

Eggs are often decorated for Easter, but you can decorate eggs any time of year, with any kind of
design you like. Consider decorating eggs for other special occasions such as Fourth of July,
Christmas, birthday parties, or anniversaries.
Easter is a happy time, a time to celebrate the coming of spring and the new life that's all around us in the flowers, trees, animals, and birds. It has been a custom to color, decorate and exchange eggs for hundreds of years. Along with the deep religious meaning, it's also an occasion for gifts and games, and many of these involve Easter eggs. The egg has always been a symbol of new life, and people have believed that eggs given at this season would bring good luck.
At Easter time, eggs are handled a great deal more than usual especially when decorating or
hiding the eggs in an Easter egg hunt. So, before you begin to decorate your eggs, remember to
follow some important safety methods when handling eggs for cooking, decorating or for the
Easter egg hunt:
Many Easter eggs are decorated using hard-cooked eggs. For the perfect hard-cooked egg, follow
these directions. Try to buy your eggs a week or two in advance. Eggs that have been stored in
the refrigerator for a week or two will usually peel easily. The fresher the egg, the harder it is to
peel.
Whether hard- or soft-cooked, this method is incorrectly called boiled eggs. Although the
cooking water must come to a boil, eggs should not be boiled because high temperatures make
them tough and rubbery. Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan. Add enough water to come at
least one inch above the eggs. Cover and quickly bring just to a boil. Remove pan from heat and
let eggs stand 15 minutes. (Adjust the time up or down by about three minutes for each size
larger or smaller). Immediately run cold water over the eggs until cool.
A greenish-gray ring may appear around a hard-cooked egg yolk. It's unsightly, but harmless.
The ring is caused by a chemical reaction involving sulfur (from the egg white) and iron (from
the egg yolk), which naturally react to form ferrous sulfide at the surface of the yolk. The
reaction is usually caused by overcooking, but can also be caused by a high amount of iron in the
cooking water.
Eliminate the ring by avoiding overcooking and by cooling the eggs quickly after cooking. Run
cold water over the just-cooked eggs or place them in ice water (not standing water) until they
have completely cooled. Then refrigerate the eggs in their shells until you're ready to use them.
Hard-cooked eggs in the shell can be refrigerated up to one week.
When eggs are cool, tap the egg on a hard surface. Thoroughly crackle the shell and roll the egg
between your hands to loosen the shell. Start at the large end and peel.
Easy Steps to Hard-Cooked Eggs (Printable
Brochure)
Eggs can be decorated in a variety of ways. For a personal touch on decorating, use wax crayons,
magic markers, or paints on your eggshell to create your own design; then coat it with clear nail
polish to prevent smearing. To make the shell glisten, use pearl-colored nail polish. For a
porcelain finish, apply several coats of diluted school glue.
There is literally no end to the creative possibilities for individual expression on an eggshell.
Eggs can be painted or colored with crayons or felt-tipped pens, turned into funny faces, topped
with fantastic hats, trimmed with feathers or sequins, or simply dyed in an endless variety of
hues. However, you decide to do it, decorating eggs is fun for grown-ups as well as for kids.
You can also decorate your eggs by using natural dyes made from items you may already have in
your refrigerator such as beets, spinach leaves, cranberries, blueberries, red cabbage, just to name
a few of the possibilities.
Ever See a Plaid Egg?
You can decorate eggs any time of year, with any kind of design you like. Professional artists
have used eggs to represent the states. If you don't want to make an egg for your state, you could
decorate one in red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July. Or, how about making an egg person
into a pilgrim for Thanksgiving? To make a decorated egg to hang on a mobile, Easter tree or
Christmas tree, use a lightweight emptied eggshell.
You can also use decorated eggs as a craft project, as a table favor, or "name card" at a
birthday party. Or, maybe you might like to start a family tradition by making a special egg for
Mom or Dad for Mother's or Father's Day. As you grow up and your talents grow, too, the eggs
will probably get better and better every year!
Easter Egg Shell Flowers — Set your Easter table with this lovely centerpiece that works well in a variety of vases. Different size eggs mimic the variety of flower sizes in an actual bouquet. And, remember you can use the contents of these eggs in any recipe where the eggs are thoroughly cooked. Simply remember to keep your eggs refrigerated until ready to use.
Easter Egg Shell Flowers
Eggshell Planters are the perfect springtime craft as nature's own miracle food, the egg, has long
been
associated with renewal and rebirth. After emptying the eggshells for a recipe, the shells become
the
planter. These planters can then be filled with herb seeds that, when full grown, will then give
your
recipes the fresh tastes of spring. Why not pick some springtime favorites to plant like dill and
mint or
any other fresh family recipe favorites like oregano, basil and rosemary.
To start, you'll need to use empty egg shells. If you will be decorating your eggs first for Easter,
follow
these steps: prick a tiny hole in the large end of the egg with the tip of a small paring knife.
Working
slowly chip away the edges until the hole is about the size of a dime. Run the knife down inside
the egg
to break the yolk membrane, then hold the egg over a bowl and shake until the contents run out.
Rinse
the inside and turn upside down to drain. (Cover and refrigerate the contents for use in
thoroughly
cooked egg dishes). If you will be using shells from eggs that have been broken for cooking or
baking,
be sure to thoroughly rinse the shell halves and turn them upside down to drain.
Next, dye or decorate the eggs as desired. If decorated Easter eggs are going to be used, crack the
eggs in half to make planters. If there are kids in the family, they may want to decorate the shell
halves
to look like faces; when the herbs begin to grow, it will look like hair is sprouting!
Next, you'll need cotton, planting soil and herb seeds. Place cotton, followed by soil on the
bottom of
each decorated shell half. Add seeds; then place shell halves back in empty egg cartons or on
wire
rack to keep upright. Water seeds and place near sunlight as recommended on seed package.
Eggshell Confetti Votives
Broken eggshells
Here's a clever way to make use of any and all broken eggshells. These sweet votives
will certainly give your table a festive look come Easter and beyond. You can use as
many or as few eggshells for each holder - taking care to simply leave part of the votive
above the shell line. Kids and adults alike with enjoy crushing the shells, and creating
their own unique "Eggshell Confetti Votive". Use shells from previous recipes, and
spray painting them, or use shells from hard cooked eggs that have already been
colored.
Using colored hard-cooked eggshells:
Using broken eggshells (from eggs used in recipes)
Before you start creating your own egg, check out other Egg Decorating
Tips or Kids and
Families.
How about a plaid egg, or a striped one? Just wrap eggs with rubber bands or strips of narrow
masking tape before placing them in the dye. Be sure the egg is completely dry before removing
the bands.

