When I was a young child there was nothing better than a good creative Easter competition (there still isn’t) I guess it’s just that bit more exciting as a child.
My primary school used to hold an egg decorating competition which I used to take part in with the help of my grandmother every single year without fail! I actually won 1 year with my entry of Humpty Dumpty and his wife. I decorated two hard-boiled eggs and made a pretty impressive wall with an inserted egg box that allowed my eggs to sit comfortably and steady.
My daughter attends the same primary school and I’ve been disappointed at the lack of creative Easter Competitions this year and last. However, there have been plenty online, plus we’ve been embarking on many creative projects in celebration for the coming Easter purely because we enjoy doing so!
This year with the help of my 9-year-old daughter we’ve made papier-mache decorated eggs and housed them in a beautiful hand decorated spring Easter basket.
What’s more this doesn’t require any blowing or boiling of eggs, but a little mess all the same.
Here’s what you need and how to complete each step
MAKING PAPIER MACHE EGGS
6 polystyrene eggs
Selection of pale coloured tissue paper
Mixture of 2 part PVA glue to 1 part water (this is instead of using flour to create papier-mache paste)
A bowl and old wooden spoon for mixing the Papier Mache mix
Tray to transfer Papier Mache paste
Paint brush (though not essential fingers do nicely)
Step 1) Find a flat surface to work on, laying down plenty of newspaper start by tearing (cut if you prefer) the sheets of tissue paper, once complete leave to one side for later.
2) In the mixing bowl, place 2 parts white PVA glue to 1 part water using the wooden spoon to mix.
3) Pour papier-mache paste into a tray, one that allows you and your child to coat the paper in the mixture without obstruction.
4) Take a polystyrene egg then chose some strips of tissue paper. You can cover the egg in a mixture of colours or just the one, we choose to do both. Coat the tissue paper in the papier-mache mix then lay it over the egg, smoothing it out as you go. Do this till the egg is covered and no polystyrene can be seen, then add a second layer. Do this for all six eggs.
If desired, you can use the paint brush to smooth the paper over the eggs, though fingers are fine if you don’t mind getting gooey.
5) Place your completed eggs somewhere to dry. Room temperature is efficient enough. We have a metal wire shelf which slots under any type of shelving. I placed this high up under some bedroom shelving and left to fully dry for a period of 24 hours.
Once dry they will look like something like those below.
DECORATING YOUR 6 PAPIER MACHE EGGS
We used lots of different bits and pieces as to decorate the eggs. As I was engaging in this particular activity with my daughter, this resulted in lots of glitter and sticky gem stones for us. Feel free to decorate in your own way. If you do chose to decorate your eggs like ours, then here’s a “How too” for the 6 eggs we decorated. Note… Each of our six finished eggs got their own style overhaul.
Here’s what we used.
Selection of different glitters (both coarse and fine)
Selection of gem pre-glued embellishments
Both thin and thick double-sided tape (as well as some pre-cut glue tabs)
Selection of flower and butterfly shapes (foam and card)
Coloured felt tips
Black Marker
Selection of beads and sequins
Some clear glue
Paint brush
Some of the glitter was more christmas than spring in my opinion, but my daughter being the little girlie girl she is, insisted on the dark pinks.
GREEN GEM EGG
Step 1) For the green egg, you simply add a thin strip of double-sided tape around the centre of the egg, making sure you don’t overlap or join the tape. Leave a very slight gap, this will be covered up in step 3. Its important not to remove the outer protective strip on the tape till your tape is placed correctly and your happy with it. You also want to be sure that you have your chosen glitter sprinkled over some newspaper on a flat working surface.
Step 2) Once the tape is positioned correctly, peel off the outer protective strip and then roll the egg in some green tinted golden glitter. Press firmly making sure all the tape has collected the glitter, blow to remove any excess! Once complete this should resemble a glittery ribbon.
Step 3) Stick a pre-glued gem (we used a crystal type gem) to your egg, placing it where the slight gap was left when you added your double-sided tape.
That’s it you now have your first completed egg!
PINK AND BLUE GEM EGG
Step 1) Repeat steps 1-3 above, only this time role your egg in some course blue glitter. Do not add an embellishment at this stage.
Step 2) Next take the thick double-sided tape, which is much less fingers and thumbs than that of the thin tape we have been working with. Start in the middle at one end of the blue glitter strip wrapping the tape around the egg till it reaches the other side of the blue strip. There is no need for any gaps this time.
Step 3) If like us your thick double-sided tape is white rather than clear (as most tend to be) take a pink felt tip pen running it around the other edges of the tape so once covered in glitter no white will be visible from the side view of the egg.
Step 4) Sprinkle fine dark pink glitter over some newspaper and then roll your egg in different directions collecting the glitter as you go. Making sure there is no white tape visible.
