Seed Mosaic
This is a great way to use old seeds not suitable for planting.
You Will Need:
An assortment of seeds
Paper (blank or with a picture)
Extra paper to "catch" seeds
White craft glue
Paint brush
Cups or bowls
Sort the seeds into separate cups or dishes for easy use. Seeds come in so many different sizes, shapes and colours. Use a piece of plain craft paper, or a print out or colouring page so they can follow the image with their mosaic. Paint some white craft glue onto a section of their picture, and then sprinkle seeds onto the section. After a minute, tilt the page to allow the excess seeds to fall off onto a separate piece of paper. Return them to their proper bowl.
Mini Eggshell Planters
Another great craft for the ritual altar or to decorate a sunny windowsill, these little eggshell planters are perfect for the season.
You Will Need:
Carton of eggs
Growing medium
Cotton balls
Knife
Scissors
Plastic spoons
seeds
Egg Dye
Permanent Markers
Tap eggs on the top "pointed" end with the knife until they crack. Peel back a small section of shell and allow the egg to fall out. Try to keep the bottom 3/4 of the egg intact. Reserve the eggs for recipes. Wash eggs carefully with hot water and rinse thoroughly. Set on a rack to dry. If you like, you can carefully trim around the edges of the egg with a craft scissors, or peel it back for a jagged look. Remember to keep about 3/4 of the egg intact.
If you like, at this point you can dye the egg shells carefully. Another cute option is to draw a face on the shell, so that the plants growing out look like hair. Just make sure your colors and decorations are dry before proceeding.
Place the egg shells back into their carton, open-side up. Put a cotton ball into each eggshell. Spoon some growing medium into the eggshells. This can be potting soil, soil-less potting mixture, or peat moss. Sprinkle some grass or herb seeds onto the soil. Sprinkle with water to just moisten the soil, and dribble with a little water each day to keep it moist, but don't over-water. You can leave the eggs in their carton and set them right on a sunny windowsill. Transfer them to a basket with a grassy/cottony bedding and be careful not to tip them. Alternatively, place them into egg holders. The plants will begin growing out of the top of the eggs. If you would like to transplant them into the garden or a bigger pot, just crack the egg first so the roots can push through. Then pop them right into the soil. The calcium in the egg shell will be good for them.
Eggshell Candles
Perfect for the ritual altar, these candles are easy to make and pretty to look at.
You Will Need:
Raw eggs
Wax beads
Birthday candles
Egg dye (optional)
Craft scissors
Knife
Tap the egg gently but firmly on the top, "pointed" end. Peel back a small section of shell and allow the egg to fall out. Try to keep the bottom 3/4 of the egg intact. Reserve the eggs for recipes. Rinse the inside of the eggshells very carefully with very hot water. Set them on a rack to dry. If you like, take a craft scissor and trim around the broken edge, or break off pieces by hand for a more jagged look. At this point, if you want to dye the egg shells, you can do so. Again, be careful with the delicate shells. Set them again on a rack or paper towel to dry. Fill the candle ½ to 3/4 of the way with craft wax beads. Insert a birthday candle into the centre for an easy wick. If necessary, trim off the bottom of the birthday candle so that it is even with the wax beads, or you can just let it burn down. Set it in an egg holder or a candle holder where it fits snugly.
Thread Eggs
Decorate a tree with these happy eggs in no time.
What You Need:
Small oval balloons
Scissors
Embroidery floss or sewing thread
Liquid starch or fabric stiffener
Instructions:
1. Inflate small oval balloons and tie the necks tightly.
2. Soak 12- to 24-inch lengths of embroidery floss or regular sewing thread (use one colour or a variety of colours) in liquid starch or fabric stiffener. Soak each piece of floss separately and pull the wet thread between your thumb and forefinger to remove excess liquid.
