Plastic Eggs Aren't Just For Hiding. Creative Ways To Use Them

 

Over the years I've had fun with decorating plastic eggs...creating home decor projects etc. So I thought I'd round them up since we're in peak plastic egg season!  The links are in bold text. 

Tissue Paper, Twine, and Paint 

Use large plastic eggs, cover with plain white tissue paper, then paint and/or wrap with twine. Details at link. 

Vintage Chocolate Egg

Using the tissue paper technique, again cover plastic egg, then paint with a few coats of glitter paint, embellish with a vintage looking paper border and paper roses. Details at link. 

Faux Chocolate Egg

I love Old World European Chocolate eggs so I emulated one using a foam egg, some paint, a French Chocolate label and embellishments! Details at link.

Plastic Egg Floral Wreath

Choose some complementary plastic eggs, add felt leaves and paper flowers and make a Spring Wreath. Details at link. 

Acorns and Pinecones

Stock up on those plastic eggs now for Fall. Paint,scrapbook paper, twine and sequins are all you need. Details at link. 

I hope you've found some inspiration! What are some creative ways you've used plastic eggs? 

Fall Decor: Rustic Silk Leaves and Feathers Wreath

 

Happy Monday all! We in America move full speed ahead to our national day of thanks and gluttony and I've finished the last of the things I'll make ( I think ) for this short season between Halloween and Christmas. Anxious to get started on some Christmas goodies so be on the lookout! 

Also humbled and excited to have been again featured in the Hometalk weekly newsletter last week! They included my Plastic Egg Acorns and Pinecones and I couldn't be more tickled. If you aren't on Hometalk, you should check it out both as a place to share your creations and to find even more inspiring ideas! 

Supplies:

• Square Wreath Form. I actually had some inserts from 12x12 shadow box frames that I used but you  could also use a square frame. 
• Silk Leaves (Michaels 80% off)
• Twig Vase Fillers (Dollar Tree)
• Feathers ( Michaels)
• Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks

From left to right: Shadow Box Frame Inserts, Silk Leaves, Dollar Tree Birch Stumps and Twigs

The frame inserts are not the sturdiest so I glued two of them together to stabilize them. The silk leaves I found for 80% off at Michaels. I used two packages of 30 with a few left over.

These came in two sizes, the larger having some gold veining and the smaller being plain. I alternated these around the wreath. Pretty straightforward. After I glued the leaves around the frame I placed a few of the birch "stumps" , offset, "because I did" which is a technical creative term!

I have a ton of these twigs left over so may save them for next year or throw them in a vase. 

I grouped three feathers (Michaels, Art Minds or Creatology) at the base of each "stump", then added some of the twigs. 

To finish, I had some of these Acrylic Gem Maple Leaves in my stash from a past project so glued a few of those on. Living in the West, this may be another thing I leave up year round. Haven't decided yet. We don't have specifically "Western" decor but I like some bits here and there. 

Et voila!

Fall Decor: Make Fall Acorns and Pinecones from Plastic Easter Eggs

 

While Halloween hasn't even arrived yet, I think my house is sufficiently haunted so I've started in on some Fall decorations for November. I'm so excited about how these came out and I hope you like them! 

I've always loved acorns for no reason that I can put my finger on. I just think they scream Fall. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, pinecones were literally everywhere. Now living in the desert, I don't have either so I did what Makers do and made my own versions! 

Supplies: 

• Plastic Easter Eggs (had some in my craft stash)
• Acrylic Paints ( I used Craftsmart Dark Brown and Martha Stewart Rust Metallic)
• Scrapbook Paper ( Pinecones)
• Jute Cord
• Coordinating Sequins (I love the Kids Craft section at Michaels) 
• Copper Beads
• Glue Gun and Hot Glue 
• Aleene's Turbo Tacky Glue

I wasn't sure how well the paint was going to stick to the plastic so I coated a couple with Mod Podge to increase the adhesion and then I decided to try directly on the egg which worked fine. It was easier to open the eggs to paint vs paint them whole. 

I used a bamboo skewer to help hold the eggs in place as I painted. I started with a coat of the plain brown paint and then went over that with a couple of coats of the metallic rust. I made some "egg holders" from scraps of paper glued together in a circle. 

I'm a "figure it out as I go along" person so initially I didn't think I needed to paint the tops of the eggs since they would be covered with sequins but after I could still see a little of the color when I did the first one, I decided to do that w/ the rest. 

Once your egg is completely painted ( you can see here I reached my decision to paint the tops after I'd already added the twine to one, so it's shown here w/out paint) then add a drop of hot glue on the seam, wrap around the egg as shown and when satisfied, glue then trim the end. 

