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Family Weekend 4-1-1: egg decorating
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Reusable and worth the extra effort
There are all sorts of ways to dye Easter Eggs. With the classic Paas kits you can have eggs any style from tie-dye to glow-in-the-dark to camouflage-patterned. Or on the other end of the spectrum, there are natural dyes which you can render from fruits and veggies. Think gallons of blueberries, violet blossoms (something everyone has on hand), boiled beets and spinach-wrapped eggs. Noble, but not exactly practical.
Growing up with a mother who was also an art teacher our household tended to approach holiday crafts with a certain ambition. This year I decided to revisit an egg technique from my childhood, so I invited my mom along to help. The eggs aren't boiled, then later eaten, instead their insides are removed and the shells elaborately embellished so that you have a decoration you can use and reuse for Easters to come.
To remove the insides of the eggs while leaving the shell intact you simply take a pin and carefully poke small holes at the top and bottom of the egg. Place your mouth at one end and start blowing (you'll want to be positioned over a bowl). If the contents don't start emptying easily, then use the pin to break up the yolk. Running some water through the egg will also help things along. You'll also want to give the egg a good, though gentle, rinse once empty. Here's another helpful explanation of the technique.
Use egg cartons and toothpicks for hands-free painting
Now you have a dozen tiny canvases to fill. One of the biggest challenges is keeping fingers out of the way. We used toothpicks and an overturned egg carton to prop the eggs so that we could paint away without needing to hold the egg.
Acrylic paint works best
We found acrylic paint works best. It's vivid. Mixes well. Plus it's non-toxic, non-stinky and cleans up easily. We found ours at a local hobby shop. Any craft or art supply store should carry a wide-array of colors. Once dry, we applied a varnish coat. This gave the eggs a glossy "finished" look.
Beads, sequins and trim give the eggs a jeweled quality
For the final step, we embellished the eggs with beads, sequins and trim. Classic Aleene's Tacky Glue did the job well here. You want to make sure you cover up the holes you created to blow the eggs. And then use the embellishments to enhance your design or disguise any imperfections.
You may wonder how we pulled this off with a toddler among us. Most of the work was accomplished while the Girl napped. When she was around we offered her Easter stickers and plastic eggs which she happily decorated while we decorated ours.
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Friday, April 10
Kid's Club: Whole Earth Day Class at the West Orange Whole Foods for kids 7 & up. Create a kid-friendly recycled art project. Class size is limited and registration is required. Sign up at customer service or call (973) 669-3196 to reserve a spot. 6:00 pm.
Kit Kat Kabaret at Piano's Bar & Grill, Bloomfield. 6:00 to 7:30 pm.
Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey present Zing Zang Zoom at Madison Square Garden.
Saturday, April 11
Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever Show, a combination of live music and moving image at The Montclair Public Library. For children 3 & up. 2:00 pm.
Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey present Zing Zang Zoom at Madison Square Garden.
Sunday, April 12
“One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure” at the Liberty Science Center. 10:30 am, 11:30 am + 3:00 pm.
Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey present Zing Zang Zoom at Madison Square Garden.
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