More Ideas for Easter

Here's a thought... 

Most everyone knows how to dye Easter eggs, with the little kits you can buy at the store, or food coloring and vinegar.  How about this, when you dye your eggs, use dried red or yellow onion skins.  Red skins will produce a green tint to your eggs, yellow will produce almost a burnt umber tint.  It's easy, just place your eggs and onion skins together into your water while you boil your eggs.  To add a little texture wrap your eggs in the onion skins and then loosely with aluminum before you boil them.  Where ever the aluminum touches the egg the color will be lighter, leaving a mottled look. 

Now if the kits or food coloring are still more appealing, but you want to add a little pazazz...  Try using crayons to draw on your eggs before you dye them.  The dye will not adhere to the egg any where there is crayon.  Dying your eggs with this method means boiling them first.  When dying your eggs, the longer you leave your eggs in the colored water the darker the egg color will become.  You could also try a drip method.  Place your egg onto a ring or egg carton cup so that there is room for excess liquid to drip away from your egg with out pudling on the egg.  Then you can use, q-tips, an eye dropper, a straw, or even the tip of the spoon to "drip" the dye onto your egg.  From there it's all up to you.

                                                  

Now, for a few decoration ideas...

For plan A, you'll need construction paper or colored foam sheets, glue, scissors, crayons, popsicle sticks, green floral foam, and basket grass.

Use the construction paper to create eggs, flowers, bunnies, chicks, baskets, and whatever else you can think of that will fit your theme of Easter.  Use the different colors to also "decorate" your eggs, or give your little bunnies bows and whiskers.  Make them little party hats, or musical instruments.  It's up to you to determine what they will finally look like.  Now you can glue the popsicle stick to the back of your little creatures.  Cover your floral foam with your basket grass, and then insert the sticks attached to your creatures into the foam through the basket grass.  Excellent!  Now you have a parade of little animals for your table centerpiece.  (If you don't like seeing the popsicle stick on the back of your creature make two of the same cut outs and glue the stick in between the two sides.  This will hide the glue and top of the stick.  Then you can decorate both sides of the creature, making something more dimensional.)

For plan B, you'll need popsicle sticks, floral foam, basket grass, and photographs of your children or family members, or pets, or religious symbols. 

Instead of making the little creatures, you'll use your photographs to attach to the popsicle sticks.  Then place the sticks into the foam through the basket grass.  When your dinner is over, your guests can choose a photograph to take home with them. 

For Plan C, you'll need stiff floral wire, floral foam, basket grass, plastic Easter eggs, and glue.  You might also want a pair of needle nose pliers.  If you cannot find floral wire, there are a lot of different wires that will work.  Just remember that the thicker the wire the more strength is required to bend it. 

With your pliars find a spot on the wire about 1/4 to 1/3 of the way down the wire.  At this point make a 90 degree bend in the wire.  Now on the short length of the wire, start working from the bend to the end of the wire creating a "disc" or pin wheel effect.  This part is the support for your plastic egg.  You'll need to shape your pinwheel into a slight cup for more support of your egg.  Now you can glue your egg in place into the wire pinwheel.  (for extra strength, use super glue instead of Elmer’s glue; recommended only for adults)  Cover the floral foam with the basket grass.  Once the glue has dried and secured the wire and egg together, place the wire end of the egg decorations into the floral foam through the basket grass. 

Try making green leaves out of construction paper to add to the bottom of the eggs.  Now they'll look like flowers that haven't quite opened yet. 

For the photographs you could use wire rather than the popsicle sticks.  Just bend the wire so that it can hold a photograph rather than having to glue it. 

Like this.

The way I did this was to find a spot about a 3rd of the way down the wire, and then bend it over onto itself.  Then slowly coiling the wire over from the bend, I was able to make a paper clip effect, while still leaving enough wire for the stand.  You could do squares, or circles, triangles, or any other shape you can think of.  Your only boundries are of your own making. 

Now for the cost.... I was able to find everything I needed for this project at our local dollar store.  I bought 24 ft of floral wire, in 4 6 ft loops, 1 bag of 6 large easter eggs, 2 floral foam blocks, Easter basket grass, and foam sheets all for under $11.00 dollars.  Have fun and explore your creative side.  :)

April Showers...

