The Craft That Went Horribly Awry....

A few weeks ago, I got a notification from Artbeads.com of a free egg project. The eggs looked stunning and the directions are really easy. You just dye the unboiled eggs, blow them out, decorate with self-adhesive crystals & ribbon, and voila! Gorgeous eggs abound!!

So I went to Fred Meyer and bought a couple of classic PAAS egg dye kits, because if one dye tablet is good, then 2 are better. PAAS has been an egg dying staple in American homes for generations.

And because I'm easily attracted to sparkly, colourful things, this Dudley's Tie Dye kit caught my eye and I bought that too, but I haven't used it yet.

Since Steve is out of town on spring break, he surprised Deb and I by giving us a day off this week. Hers was yesterday and mine was today. What a perfect opportunity to work on this project! I lovingly set out all my stuff - egg cups, glues, crystals, dye kits, eggs....

Step one, put 3 Tablespoons of white vinegar in each cup w/ the dye tablets.
Ooooooh! Fizzy!!!!

Once the tablets are dissolved, pour a 1/2 cup of water into each dye cup. I had to recruit some of my coffee mugs to accommodate all the colours.

Submerge the eggs, carefully, because they aren't hardboiled. It's easier to dye unblown eggs because once they are empty, they float.
The longer you leave the eggs in, the darker the dye gets.
Here's a half n half egg: Yellow and hot pink.
Puppy-helper.
Pretty, vibrant colour!!!
Now that the eggs are all dry, it's time to set up to blow out the stuff.

I ended up using an awl to poke the holes in the top and bottom of the shells. Then I carefully worked these needles inside to widen the holes. Unfortunately, the shell around the hole tended to crack. Back in the old days, we would blow the eggs with our mouths, but as that's a great way to get salmonella, I read on line that the bulb from an ear wax cleaning kit would work well.

I started with the orange egg. The shell cracked around one of the holes so I used some white glue and waited for it to dry. I got the smaller needle in and poked/stirred the yolk. Then I started using the bulb on the top hole, to blow out the stuff. Well, I squeezed a bit too hard and the egg cracked all down the side and started to pour out. Crap. Somehow I managed to keep the egg from shattering and got all the goo out. I applied a thin layer of glue on the crack line and left it to dry.

OK, let's try the dark blue egg. I got the holes made with no trouble, poked the yolk, and was much more gentle with the bulb. Things were going well, but I swear this had to be a 2-yolk egg. It wouldn't stop coming out. And was so dense that this egg cracked on the side, so I applied the glue again. But now the dye is all washed away from the cracked area. I think I can salvage them with strategically-placed ribbon.

Now I start to work on the gorgeous sky blue egg. I just start to use the bulb and the whole side of the egg blew completely out. Just like Mount St. Helens. I yelled, 'GODDAMMIT!' so loud that Brian heard me all the way downstairs and over the TV. He came up to see how it was going and couldn't believe the trouble I was having!!!

I picked up the purple egg and was holding it gently...at least I thought I was holding it gently.... and my finger goes right through the blasted shell!!! WTF?? I mean seriously!

Here's the carnage in all it's colourful glory.

I have an idea of how to use the eggs with the gaping holes. But for now, the rest have gone back into the fridge, till I can figure out a better way to get the yolk out of the shells without the sides blowing out. I know there is an egg blowing tool out there, and hopefully Michael's will have one. Aw darnsy. I have to go to the craft store! I'm all broken up about it. Kind of like the eggs.