Get a jump on Easter with decorative eggs

W hen the weather gets nasty, crafters get crafty.

After a valiant attempt to reach our local craft store last weekend, but being thwarted by a freezing rainstorm, we decided to do one more column featuring crafts that can be completed using materials you may have on hand.

In the baskets are foam eggs decorated with neon glitter (left) and metallic glitter.

Bear in mind, you have to be a moderate to serious crafter to have this week’s materials in your supply cabinet, but herein lies a suggestion: If you have the storage space, keep a few out-of-the-ordinary craft supplies in stock in case of emergencies, rather than waiting until the last minute to get what you need.

For instance, if you know you’ll be making decorative Easter eggs, pick up some Styrofoam, wooden or unfinished paper eggs before you need them.

This can help you avoid last-minute panic when the season comes around, but it’s also an unintentionally smart move that saved us when preparing this week’s column.

Even though snow is still on the ground at our home, we got a jump on the Easter season by decorating faux eggs for the springtime celebration.

We had about a dozen unfinished paper and a few Styrofoam eggs suitable for decoration.

Also in our supply stash we found designer tissue paper, wrapping paper, metallic origami paper squares, neon and metallic glitter and, of course, decoupage medium.

This is a good time to mention that no self-respecting crafter should ever be without at least two bottles of decoupage medium – it really is a supply for all crafts.

That said, we began our early homage to Easter eggs.

Tissue coated eggs: These eggs are delicate, taking on a fragile, glass-like finish. They are also the most difficult to do and will test your patience.

You can use either Styrofoam or paper eggs for this project, but the Styrofoam eggs will test your patience over and above the norm because the tissue just doesn’t stick as well to the foam, no matter how much decoupage medium you use.

Assuming you are using paper eggs, begin by tearing tissue paper into small pieces.

Next, using a sponge-brush and decoupage medium, coat one piece at a time and layer them onto the egg in random order.

When the entire egg is covered, apply a coat of decoupage medium over the egg to seal.

Note: Your hands are going to get goopy doing this, but don’t worry – there’s always soap and water and the decoupage medium will dry to a nice finish. This note applies to all of the egg coverings, not just tissue.

Problem: When making eggs covered with tissue, be prepared to experience tearing and lots of paper sticking to your fingers rather than to the egg. Be patient, slow down and don’t lose your cool. The beauty of tissue is that even with big tears and sticky messes, the finished product looks good.

Wrapping paper coated eggs: This technique gives the eggs a nice finish, but it will have a few more lumps and bumps than the tissue eggs. Still, the roughness of the finish can be very interesting.

Follow the same procedure as for the tissue-covered eggs, and enjoy the fact that the sturdier constitution of wrapping paper will give you a break from the tearing and sticky-finger curse.

The only thing you may have to do differently is to hold down the edges of the paper a bit longer than you did the tissue paper, just to make sure the edges are smooth and secure.

Metallic origami papers: We were delighted with the results achieved using these papers. The procedure and cautions are the same as for the wrapping paper guidelines above – and you might have to hold the papers in place a bit longer because of the slick surface of the metallics – but it’s well worth the few extra seconds for the end result.

These eggs will surprise you, because when you coat them with the decoupage medium, you’ll think, “Ugh…they’re all gloppy!” But when the decoupage medium dries, the eggs are smooth, shiny and lovely.

Trust us, you’ll be pleased.

Glitter eggs: These eggs aren’t for everyone, but they deserve mention. Think the goose that laid the golden (or, in one of our cases, the copper) egg; or the multicolored neon eggs reminiscent of the psychedelic ’60s. Hey, they’re fun, and they are quite dazzling.

We used only Styrofoam eggs for our glitter versions, because, frankly, they were easier; what can we say?

Using a sponge-brush, apply decoupage medium to the entire egg and sprinkle glitter over it all. You’ll end up with some “fingerprints” on the eggs because of the wet decoupage medium, so add the following step.

Make sure that you sprinkle the glitter over a piece of paper to catch the excess, and then roll the egg in the excess glitter to cover the fingerprints. Let dry thoroughly before moving the egg.

When the egg is completely dry and coated, tap off any additional excess and move the egg to a safe place, then spray it gently with a fixative spray to keep the glitter under control.

Note: To save the excess glitter, tap all glitter to the center, fold the paper (making a sharp crease) and pour it back into the container. Use a small funnel, if necessary, to avoid spillage.

Contact Jonetta Coffin at jrocoffin@aol.com.