Egg colouring and decorating

Eggs that you want to colour and decorate can be raw, blown out, or hard-boiled.

You can make coloured eggs, animals or Christmas ornaments using eggs.

Decorated eggs to be used as ornaments should have their contents blown out.

Egg blow out

•  Wash and dry the egg. Puncture a small hole at the small end of the egg with a big needle.

•  Puncture a bigger hole at the large end, making sure you puncture the egg yolk.

•  Place the egg over a bowl and blow through the small hole until all is removed.

•  Rinse the shell with cold water and allow to dry thoroughly.

Egg yolk paints

•  Carefully crack open an egg.

•  Separate the yolk from the white.

•  Mix half a teaspoon of water with the yolk.

•  Pour a little of the yolk mixture into several small cups.

•  Add food colouring, using a different colour for each cup.

•  Use a brush to paint your egg. If the paint gets too thick, add a few more drops of water.

Egg painting

•  Hold the egg in one hand.

•  With brush and acrylic paint, decorate the upper half of the egg.

•  Place the egg in an egg carton and allow the paint to dry for at least one minute.

•  Holding the egg again, paint the other half.

•  Let it dry in the egg carton.

Egg decorating

•  Firstly, using the brush and acrylic paint, cover the egg with one colour and allow to dry.

•  Use regular woodworking glue to paste on a design. You can use a small amount of pasta, rice or beans to make a butterfly shape, star or letter of the alphabet.

•  Allow to dry for half an hour before painting the design.

•  Use wax crayons, magic markers or paints on your eggshell.

•  Coat the egg with clear nail polish to prevent smearing.

•  To make the eggshell glisten, use pearl-coloured nail polish. Any eggs you wish to keep can be coated with an acrylic sealer.

For egghead faces, use felt pens and paints. Glue on ribbons, lace, buttons, cotton balls, wool, sequins, macaroni, feathers, glitter, pencil shavings, fabric, dried plants or jewellery.

Egg animals

Various animals can be made by using pieces of odds and ends found around the house.

Here are some ideas:

•  Owl. Colour an egg with black or brown felt pens or black or brown dye. Glue on the beak, made by using a triangle of paper. Use two small stones for the feet.

•  Pig. Dye the egg pink. Glue on miniature marshmallows for four legs and a snout. Make a curly tail from a pipe cleaner. Draw eyes with a felt pen.

•  Mouse. Glue on large pink ovals made out of paper, for the ears. Add a pipe cleaner for a tail and draw on whiskers and eyes with a felt pen.

•  Bird. Dye the egg blue. Glue on a beak made from construction paper and use tissue paper for the wings and tail. Draw on eyes with a felt pen.

• Information courtesy of www.canadaegg.com