The Easter Bunny has headed on down the bunny trail for another year, and you are left with a candy hangover and a lot of dyed hard-boiled eggs.
Egg salad is the easy solution for the eggs. Throw out the rest of the candy before your kids rot their teeth out and you put on an extra five pounds. That just leaves those colored eggshells. You could compost them, or you could craft with them.
This was not my first time at the egg shell mosaic rodeo. I have made butterfly plaques and earrings after other Easters, but this time I wanted to try something new.
I have always said that if something will sit still long enough I will find a way to make it into jewelry. Dyed eggshells are no exception to this rule.
SUPPLIES
- Crayola Model Magic clay
- Dyed egg shells
- Styrofoam
- Craft glue
- Varnish
- Small wood dowels
- Eye pins
- Necklace chain
- Pliers
First things first: Roll a ball with your clay. If you forgot how, ask the nearest kindergartner for a refresher.
I love that Model Magic Clay comes in so many awesome colors. You could also use polymer clay like I did for the Mardi Gras King Cake Ornaments, but I wanted something air-dried.
Once you have your ball, use a bamboo skewer or skinny dowel to make a hole in your bead.
Break your egg shells into small pieces. Not microscopic, but the smaller, the better - think red pepper flake size.
I used a small amount of craft glue to attach my shells to my beads, but you might be able to get them to stick on their own. The key is you don’t want to press so hard that you distort your bead shape.
Keeping your bead on the dowel, stick it into a piece of foam to dry overnight.
Once your bead is hard and dry, coat it with a varnish. Crayola makes a varnish just for Model Magic Clay, but any brand will work. Even a coat of Mod Podge will do. Allow this to dry, as well.
How you string your beads is totally up to you. I opted to do a bead and chain combo using eye pins.
I bet your never knew eggshells could look so good.
Imagine how awesome these beads would look with golden eggs. Next year!
Check out more crafty fun at www.jenniferperkins.com