egg craft part two: blow those eggs!

 

Click here for part one.

Have you gathered your materials yet?

• eggs (of course!), raw.  We're using chicken eggs, but if you have access to others, feel free to use them as well.
• paint (any sort)
• long embroidery needle or hat pin
• paint brushes
• hot glue
• clear spray-on coating
• beads, buttons, ribbon, trim, etc.
• modge podge (optional)
• vintage Easter card pictures (optional)
• glitter
• toilet paper tubes for egg holders 

If so, it is time to blow the insides out of your eggs.  We do this so that the eggs will be preserved, without running the risk of having some broken rotten eggs in your home.  I have had success in saving hard boiled eggs, but I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone else.  Furthermore, I have read that you can leave the raw eggs intact and the yolk and innards will dry up into a hard little ball.  However, I would be afraid that the egg would be dropped or somehow broken before it was all dry, leaving an awful stench.  So, if you plan on saving your eggs to use as decorations in subsequent years, it is best to blow them out.

Decide how many eggs you want to decorate.  Leave those eggs in the egg carton and put the others in a bowl in the refrigerator.  It is a whole lot easier to make the holes in the eggs if you let them sit in the carton.   We're doing a dozen.  Let your chosen eggs warm to room temperature.

 

 Grab your embroidery needle or your hat pin and use it to poke a teeny hole in the top of the eggs.  The small hole should correspond to the small end of the egg. 

Flip the eggs topsy-turvy and poke another hole in the wider end of the egg.  This hole should be larger, but no more than one quarter inch in diameter.  If you can get by with smaller than that, go for it.  I used the same needle and just squiggled it around to widen the gap.  See the difference in size between the egg on the left and the one on the right?

While you have your needle in there, go ahead and pop the yolk.

Then, hold the egg up to your lips and blow that sucker!  You want to blow into the larger hole so that the inside of the egg comes out through the smaller hole.  If that doesn't work, just flip it over and do it the other way.  Be sure to put out a bowl to catch the slime.

It is kind of hard to do and sometimes you just have to let go of your self-esteem and go for it.  When you're done blowing all the eggs, stick the yolk mixture into the fridge and scramble it up for breakfast.  Make sure you cook it within 24 hours. 

Dry your slobber off of your eggs and get ready to paint.

Photo Credit: Happy Easter! by ButterflySha via Flickr