So we all know the adage, April showers bring may flowers, right?  This has to be one of the best times of the year.  Not only do we still have a little bit of time to get those last few bulbs into the ground, but we also have a minute to enjoy nature all around us.  So far we already have crocus and Japanese iris up and blooming.  Soon there will be daffodils and tulips.  If you are a photographer, professional or hobbyist, you can start capturing all of those beautiful floral images on camera.  Or film, for all of you who still have that 35mm camera you occasionally dust off just for these occasions.

In my case this is the perfect time to start shooting images for my next muse.  Macro, my best friend, has come in handy on more occasions than I should maybe admit.  Capturing those little fluffs of dust resting on the inner center of the petals or the bright yellows contrasted against the purples and dark reds, is just a warm up to what spring really has to hold.  Even as some people can't stand the sight of one, it is still amazing to capture the small little spider making its first home in the center of a flower head trying to get a good start in life. 

Turning those photographs into a workable art piece is just the next step.  There are so many amazing uses of media.  Most of which are left un touched, maybe due to a fear that something will go drastically wrong. 

This is a great time to explore your creative side.  There is a calming reflective process that can occur when you are creating.  Yes, yes, I know there will be times when you want to take your project and throw it across the room, but there will also be times that you can see exactly where your project is going and what it is going to look like in the end.  Oh and don't forget about the times when you will start out with that perfect, clear picture, and end up in a completely new direction and end result. 

An example of that last one....  I once started a painting with the intention of a beautiful backyard tree complete with a swing and a few childrens toys.  I ended up with a beautiful "living" forest complete with faries, dragonflies, a castle, and hidden creatures.  There was also the time I started with one tile etched with the picture of a gorilla and ended up with a full coffee table, but that is a story for another day... 

A persons creativity is only as strong as their willingness to create.  A persons creativity is only stifled by the boundries they set upon themselves. 

Easter is coming.... This is a great time to be creative.  Have you ever thought of taking an egg and using the shell as a decoration? 

This is what we did to make eggshell planters.

First you need to crack the egg in a way that will preserve at least half of the shell. (this is a great time to make angel food cake.) of course your going to be cleaning these shells out, be gentle.  Once the shell is clean let it dry. 

This next part is super easy.

You can use permanet marker, or acrylic paint.  Very carefully draw what ever, egg decoration, patterns you can think of.  Be creative, use lots of color, or lots of pattern.  (Excellent for children with a lighter "touch" or older kids who can take to a gentle approach.)

Now this next part is up to you.  (In the past we have done plant starts.)  You can add a little potting soil and a seed,  or small flower starts, just remember your not going to have a ton of space so any extra dirt from the pot can go into another planting project or directly into your nearest flower bed, if you are doing plant starts.  Another alternative for your eggshell planter is to fill them with small silk flowers.  Or, how about having the kids make paper flowers and adding them to your new "pots"?  You could even do foam or pipe cleaner flowers.... Okay, you get the idea!

Now for a little extra.  Using small rimmed glasses or cups, something with a stem is the best choice, these will hold your eggs.  Place your eggs into the cups and onto the center of your table.  Add a little Easter basket grass around the cups and, "Vaula" you now have a great decoration for Easter.  (For a little "extra", use brown eggs.)

Something easier for smaller kids. 

Find the plastic eggs at the market with a small hole in each end.  To add a little more to the effect, find some colorful wood or plastic beads.  And you'll want thread or fishing line.  Alternating between the beads and eggs you'll tie them in long lines.  We did approximatley 4 eggs per line. Start from the bottom egg and work your way "up".  Leave a length of line above the last egg.  Make a loop in the remaining line above the eggs.  Now that you have these eggs strung together, hang them up in your trees, and enjoy.  It's an easy, almost mess free, craft that smaller kids can help do.  They look beautiful swinging in the spring time breezes, and the younger kids will feel like they got to help. 

Have fun, and just think, what else you can do?


Enjoy!

In the beginning...

This is what I want to accomplish.  A post at least once a week in conjunction with my website, artbystaci.com.  With this blog, I want to include, crafts, hobbies, tips, ideas, kudos, a kids corner, maybe a recipe or two, and guest artists.  What do you think? 

My ultimate goal is to promote creative, brilliant, resourceful, and lively people all around me and maybe you.  I can't wait to get started......

I look forward to meeting all of you and getting your perspective on the world around you. 

That being said..... Let's go!