Whether the Easter season is sacred, secular, or nonexistent in your world, there is one thing most parents have in common: the mysterious appearance and growth of cheap plastic egg population in the house. Between school and church egg hunts, gifts from grandparents and other relatives, store giveaways, and springtime special events, these colorful little plastic cackleberries fill every corner of our house like shaved tribbles.
For those who also find themselves with an abundance of eggs at the end of the season, here are three exceptionally easy ways to get crafty with them the rest of the year.
Little Piranha Plants
Long before Plants vs. Zombies, there was Mario’s Piranha Plant.
Using an egg that opens lengthwise (like a Silly Putty container). Open it slightly and glue it so it looks like a slightly open mouth. Use acrylic craft paint, sealed with decoupage glue, to create the recognizable polka dot pattern.
Use craft foam or bakeable polymer clay to create its teeth and lips. If using clay, make sure to bake it before attaching it.
Use a green chenille stem and curl the end up to create a nest. Glue the egg in the center. You may need to twist two or three stems together or twist it around some strong floral wire, so it is strong enough to hold up the egg.
Paint a small clay pot with green acrylic paint, and fill it with floral foam or Styrofoam, or tissue paper. Place the stem in the in the center, and secure with a glue gun. Use green craft foam or felt to create leaves and glue in the pot. Keep it away from little plumbers.
This is a similar craft to my man-eating plant head I did a couple of Halloweens ago for my Creepy Garden project. These little guys will fit in well with a Halloween set up or just be a bright little addition to a desk or table top anytime.
Hot Air Balloon ornaments
Plastic eggs, especially the metallic-based ones, are good starting points to create some storybook or steampunk era balloon crafts.
Using craft paint, small stickers, rhinestones, or any other other embellishments you see fit, decorate the balloon and it’s basket. Once decorated, attach around four toothpicks, floral or craft wire to a cork or plastic bottle cap with a glue gun, and the other ends to the egg, to “tether” the balloon to the egg.
Turn the egg bottom side up for a standard balloon, or sideways for a dirigible. These make really cute steampunk party favors or table decorations.
Make sure to attach a small loop of string or fishing line before getting started, if you intend to hang these. Tip: There are usually small holes on both ends of the eggs you can use, or if you are hanging it sideways, simply close the egg over the line.
Hang these by window, place them on library shelves or use them as tree-trimmers for that other holiday season we won’t talk about right now.
Jurassic Era Amber Egg Treats
Jurassic World is coming out in June, just in time for everyone to want a Jurassic Park or dinosaur themed birthday party….or wedding! Plastic eggs make ideal molds for little gelatin “amber egg.”
First, wash and dry the eggs thoroughly, and clip a hole about 1 inch in diameter along the pointy top. Use tape to seal any small hole well, as well as the seam, other wise they will leak.
Stand the eggs on end in an old egg carton, and gently pour enough orange or yellow gelatin to fill each one. We used peach for ours, as it has a nice amber look. Place a gummy bug or fruit snack in the egg, if you want to trap an animal in the amber. Let it set as directed on the gelatin package. Pile them on a “sandbox” of crumbled Graham crackers to serve.
If you’ve completed all of these ideas and still have eggs, schools, churches, community centers and many charitable organizations happily accept these for the next season. We inevitably have a bagful to take back to the organizers of whatever egg hunts we attend.
Or, just set them out next year on a shelf and watch them multiply in number, because believe me, they will.
