Cradled in a hand-crafted basket...

Flocked figures of animals may sometimes still be found in 
hobby shops or flee markets.

       These little flocked animals are easy to find in hobby and craft outlets. I hot glued this little fawn into a plastic half egg shell, added glitter, Easter grass, trim and ribbon to create a charming egg for our Easter tree this year. Watch Timbecon use flocking materials on wood in his video below.  Flocking may be done on other surfaces as well, like the small deer above.

       Below are small, flat cardboard Easter baskets I made for hanging on our egg tree this year. These are very light weight and crafted from easy to find materials that most folks have stashed away in their 'junk drawers.' Supplies include: old wire, ribbon, scrapbook papers, scissors, white glue and novelty trims left over from sewing and scrapbooking projects.

Decorative, cardboard baskets full of tiny paper eggs hang on our family Easter egg tree.

How to craft mosaic Easter eggs

Genuine turquoise abalone shell pieces cover these eggs. I display
 them in a basket at Easter, they are too heavy to hang on the
delicate branches of an egg tree.

       Above are traditional mosaic eggs made from plastic manufactured eggs, grout, and tiny mosaic, Mother of Pearl pieces from Michael's. These crushed tiles have been sold at Michael's for over 10-12 years and come in many colors depending upon the year. When adhering the tiles to the egg shell rough up the surface of the egg with sandpaper and then glue on the tiles using a strong bonding glue. I believe that I used wood glue for these eggs. After the crushed shell has dryed, smear on a tile grout and then use a soft damp sponge to wash away excess grout. Let the grout harden overnight. Crafters may also use wooden eggs to replace the plastic ones if they wish.

How to craft Eggshell Mosaic Eggs

Remove the membrane from the inner lining of the egg shell
so that the broken pieces will adhere with glue to the other
surfaces of egg.

       First you will need to collect egg shells for this craft and the number of those egg shells will depend upon your love of the craft. I collected only enough to demonstrate the process. In order to keep your kitchen clean and bacteria at a minimum, soak the left over shells in a vinegar solution. One cup of boiling water, plus two tablespoons of any type of vinegar will suffice for a gentle soak. This will also help loosen the membrane from the inner shell. The membrane should be removed for several reasons, the first being that it will help keep the egg shells from developing an unfortunate odor and the second being that the shells will adhere better when glued to another shell's surface. Above is a photo of the membrane being separated from the shell.

Dying the egg shells the old fashioned way with vinegar.

       After the shells have been dryed, break them up and soak them in dying solutions. I chose to do this with food coloring. This is the traditional recipe which includes a few drops of food coloring combined together with the ratio of vinegar and water that I have mentioned above.

Brush on Mod Podge to give the egg surfaces a finished coat
of protection from ordinary wear over time.

       After draining and drying the shells on a paper towel, you may then glue these to either hard boiled eggs or eggs that have been hollowed out and cleaned in advance. I used white school glue for this process and then covered the surface of my sample eggs with Mod Podge. You could also paint a layer of clear nail polish over the eggs if you have no other alternatives on hand.

More Mosaics Crafted With Egg Shells:

• How to make an egg shell mosaic
• An alternative version of the method above
• Miy Easter Project: Egg Shell Confetti Bowl Craft
• Egg Shell Mosaic Vase

 Easter by Marjorie Goldwasser, (8 yrs. old)
The grass is turning oh, so green.
Everywhere new buds are seen.
The Easter bunny is on his way,
To bring us eggs on Easter day.

Craft A Simple Butterfly Mask

Above is my teachers sample. We used magic markers to cover the mask with bright patterns and colors.

I crafted simple butterfly masks with my kids at the school last week. I traced my butterfly pattern onto inexpensive paper plates and cut these out ahead of time. The eye holes were located in the upper oval shapes of the top of my butterfly's wings. 

This simple mask project is perfect for kindergarteners. They also loved to skip about the room and pretend to be flying in a garden with their masks on!

• "I am the resurrection and the life..." coloring page

The butterfly song for your young students.

How To Make Cascarones or Confetti Eggs

Stuff hollowed out eggs with confetti and reseal these with a little white glue and tissue paper. It you are going to dye the eggs first allow the water to drain out of the hollowed egg shells thoroughly before adding the confetti. If you don't have the time to make your own confetti, this may be purchased at craft stores. If you are going to break the eggs outside, you can also fill confetti eggs with bird seed instead.
 
      Cascarones or confetti eggs are festive, hollowed-out chicken eggs filled with confetti or small toys. They are rumored to have originated in China and brought to Europe by Marco Polo. In Italy they were first used as a courting ritual, filled with perfume and then capped with wax. Men would throw them at women they found attractive. The custom then traveled to Spain and was later brought to Mexico in the mid-1800s by Emperor Maximilian’s wife. It was in Mexico that the perfumed powder was replaced with confetti.

      In Spanish, cáscara means eggshell. Cascarones are similar to the Easter eggs popular in many other countries. They are mostly used in Mexico during Carnival, but in US and Mexico border the cultures combined making them a popular Easter tradition.

      Decorated, confetti-filled cascarones may be thrown or crushed over the recipient's head to shower him or her with confetti. In addition to Easter, cascarones have become popular for occasions including birthdays, Halloween, Cinco de Mayo, Dieciséis, Day of the Dead, and weddings (wedding cascarones can be filled with birdseed). Like many popular traditions in Mexico, cascarones are increasingly popular in the southwestern United States. For example, they are especially prominent during the two-week, city-wide festival of Fiesta in San Antonio, Texas.

      Having a cascarón broken over one's head is said to bring good luck.

      In order to make Cascarones, one can use a pin or knife to break a hole on the end of the egg and pour the egg out. The shell must then be cleaned out. Decorate it as desired and let dry. Then fill with confetti or a small toy. Apply glue around the outside of the hole and cover with tissue paper.

How to make Cascarones or confetti eggs.

 

• Color The Tree of Life

 

April by Robert B. Shearer, age 11
Loving April's come at last.
Hurrah, for stormy March is past!
Oh, Spring, Spring, Spring,
Can't you hear the birds sing?
And can't you see the April showers
That we all know will make May flowers?

An Easter Bonnet Collage Competition

Video of a annual school Easter bonnet competition.

      Your school can sponsor a Easter Bonnet Contest for Spring. I've included an ad below from the The Day Book. Chicago Ill. 1915. The pictures have been cleaned and resized here at our blog for teachers to promote an Easter bonnet drawing competition of their very own. 

      I have also included a collage example using the same template. My students snipped and glued all kinds of fuzzy, furry tactile elements to their Easter bonnets, instead of drawing on them.

Easter bonnet collage made with template below
and construction paper, pom poms, feathers, chenille
stems etc... Girls Win Your Easter Hat!

"Sketch your idea of an attractive spring bonnet above this face. Then fill out the blank and mail it to the Fashion Editor of The Day Book. A different face will be printed for four days, today, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Send in as many drawings as you wish as long as they are all drawn on pictures clipped from The Day Book. This contest closes March 29. The winner will be presented with an Easter bonnet, like her design, Free. The materials must not exceed $10.00 in cost."