp utility knife or a hat pin to pierce both ends of the egg; turn the knife or hat pin in one of the holes to widen it slightly. Then, poke a straightened paper clip or the hat pin through the larger hole to pierce and "stir" the yolk. Hold the egg, larger hole down, over a bowl, and then blow the contents out with a rubber ear/nose syringe (available at drugstores).

Safety
1. Color only uncracked eggs.
2. Discard hard-boiled eggs that have been out of the refrigerator for more than two hours.
3. Hard-boiled eggs should be consumed within one week.

Here are some great ways to decorate eggs and decorate with Easter eggs this Easter season.

THINGS TO USE TO EMBELLISH YOUR EGG OR EGGSHELL:
Scrapbook Notion Eggs (Put on stickers, hole punch shapes, postage stamps, scrapbook paper, construction paper, tissue paper, crepe paper, gift-wrap paper, foil, confetti or other scrapbook embellishments.)
Sewing Notion Eggs (Glue on ribbons, cloth flowers, braid, rickrack, cording, pom poms, lace, netting, fabric, felt, fake fur, leather, bits of broken costume jewelry, small silk flowers and leaves, buttons, or other sewing embellishments.)
Craft Notion Eggs (Glue on sequins, glitter, beads, yarn, raffia, pipe cleaners, cotton balls or other craft embellishments.)
Natural Notion Eggs (Glue on small dried pasta, beans, rice, lentils, small pebbles, small sea shells, feathers, pieces of potpourri or dried flowers/leaves, or other natural embellishments.)

USING PAPER:
Decoupage Eggs, Washi Eggs, Crepe Paper or Tissue Paper Eggs
Papier-Mache Eggs


PAINTED OR DYED EGGS: Note: Do NOT eat eggs that have been painted or dyed with unnatural substances!
(For paint use glitter glue, glitter paints, acrylic paints (pearlized is my favorite), puff paints, nail polish, markers, undiluted food coloring, etc.)
Stenciled Eggs (use a stencil to trace designs onto the eggshell with paint)

Dyeing Eggs:
(For dye use PAAS Easter egg dye or other commercial egg dye, food coloring dye, or all-natural dye.)

Tips For Dyeing Eggs (Gently lower and raise the egg on a soup spoon or tongs into the cups or dishes with dye, to avoid cracking. The longer these are left in the dye the deeper and darker the color. You can dip the egg again in a second color to experiment with different color combinations.

Food Coloring Dye (Combine 1/2 to 1 Tablespoon of food coloring with 2 tsp. vinegar in a cup that is deep enough for the eggs. Add water to about the half way point. Gently place the eggs into the cups. When you remove the egg from the dye, pat dry with a paper towel and place in a holder.)

All-Natural Egg Dyeing (Use the color chart below to create all natural egg dye. Combine the dye source with 1/2 Tablespoon of vinegar with some cold water in a saucepan. Add raw eggs (make sure there's enough water to cover the eggs) and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. The longer you simmer, the darker the color will be, but simmer at least 10 minutes so that the eggs cook thoroughly.)
Natural Egg Dye Color Chart
Pinkish to Red - Beets, Cranberries, Red Grape Juice, Cranberry Juice, Raspberries, Cherries, Pomegranate Juice
Orange - Yellow Onion Skins, Chili Powder or Paprika (for a brownish/red orange), Cooked Carrots
Yellow - Green Tea, Chamomile Tea, Turmeric, Orange or Lemon Peel, Carrot Tops, Cumin, Celery Seed, Saffron
Yellow Green - Yellow Delicious Apple Peels
Green - Spinach Leaves, Red Onion Skins and Vinegar (olive green)
Blue - Blueberries (more grey blue), Red Cabbage
Purple - Red Onion Skins
Violet - Violet Blossoms, Small Quantity of Red/Purple Onion Skins, Hibiscus Tea, Red Wine, Red Zinger Tea
Golden Brown - Dill Seeds
Brown - Strong Coffee, Instant Coffee, Black Walnut Shells, Black Tea