Step 5) Add a large blue pre-glued heart where the tape meets to complete.
YELLOW 3D FLOWER EGG
Cut a double-sided sticky tab in half, adding it to the centre of the yellow egg.
Step 1) Take a plain foam medium-sized thin flower and stick it to the tab pressing firmly to insure it sticks.
Step 2) Then take you’re remaining half of sticky tab and cut in half again placing it in the middle of the foam flower.
Step 3) Take a thin card white glittery flower, the same size and shape as that of your foam flower and lay it on top, pressing firmly in the middle with your finger to ensure it sticks.
Step 4) Take a pale pink clear flower sequins and stick to the centre of the flower with clear glue.
Step 5) add a tiny pre-glued crystal style embellishment to the centre of the sequin to complete your egg.
MUTI-COLOURED BEADED EGG
This is a really funky and fun egg to make.
Step one) With your thick double-sided tape, tape around the centre of your multi-coloured egg, leaving no gap.
Step 2) go around the outer edges of tape with coloured felt tip pen as to hide the white sides of tape or these will be visible after the beads are added. We chose blue as this was one of the colours the egg had been covered in.
Step 3) Chose a mix of different size beads and sequins in an array of different colours and place to one side.
Step 4) Peel back a small section of tape, then stick beads and sequins to the tape in all different angles as to give an uneven texture. Continue slowly unreeling the tape and arranging the beads and sequins as you go till you have completed the whole process.
Step 5) Sprinkle chosen coloured glitter over the tape and beads as to fill any visible gaps, shake of excess glitter.
Step 6) With a paint brush cover the beads all the way around in a clear glue as to provide a seal. Leave to dry for 3-4 hours to complete.
MUTI-COLOURED GEM EGG
Step 1) This is the only step needed to decorate this egg, it’s a really simple and quick way to jazz up your eggs. Take some tiny heart gems in different colours (we used pink, blue and purple) stick them in different places all over the egg (making sure these are not to close to one another to complete)!
MUTI-COLOURED FLOWER AND BUTTERFLY EGG
Step 1) Cut 1 medium sticky double sided tab in half and half again.
Step 2) Stick the 4 pieces of the cut double-sided sticky tab to the front of the egg, placing one at the top, one in the middle and 2 either side do not remove outer protective cover at this stage.
Step 3) with a black marker draw round the outer sections of the sticky tabs in black pen, as shown in some of the other designs above.
Step 4) take one white glittery butterfly and stick this to the sticky tab in the centre of the egg once outer protective cover is removed .
Step 5) Remove all other protective covering from the remaining 3 sticky tabs and then take 3 black glittery flowers adding one to the top and the remaining 2 either side of the butterfly to complete your egg.
DECORATED EASTER BASKET
Now all your 6 eggs are decorated you’ll need somewhere to safely house them. A beautifully decorated Easter basket sounds like the perfect place, so here’s what you’ll need.
Woven Pretty Basket (we got a pretty multi-coloured basket from Poundland)
Around 2 and a 1/2 meters of yellow ribbon
A leaf template
3 sheets green card
Scissors
Pre-glued small crystal style gem embellishments
One small Easter Chicks (Poundworld £1 for a dozen)
2 white decorative bunnies (PoundLand £1 for a dozen)
Bag of yellow basket straw (this was the plastic type) you can however add some coloured paper to a shredder for the same effect.
Step 1) Take ribbon and cut a small section and put to one side (enough to tie a bow around centre of handle)
Step 2) With the remaining ribbon tie a bow at the bottom of the handle, secure with small piece of clear thin double-sided tap. Wrap the rest of the ribbon tightly around the handle ensuring it slightly over laps till you reach the opposite end. Finish by tying the remaining ribbon in a bow and securing with thin clear double-sided tape, as you did to start with.
Step 3) With the piece of ribbon you left to one side, now use it to tie a pretty ribbon in the centre of the decorated handle.
Step 4) Use your leaf template, drawing around it in pencil onto some green card. Cut these out, fold and score down the middle with blunt end of scissors, as to create a leaf effect. Add two tiny crystal style pre-glued gem embellishments to either side at top of the leaf. Make how many leafs you desire, we used 3. Once complete put to one side till later.
Step 5) Use a 1/4 of the basket straw or shred 3 sheets of yellow paper to cover the bottom of your basket . Tip, allowing strands to hang over the basket gives it a good messy effect.
Step 6) Take the leaves and add these around the sides of the basket as desired.
Step 7) Arrange your decorated eggs amongst the straw and leaves.
Step 8) to finish add your cute little chick and two white bunnies to the basket as desired, completing this enjoyable Easter project.
Hope you enjoyed and feel inspired to make your own papier-mache decorated eggs and Easter basket.
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