Easter is fast approaching, and I have to admit, I haven't been feeling very enthusiastic. Now that my children are ages 10 and 13, maybe I've been doing this Easter gig just a little too long, and frankly, I've been getting a little bored.
It's the egg dying that has me yawning. There has to be a way to liven up the process of colouring eggs. After all, Easter comes along with the first days of spring, promising warmth and new life. Why not shake off our winter doldrums and do something a little creative with our eggs to welcome in the season?
I've perused the Easter books and websites to help. Here are some ideas that
I can't wait to try:
First things first-
Let's start with the eggs: hard-boiled or hollow? The decision is up to you, based on how you're going to decorate and use the eggs. Eggs hung on a tree call for hollow eggs, eggs for the Easter basket can be hard-boiled. Most of us prefer the ease of hard-cooked eggs, not to mention the promise of egg salad sandwiches afterwards. Here's how to do them both:
The Perfect Hard-Boiled Egg (from "Easter Treats: recipes for the whole family", by Jill O'Connor, Chronicle Books, 2000)
Place one dozen eggs in a single layer, without crowding, in a 2- or 3-quart saucepan. Add water to cover by 2 inches and then 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
Immediately remove the eggs from the hot water and plunge them into a basin of very cold water to cool down, or rinse under cold running water for about 5 minutes.
Egg Blowout (From "Alberta Egg Producers" at www.eggs.ab.ca)
To empty an eggshell, begin by washing and drying the egg.
Pierce both ends with a large needle. Slightly enlarge the hole at the small end of the egg. Push the needle well into the egg in order to break the yolk.
Hold the egg over a bowl with the small end down. Blow into the hole at the opposite end until the white and yolk are removed.
Rinse the shell with cold water and allow to dry completely. (Use the raw egg for an omelet, a quiche or scrambled eggs.)
Colouring the eggs -
Using the dye kit tablets and vinegar that you buy at the supermarket is just fine, but did you know you can easily make your own dye? Here's how:
How to Dye Eggs with Food Coloring (from "175 Easy-to-Do Easter Crafts", Edited by Sharon Dunn Umnik, Boyd's Mills Press, 1994).
1. Add one tsp. of white vinegar to one cup of hot water from the kitchen tap. Place several drops of food colouring into the hot water.
2. Be creative in your colour mixing. For example: 1 drop green + 3 drops yellow= lime green. 1 drop green + 4 drops blue = turquoise.
Decorating the Eggs
Dying the eggs in one or two colours of the colours is just fine. But if you want to add a little pizzazz to your eggs, try these methods:
Rubber Band Designs (from www.amazingmoms.com): Wrap rubber bands around hard cooked eggs, then drop them in the dye. Remove eggs, pat dry with paper towel and remove rubber bands. The parts of the egg covered with rubber bands will not be colored. Once the rubber bands are removed, you can drop the egg into a different colour dye.
Marbleized Eggs (from www.amazingmoms.com): Place 1 Tbsp of oil into the egg dye. Stir quickly with a spoon and drop in hard boiled egg. Pull egg out quickly and pat dry with paper towel.
Collage Eggs (from www.amazingmoms.com): Use white or craft glue to attach craft supplies such as sequins, buttons, glitter, beads, or stickers. Or make a design using pasta, rice or beans on the eggs in the shape of a butterfly, start, or flower. Then paint the design. (from Alberta Egg
Producers)
Starry Sky Eggs (from "Easter Treats: recipes and crafts for the whole family"): affix star shape stickers (available in office supply stores) to the egg. Double or triple the amount of dye for a deeper shade of blue. Dye the egg, and allow it to dry thoroughly. Remove and discard the star shaped stickers. If you want, paint each white star with craft glue and sprinkle with the glitter. Allow to dry.
Make an Easter egg tree
Now that you have those beautifully decorated eggs, why not show off your creations? An Easter egg tree is fast, fun, and very very pretty. Here's how:
Easter Egg Tree (from Alberta Egg producers, www.eggs.ab.ca)
Empty the eggshells according to the instructions for Egg Blowout.
Cut a narrow ribbon or silk cord into 30 cm (12-inch) lengths. Fold in half and tie ends in a pretty bow or in a knot. Use a piece of floral wire or an embroidery hook to pull the folded end through the egg so that the bottom of the egg is resting on the bow.
Or, another way to hang your eggs is to make a knot at the end of the ribbon. Thread the ribbon through the egg using a large needle. The egg will rest on the knot.
Hang the egg on a branch which has been anchored in a decorative pot, tying the ribbon to secure it.
To preserve your decorated eggs, apply a clear acrylic fixative, spray varnish or nail polish. For iridescent eggs, choose a pearlescent finish.
I'm ready to pull out the eggs, the pan, and the food coloring right now.
With all these fabulous egg creations, Easter is bound to be a fun, beautiful, and imaginative time for all of us this year. Good luck and happy
Easter!