| This Easter, create egg-ceptional colorful | | | | Place a small bowl of water (jar lids can also be |
| mod-style Eaters eggs with simple tie-dye and | | | | used) and several squares of tissue paper on |
| tissue-paper techniques. Decorating Easter eggs | | | | your work area. Place eggs on tea-light stands. |
| has never been easier or less messy than with | | | | Scissors can be used to cut out assorted |
| traditional food-coloring dyes. This project is | | | | geometric shapes (hand-torn pieces are just as |
| perfect for art class or to do at home with the | | | | effective). |
| kids. | | | | With a paint brush, dampen the egg and then |
| Hands-on time: About 45 minutes per dozen. | | | | place many tissue paper shapes over the egg, |
| Total time: if using vanish, add two hours for | | | | one at a time, overlapping and moistening as you |
| drying time. | | | | go. When the egg is fully covered, let it stand for |
| Skill: Easy, great project for children. (teacher & | | | | a few minutes. |
| classroom friendly). | | | | You now have two options: |
| Cost estimate: Only pennies per egg. | | | | 1. Remove the tissue paper before it completely |
| Materials & Tools | | | | dries and you now have enchanting marbleized |
| •Hard-boiled eggs | | | | eggs with the look of egg-dying without using egg |
| •Newspapers | | | | dyes. |
| •Tea-lights (bases only) | | | | 2. Apply Mod-Podge medium with a paint brush |
| For tie-dye Easter eggs: | | | | directly onto the still-humid, tissued eggs and let |
| •Wax crayons (I recommend Crayola | | | | stand to dry. You can apply vanish if you wish |
| brand, they have the best pigmentation) | | | | once it is completely dried. |
| •Crayon sharpener | | | | You now have very groovy colorful Easter eggs |
| •Small disposable paper plates | | | | ready for a hip décor theme. |
| •Egg carton container | | | | Tips |
| •Elastic bands (optional) | | | | •You can also decorate the above |
| For tissue-paper Easter eggs: | | | | Easter eggs with hollow eggs. Poke a small hole |
| •Small bowl of water | | | | with a clean pin or small nail, in the narrow end of |
| •Craft tissue paper in assorted colors | | | | a raw egg, make a slightly larger hole at the other |
| •Scissors, to cut out geometric shapes | | | | end. Hold the egg over a bowl and blow through |
| (optional) | | | | the small hole. The egg's liquid should slowly seep |
| •A flat paint brush | | | | out of the opened end. Rinse the eggshells |
| •Mod-Podge medium, brush on varnish | | | | carefully and set aside to dry. Make scramble |
| Egg safety: | | | | eggs or a quiche with the egg-yolks. |
| Store eggs in refrigerator until you are ready to | | | | •Be sure to keep the decorated eggs |
| use them. Place the eggs carefully in a large pot | | | | refrigerated until you are ready to hide them or |
| and add cold water to completely cover the eggs. | | | | make your centerpiece decorations. These are |
| Over medium heat bring the water to a boil. | | | | decorative eggs, they are not meant for |
| Cover the pot and turn off the heat. Let the pot | | | | consumption. |
| sit on the element for 15 minutes, then run the | | | | •Should you dye your eggs with |
| pot of eggs under cold water until the shells are | | | | traditional or natural food dyes, I recommend |
| cool and place the eggs in the refrigerator. (Skip | | | | wearing plastic gloves to avoid dying your fingers. |
| the cooling step for the tie-dye egg project). | | | | Eggs decorated with non-toxic coloring dyes are |
| Tie-dye Easter eggs: | | | | the only eggs you can eat, but not if they are |
| Cover your work area with newspapers. Choose | | | | cracked or have been out of the refrigerator for |
| two to three wax-crayon colors, and then | | | | more than 2 hours. |
| sharpen shavings over a small paper or foil plate. | | | | Variations: |
| (Plastic or Styrofoam plates will melt when they | | | | •Other egg-cellent ideas and variations: |
| come in contact with the warm eggs). Make a | | | | marbleized, striped, sponge painted, speckled, |
| separate plate for each color combination. For | | | | mosaic, pearlized, glazed, decoupage, waxed, |
| example, make a plate with yellow, green, and | | | | batik, antiqued or crackled. Try to decorate some |
| blue shavings and another plate with pink, purple | | | | with basic items you can find around your home: |
| and orange. | | | | sequins, rubber stamps, ribbon and lace remnants, |
| When the hard-boiled eggs are still warm, roll | | | | sparkles, glitter glue, tiny seed beads, pasta bits, |
| them into the crayon shavings, turning them | | | | metallic and regular and felt pens. With a wax |
| around a few times. To cool, place the eggs on a | | | | crayon, draw a picture like a flower or bunny, |
| tea-light stand or back in the egg carton. The | | | | write names, or words on the eggs before dying |
| colors will continue to blend and melt together; | | | | them. |
| watch the display of colorful swirls unfold. | | | | •To keep eggs as decor accents |
| Placing elastic bands around some of the eggs | | | | throughout the year, try painting wooden, plaster, |
| before decorating them will create stripes. The | | | | rock, or paper maché eggs. To give them |
| unique results will simply amaze your family and | | | | an aged look, sprinkle with a dash of salt or flour |
| friends. | | | | and squirt with water, let dry, then seal with |
| Tissue paper Easter eggs: | | | | varnish. |