Unique Dyeing Techniques
Two-Toned Eggs (Dip top half of egg in 1 color and the bottom half in another. Or, dip each half of the egg in the dye for different lengths of time, creating different shades of the same color.)
"Tie-Dyed" Eggs (Method # 1: Use 100% silk. You can use an old silk tie as long as you want to cut it up...just make sure it's not your husband's favorite before you do. Go HERE to get the tutorial. Method # 2: Place several eggs in a colander in the kitchen sink. Splash eggs with vinegar. Drip yellow food color onto eggs. Gently shake the colander for a few seconds to help the color spread. Let set for 30 seconds. Repeat with 1 or 2 additional food colors. Let set again for 30 seconds after each color added and lightly rinse eggs with water. Drain completely. Allow eggs to dry. Method # 3: Dip egg briefly into dye to lightly color; let dry. Cover sections of egg with pieces of tape. Press down edges with fingernail to be sure tape adheres. Dip in second color dye; let dry. If you would like a third color, leave on tape but add smaller pieces. Dip in contrasting color. Dry and carefully remove tape.)
Marbleized Eggs (Use the enamel paint way or in a mug or jar large enough to contain one egg, place 1 Tablespoon of cooking oil, 1 Tablespoon of vinegar and 1 Tablespoon of food coloring. Add enough water to cover egg, swirl quickly with a spoon and quickly lower into and raise egg out of liquid. Pat dry with paper towel.)
Lacey Eggs (Wrap a piece of lace or doily you don't want to keep around the egg and secure with a ribber band or twist tie then dip egg in the dye.)
Speckled Eggs (For natural looking speckled eggs use light blue dipped eggs and brown tea stained eggs. Then use one bottle of brown craft paint and a toothbrush. Dip brush into paint and lightly splatter and dab around the egg to achieve a random, lightly dotted pattern. Allow to dry.)

TOOLS TO USE FOR APPLYING PAINT TO YOUR EGGS:
paintbrushes of different sizes and widths (You can create a number of cool strokes with these including dry brushing to make crosshatch patterns, zigzags, stippling, etc. You can also just use to paint pictures or stencil the paint onto egg.)
sea sponges (Use for that sponged look.)
cotton swabs (Good for painting applications quickly within a stenciled area or making dots with paint.)
toothpicks (Use for thin lines and detail.)
pencil erasers (Put a dab of paint on pencil eraser to make dots)

RESIST DYEING:
Pysanky Eggs (Very fancy wax resist eggs. A Ukrainian tradition.)
Silhouette Eggs (put leaves, herbs, and flowers against the eggshell and secure by wrapping it with some old pantyhose before dipping into dye. You can also make shapes out of masking tape or adhesive vinyl film with scrapbook hole/shape punches, stickers, or reinforcement stickers and place them on the eggshell before it goes into the dye.)
Banded Eggs (Put rubber bands or strips of masking tape of different widths on the eggs before they go into the dye to create that striped, checked or plaid look.)
Waxed Eggs (Write on the egg with crayon (crayola is best) or drip hot wax onto the eggshell in different areas and let harden before putting it in the dye. A stylus can also be used for creating more intricate patterns. This tool looks much like a pen, but has a barrel at the end for holding and dispensing wax. Heat the barrel of an empty stylus by holding it near a lighted candle. Scrape the beeswax patty to fill the stylus with wax, then heat the barrel again in the flame. Touch the tip of the stylus to the egg to let the wax come out and draw your design. Heat and refill the tool as necessary. Make line drawings, or fill in areas if you wish. Let wax dry, then submerge egg completely in dye. Remove egg; let dry, about 10 minutes. To remove the wax place the eggs on aluminum foil on a baking sheet with rims in an oven preheated to 250 degrees; this works for blown-out and hard-boiled eggs. When wax starts to melt, about 10 minutes, it will glisten and shine; remove eggs from oven, and hold in a paper towel wiping off the wax.)

OTHER THINGS:
Crayoned Eggs (Boil the eggs in a mixture of water and vinegar (about 1 1/2 tablespoons of vinegar for every cup of water) for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat. Carefully remove a hot egg (parents only) and let it cool for about 10 minutes. (Leave the others in the water until you're almost ready to decorate them, so they stay warm.) Holding the egg on a paper towel, draw on the shell with the crayons. To avoid smudging your design when turning the egg, carefully lift it from the paper towel, turn it, then set it back down. Let the design set for about 30 minutes.)
Millefiori Eggs (Wooden eggs with a layer of polymer clay cane slices all around it.)
Mosaic Eggshell Art (use dyed crushed Easter eggshells to make mosaics on paper)
Eggshell Planters
Eggshell Votives
Egg Animals (Decorate your eggs with googly eyes, paper, felt, feathers, fake fur, pipe cleaners, etc. to make them look like critters.)
Felted Easter Eggs (These are made of felted wool and wooden eggs.)
Fabric Eggs (Made of fabric.)
Knitted Eggs
Beaded Plastic Eggs (Use translucent multicolored plastic beads and hot glue to plastic eggs.)
Thread Eggs (Wrap embroidery floss soaked in starch over small oval balloons and let dry.)
Carved Eggs
Chocolate Filled Eggs
Robin's-Egg Place Card Eggs
Sugar Easter Eggs
Egg Ornaments (Blown out eggs are fragile but can last a long time if properly handled. They can be hung on a tree or branches cut from a flowering tree put in a vase and brought inside as decorations. Just attach a loop of ribbon or some yarn to the top with some glue to hang.)
Egg Garland
Sliceform Paper Egg

Want to decorate a virtual egg? Go to the Incredible Easter Egg Designer!

For more very cool ideas go HERE!

So, what is your favorite egg decorating technique?? Please comment!! I would love to hear your ideas!