Hand Painted Easter Eggs

Hand painted Easter Eggs have always been on my to-do list.  I paint everything else…why not the children’s eggs? Well, for one thing, it’s a lot of work just to have them cracked open and thrown away. I did it a couple of times,  when my children were growing up.  It’s  rather discouraging to see your hard work in the trash, at the end of the day….

Still,  Hand Painted Easter Eggs were something I’ve always wanted to do.  I knew blowing eggs was out of the question, for me.  Then one day I had an epiphany.  Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

I discovered that I could make a hole in the backside of the egg and just empty them out. If I place them in a basket or jar, the hole can face the bottom or backside. It would be perfect.  So, I started collecting eggs. We had scrambled eggs.  I baked pound cakes with half a dozen eggs.

I emptied all the eggs I could over a couple weeks time and washed them. Now I had something to work with that I could keep. I’m telling you this today,  so you can begin collecting your eggs…make a quiche and a couple of pound cakes. Lots of scrambled eggs will work, too.

One more thing. I normally don’t buy Jumbo eggs, but they do make pretty Hand Painted Easter Eggs. Most of the ones I have painted have simply been extra large eggs, but as time went on, I graduated to the Jumbos. You may want to begin there. I would.

Honestly, I found that a dozen was plenty to tackle in one year and most years, I settled on half a dozen. Let me show you how you can have beautiful Hand Painted Easter Egg decorations on your table.

Begin by tapping a tiny hole into back of the egg with a sharp little knife. Tap tap tap softly until it punctures the shell.

Do this in a circle about half and inch, Gently remove the shell from the circle.

Take your tiny knife and gently swirl it around inside the egg to break up the yolk so the contents can pour out easily.

Now gently, wash your egg inside and out with cool water and place on paper towel to dry.

There you have it…a perfect egg to paint…shhhhhhhh! Don’t tell…no one needs to know our secret!

Gather your supplies to paint.  You will need craft paint and  brushes.  I make little stands using paper towel tubes, to hold my eggs as they dry. I cut several from a single tube. They are sturdier than TP tubes. These eggs are my this year’s eggs, ready and waiting to be painted.

Meet my Stella…when she was two she wanted to hold one of my eggs..I let her, but cautioned her about holding it too tight. She broke it. When she was 3, well,  I figured she knew better and let her hold one again, she broke it. SO it was several years before I trusted her sweet little fingers with my eggs… At 6 she’s a little pro, now. What fun and what memories she will have.  These eggs make a perfect project to work on with children. We  paint them and then date them so they can see how their painting ability improves from year to year.

Your eggs will need at least two coats of paint. Be sure to allow them to dry between each coat. Then paint on your design. Here are some ideas for designs. But paint what ever you are comfortable with from dots to curls to flowers to birds. Whatever. Here are a few of my first  set of Easter Egg Paintings from years ago….I use a spray sealer to seal the eggs after they have completely dried. A couple of light coats.

Empty those eggs and get to painting….make some keepsakes along the way.

One year I painted a ballerina and Max and Ruby for my two grandchildren. Last year I painted flowers and birds. Of course,  my all time favorite are my scripture ones seen to the right here on my home page.  They go perfectly in my blue and white breakfast room.

Worried they may not last? Don’t be.  I still have the eggs I painted 8 years ago, minus the two Miss Stella crushed in her precious little toddler hands. I keep them in a tall lidded jar from TJMaxx and some in a bowl, inside my china cabinet, until Easter comes around each year. Then they make their way to my tables for the Easter/Spring decorations. They have held up perfectly!

Now, it’s time to get started on this year’s eggs. Are you ready? I am!  As an after thought to this post I decided to include simple instructions to paint your own eggs, as I am sure for some it may seem difficult. Trust me, the only thing difficult is keep your hands clean…so here are 6 beginner egg designs.