3. Wrap the wet threads around the balloon one at a time. The thread will stick to the balloon without any additional glue or fastener. Cover the balloon by criss crossing the threads any way you choose. Use less thread for an open, lacy egg, or wrap additional thread for an egg that looks more solid.
4. Tie a piece of dry thread around the neck of the thread-wrapped balloon and hang it until the thread is dry and hard to the touch. Burst the balloon with a pin and pull the balloon out of the top of the Thread Egg. Place Thread Eggs in a basket or bowl, or attach loops of floss so you can hang several on a tree branch to create an egg tree.
Homemade Easter Egg Dyes
You can use your favorite egg-dying tricks here as well: Like crayons for a batik effect or rubber bands for a tie-dye effect. If you like a glossy egg, you can rub the dyed eggs with vegetable oil when they are dry.
Red
Red onion skins, use a lot (boil with eggs)
Pomegranate juice
Orange
Yellow onion skins (boil with eggs)
Yellow
Lemon or orange peel (boil with eggs)
Carrot tops (boil with eggs)
Celery seed (boil with eggs)
Ground cumin (boil with eggs)
Ground turmeric (boil with eggs)
Yellow Brown
Dill seeds (boil with eggs)
Brown
Strong coffee
Instant coffee
Black walnut shells (boil with eggs)
Yellow Green
Bright green apple peels (boil with eggs)
Green
Spinach leaves (boil with eggs)
Blue
Canned blueberries and their juice
Red cabbage leaves (boil with eggs)
Purple grape juice
Violet Blue
Violet blossoms
Red onion skins, less amount than you need to make red (boil with eggs)
Lavender
Diluted purple grape juice
Violet blossoms plus squeeze of lemon (boil with eggs)
Pink
Beets, fresh or canned
Cranberries or cranberry juice
Raspberries
Red grape juice
Crystal Ostara Eggs
You'll need:
1 C. all-purpose flour
½ C. salt
¼ C. clean sand
1 C. used coffee grounds
¾ C. warm water
Crystals or gemstones
Non-stick cooking spray
Acrylic paints in your favorite colors
Blend flour, salt, sand and coffee grounds together. Gradually add the water, and knead until you've got a thick, gritty dough. Spray a crystal lightly with non-stick cooking spray, and place it in the center of a small scoop of dough. Shape the dough around the crystal to form an egg shape. Bake the eggs at 350 for about 15 minutes, and allow to cool. Once they've cooled, they should be nice and hard, like a rock. Paint the eggs, and allow paint to dry.
Hide the eggs on Ostara, and let your kids crack them open to reveal the hidden crystals!
Ostara Tree
A fun project to do at Ostara is make and decorate a tree for the Sabbat. It doesn't have to be huge or fancy, but it's nice to have one sitting indoors to remind you of the changing seasons.
You'll need:
Several lightweight branches
Some florist's foam
A flowerpot
Acrylic paints
Spanish moss
Small spring decorations
First, paint the pot with spring designs -- flowers, butterflies, ladybugs, eggs, etc. If you have kids, this is a lot of fun. If you don't mind them getting a bit messy, let them use thumbprints to make designs. Allow the paint to dry. Cut a chunk of florist's foam to fit into the pot and then insert the branches into the foam so that it forms a tree shape. Hang the decorations -- eggs, ribbons, flowers, etc. -- on the branches. Use salt dough and cookie cutters to make ornaments to hang, if you like. Use the Spanish moss to cover the florist's foam in the top of the pot. Place your tree on your altar during ritual, or use it as a tabletop decoration.
Note: Try to use branches that have already fallen on the ground, rather than taking them from a live tree. If you must cut from a living tree or bush, make sure you do so in a way that will allow for new growth on the plant. If you have forsythia bushes, they may be blooming right now - their branches are perfect for this project!
Have fun!
Tansy
x
Sources:
paganwiccan.about.com
voices.yahoo.com
care2.com
How fun. Totally going to try out a few with my 5 year old. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLove and Light,
Mel