For the acorn stems, I just folded some of the jute twine over itself 2 or three times and sealed the ends w/ a dab of hot glue and then glued to the middle of the top of the egg. Then, using the Tacky Glue, start gluing the sequins around the egg, starting at the top edge of the twine. Work up to the top and voila!

I had some copper beads in my stash so I added on sequin to the bottom along with one copper bead. 

Pinecones:

For the pinecones you will need an oval craft punch or a digital cutting machine. I used my Cricut Explore 2 and created an oval shape in Design Space for my pine cone parts. 

I had some silver polka dot foiled kraft papers in my stash and I liked the way I thought they'd look with the acorns so to coordinate, I used silver sequins around the small end of the egg. Starting around the sequins, start gluing the ovals around the egg. I did use the hot glue for this. Continue until you get to the top of the egg, slightly offsetting each row of petals. Once you get to the other end, decide if you want them more open or closed and glue the petals down accordingly. 

I hope you've found some inspiration! 

Eclectic Red Barn

Honored To Be Featured At

Welcome Spring: Floral Egg Wreath Under $10

I didn't do any Easter / Spring decorating last year since we were in the middle of moving, but this year since I get to decorate of course I had to make something new. I started out thinking I was gong to do a wreath full of plastic eggs but as projects go with me, it morphed into something else. HA!

Supplies: 

• Plastic Eggs ( Target $1 per package). Bought 5 ; used 4
• Wreath Form ( Dollar Tree $1)
• Felt  (on hand)
• Drop cloth scraps (on hand)
• Ribbon (JoAnn $3 on sale)
• Cuttlebug
• Tim Holtz Tattered Floral Die
• Scrapbook paper ( on hand) 
• Glue Sticks
• Glue Gun

I knew I wanted an ombre look so I laid the eggs around the wreath form to make sure I liked it. 

I also learned from a previous project that I didn't want any of the wreath form to show so I wrapped it in strips of drop cloth I had on hand. 

Then it was glue, glue, glue around the form. I left a space where I knew I would put the ribbon and which was just that much too tight to fit one more egg. 

I kind of made this up as I went along and my brain said "leaves" so I cut a leaf  template from paper freehand then used it to cut leaves from felt with pinking shears. 

I put a dot of glue on each leaf, pinched it together then glued to the form. Now, what to do to finish? 

I cut 16 flowers using my Cuttlebug and Metallic Yellow and Cream Scrapbook papers ( 8 from each color). I debated about alternating them or alternating the layers of each and ended up as shown doing half and half. 

Finished with a bow!

Sharing At: 

BFF Open House Link Party

Hi all and Happy Spring!  A much calmer week for me workwise so this week's party is on time and with features! Hope you all have had a wonderful start to Spring and those of you in the Northeast aren't dealing with too much snow. 

My name twin Carol from The Red Painted Cottage shared how to bring some Spring inside with her gorgeous tiered tray. 

Crystal, from Surviving a Teacher's Salary ( hear hear ) shared this natural planter using a found tree branch,  moss, and air plants. 

Artsy VaVa is back with a gorgeous Easter Egg bouquet showing off her painting talents once again because she hand painted those eggs! Wouldn't these be fun to put with your Easter dinner table settings ? 

Sugar Spice and Family Life shared these Peanut Butter Cup STUFFED Chocolate Cookies ( drooling...not gonna lie). With Reeses PB Eggs everywhere right now thinking you could even use those to stuff these cookies! Not that I go overboard or anything. 

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Blast From The Past: Spring Eggstravaganza

I haven't eggsactly been on a creative roll lately. I'll share why in a future post. But I thought I'd do a roundup of some past egg projects as we approach Easter and Spring!

Still one of my favorite projects is this one "Eggshells Under Glass" which used real eggshells that I painted to coordinate with the base of a cheese dome I picked up at Goodwill. 

In a similar color palette, are these Tissue Paper and Twine Eggs that are easily made using a combination of plastic eggs from the craft store, tissue paper, Mod Podge, paint, twine and misc. embellishments. 

Of course you know I love chocolate and what goes together this time of year but chocolate and eggs?! 

This Vintage inspired egg also uses a plastic egg, tissue paper, paint and misc. embellishments. 

This "Faux Oeuf en Chocolat" aka "Fake Chocolate Egg" is a different type of egg from the craft store , painted in chocolate brown, then speckled with gold and covered in a chocolate label graphic. 

Hope you've found some inspiration!