Happy Easter!!

Hey there...so the boys and I have been crafting.  Ok, so mostly me, but Lane is very "helpful" and adds a whole new dimension to the process.  This time we were silk dying Easter eggs!

It's very easy, really fun, and the result is so much cooler than the solid color eggs that everyone does!!  We used blown egg shells, but you could do the same with whole eggs.  The only difference is that when you are done, the blown shells you can keep (at least until your 2 year old breaks them) and the whole egg will need to be thrown away, the silk dye is not food safe.  But that gives you a reason to have to do them again next year!
I took pictures of the process...if you are like me, you like to "see" the instructions.

Step 1: Find ugly silk neck ties.  They need to be 100% silk and not polyester, the uglier the better!  A great excuse to "spring clean" the hubby's closet!  I found mine at the thrift store for .50-$1.00 each.

Step 2: Cut them apart...which is amazingly easy to do!

Step 3: You will need a 5-6" square of silk to cover the egg.  Save the rest, you can sew the skinny strips together and make larger pieces to use.  Wrap the silk around the egg, with the right side (pretty side) against the shell.  Use a twist tie to close it.  Be sure to wrap it tight against the shell, you want as much contact as possible.

Don't wrap too tight!

Step 4: Wrap a square of plain fabric around the silk wrapped egg.  I used an old pillowcase.  Anything like that will work.  Same as before, use a twist tie...this time the fabric doesn't have to be super tight, just cover the egg.

Step 5: Place your cute little wrapped egg bundles in a large pot and cover with water and 1/4 cup of vinegar.  If you are using whole eggs they will be fine like that.  If you are using blown egg shells you will have to create a rig to keep them under the water.  I used a vegetable steamer upside down and a colander on top of that..has to be heavy enough to hold them under, but be able to withstand the heat.  Now boil the little eggs for about 20 minutes

Step 6: Take them out of the pot and let them cool.  If you are using blown shells watch out they will be full of very hot water!  After they have cooled you can unwrap them and see what you have.

These are some of my favorites!

 Finishing.  You can rub them with oil, or paint a gloss finish on them to make them shine.  I ran ribbon through mine so they could be hung.  If they are whole eggs, you will have to toss them at some point.
Now...go out and make 20 or 30 of these and shock the heck out of all your Easter party guests!!  Post some pictures when you get some done, I'd love to see how they turn out!
Happy crafting!!