Craft paint brushes
Watercolor paints or spray paint
Glitter
Craft pipe cleaners
Glue
Small yellow flowers or small yellow or orange pompoms
Flower vase
Glass marbles
Here's How
1. Carefully puncture a small hole in the large end of the egg. Gently crack and separate the shell, removing the contents of the egg.
2. Wash the inside and outside of the egg shells with bleach water. Let dry completely.
3. Paint each shell in colors to resemble flowers. Sprinkle with glitter before the paint dries. Let paint dry completely.
4. Gently insert a piece of pipe cleaner through the hole and twist it slightly on the inside of the shell. Tie a knot in the pipe cleaner on the outside of the shell. Push it to touch the outside of the shell. Glue the knot to the shell to give the flower support.
5. Glue stamen from small yellow flowers or pompoms onto the bent pipe cleaner on the inside of each shell.
6. Arrange flowers in a vase filled with glass marbles.
These flowers make a lovely Easter centerpiece. Add some baby’s breath to the vase, if desired.
INSIDER INFORMATION - Try to crack the eggs in different sizes, creating a variety of different flowers.
Use contents of eggs in recipes where eggs are thoroughly cooked. Keep egg contents refrigerated until ready to use.
Bleach water can be made by combining 1 quart of water and 1 teaspoon bleach. Place in a labeled container. This will keep indefinitely.
Source: American Egg Board
Egg Shell Planters

As the scents of spring fill the air outside, why not bring some of that freshness inside? The
season of
new beginnings, spring is a time for new growth. With this craft for Eggshell Planters, you can
have the
buds of spring sprout on your window sill!

Clear glass votive holders
Votive candles (can use battery operated votives)
Make sure eggshells are completely dry or place shells on cookie sheet and bake in
250°F oven for 5 - 10 minutes to make sure shells are dry. Break or crush shells
into small pieces, either keeping separate by color, or mixing together. Fill each votive
holder 1/2 way with crushed dried eggshell pieces. You will always have some white
mixed in with the colored pieces since they are only colored on one side. Insert the
votive into the middle of the shells, and gently push down into the shells, to support the
base and part of the sides with the confetti shells. (For a kid friendly votive, opt for the
battery operated votive candles.)
Place shells on a cookie sheet and bake in 250°F oven for 5 - 10 minutes to
ensure the shells are completely dried. Break or crush eggshells into small pieces.
Place on newspaper or other surface and use spray paint or paint with brush to color
shells. (You will get varying amounts of paint on each piece which adds depth to the
look). There will always be some white from the inside of the shell showing, which is a
contrast to the colored shell, unless care is taken to paint both the inside and outside of
the shells. Fill each votive holder 1/2 way with the painted shells. Insert a votive candle
into the shells, and gently push down, to support the base and part of the sides with the
confetti shells. (For a kid friendly version, opt for the battery operated votive candles.)

3-4 Decorated Eggs
1 Brown bag, lunch size (5-1/2 x 10-1/2 inches)
Small twigs, various lengths and widths, dried leaves, Spanish moss (from outside or can be found in many craft stores)
Glue Gun or Craft Glue
Ribbon, glitter, twine or additional adornments, optional
Need a child-friendly craft or a unique name holder on your Easter holiday? This Easter Egg Nest takes 30 minutes or less to make, and uses your already decorated eggs in a different and eye-pleasing way. Kids will love using craft glue and their imaginations. The end result adds festive decor to any table or area.
For Decorated Eggs:
Wash eggs in warm water; dry thoroughly. Using sterilized needle or sharp skewer, prick a small hole in the small end of the egg; large hole in large end. Chip away at large end until hole is large enough to fit baster (if using baster method). Insert needle to break yolk. Either shake the egg, large end down over a bowl to remove contents or use baster to gently push air into small end, forcing contents out large end. Rinse egg, inside and out, set on end to dry.
Decorate eggs using your preferred method – or colored solid as shown in photo using egg dying kit.
For Nest
Open bag; begin flattening from bottom up; scrunching bag into several compressed layers; forming bag into round base. Using small twigs, place glue on bottom of twigs, laying criss-cross around outside edge of “nest base”. Continue gluing and setting twigs until desired height and fullness. Using Spanish moss (or other strings, ribbons etc.,) weave through the twigs, taking care not to move twigs. Secure with a few drops of glue around the bag. (If twigs move easy, wait for glue to dry before continuing.) Additional adornments may be added as desired.
Option
Use as place settings by adding each guests name to an egg.