stained glass easter eggs – MINDING MY P'S WITH Q

I blogged on February 24th of this year about pressing an early season crocus. This week I created an Easter greeting card with the flower and leaves, and also created a few cards with buttercups and a four leaf clover. The cards were quick and easy and turned out very pretty.

* Tip for finding four leaf clovers at bottom of post.

To begin, I found an egg-shape on the web in Google Images and traced it with tracing paper. An egg-shape seems easy to draw free-hand until you attempt to have both sides perfectly even…not easy! After I found and traced an egg-shape, I cut it out and then traced the shape onto cardboard. I traced the shape onto a piece of Coverseal, a very clear type of contact paper, made four outlines on plain white computer paper, and then traced yet again onto robin’s egg blue tissue paper. I cut the tissue paper eggs out around the outline.

I removed the backing from the Coverseal and placed it, tacky side up over the computer paper outline. I placed each of these onto a cork bulletin board and tacked the outer edges down with push pins to hold it steady.

Now you can wing it and compose your card without a pattern, or you can sketch out a quick little design to follow. Be aware, your finished design will reverse itself when you place the Coverseal onto the card.

Place the flowers onto the Coverseal within the egg shape. BE VERY CAREFUL TO PLACE THEM FRONT SIDE DOWN. Start with the flowers first, the foliage second, unless your foliage takes center stage as the four leaf clover does in one of the card designs.

When you are finished designing, place the tissue paper egg over the design, and cut out the excess Coverseal directly around the outer edges of the tissue paper. You will now have a beautiful pressed flower egg in your hand.

Turn the egg over and cover most of it, especially the edges, with glue stick. I use a glue stick that goes on purple and turns clear. The purple makes it very easy to make sure you have all the edges covered. Place egg on waiting greeting card and let dry. Voila`…a beautiful handcrafted Easter greeting card.

I was very happy with my finished eggs. Happy crafting!

*Pressed Flower Tip – Finding four leaf clovers. It is easier to find a four leaf clover if you stand and scan a patch of clover with your eyes. The human eye will spot differences in patterns. If you see something that looks different in the patch, take a closer look and perhaps you will spot a four leaf clover. If you find one four leaf clover look for more. The mutation that caused one will most likely have created a whole patch of four leaf clovers. Here’s a terrific article on how to find four leaf clovers: How to find a Four Leaf Clover

This week my grandsons and I created stained glass Easter eggs from waxed paper and crayons. The process must involve the participation of an adult.

SUPPLIES

To start, I tore away the crayon paper and chopped them into bits with a large knife, much as if I was chopping nuts. The crayons chop easily, but also fly about a bit. Children can create their own crayon bits by tearing away the paper and sharpening the crayon into fragments. This method takes quite a bit of time. Since I planned on creating three dozen eggs it was easier for me to prepare in advance.

Egg cartons are the perfect container for the chips.

I used a cookie cutter as a pattern, several egg patterns can be found at this link: Egg Patterns. Our eggs are about six inches in length. This was an easy size to handle and large enough to display the colors and patterns.

In retrospect, I wish I had traced with something other than a marker, but can’t think of what might withstand the heat of the iron and still show up for cutting. The process causing a bit of steaming and light smoke to fill the room. It’s a good idea to have some sort of ventilation when you begin (kitchen fan or a slightly open window) If anyone has a good idea for tracing please let me know via the comment sections below and I will edit the post to include your ideas. Thanks!

The boys scattered chips of crayon into the pattern with small measuring spoons. It’s best to limit each eggs choice of color to three, any more than that and you get a muddy look.

An adult needs to complete the next step. Fold over the waxed paper or cover with another sheet. If you are using a good iron cover with newspaper. Since I used a craft iron that is specifically used for messy crafts, I ironed directly on the waxed paper so I could see the progression of the melting. Here’s a step by step look at the bits melting into the finished design.

At this point lay the egg aside to completely dry. This only takes a minute or two. When it is cool and the wax hardened, cut the egg out with scissors.

I hang my eggs by using glue stick on the back and placing them directly on the windows. The glue dries clear, and upon removal is easy to wipe away with a wet washcloth before cleaning your windows with Windex.

We found using a large amount of chips equaled a vibrant, colorful egg. To create a more pastel appearance, such as the last egg featured below, use less chips.

Here a few samples of our Easter eggs. I hope you will give this beautiful craft a try.