Counting My Kisses

Easter is right around the corner, friends!!

Since all things Spring-related are on my mind these days, I decided to bring back one of my favorite posts from last year: how to make Keepsake Easter Eggs.

A big thank you to the fab Gigi at Kludgy Mom for the encouragement with her #WholeLottaLove linkup!

And now…are you ready to Think Spring? Here we go!

When I was a little girl, my grandfather~ Papa~ carefully & lovingly made us Easter eggs each spring.

These hollow, hand-painted eggs were the jewels of our Easter baskets. And now, so many years after Papa passed away, I still ever-so-carefully place my eggs out each year with both a smile and a little catch in my throat.

They are made with such love. These eggs encompass everything about the Easter season for me: love. Hope. Renewal. Grace.

This year I decided to tackle making these precious keepsake eggs. I wanted Little O & Baby H to each have an egg of their own, so I could explain to them each year the legacy of love that these eggs have left behind.

And so, my friends, I give you my tutorial on making keepsake Easter eggs. You’ll need a little bit of time and patience~ but it’s so worth it when you see the finished product. 

Ready to get started?

1. Fill a bowl with water & 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Gently place the eggs into the bowl and soak for a few minutes.

2. Take eggs out of water & dry completely with paper towels.

3. Now it’s time to poke holes in the egg. You want a hole at the very top and the very bottom, so you can thread a ribbon through.

Take your needle & place at the top of the egg. Use the heavy edge of the knife as a hammer to gently tap a hole into the egg {this works best with two people!}. 

4. Once you have a small hole at the top and bottom of the egg, you’re ready to blow out the yolk.

5. Push the needle into the egg yolk a few times to help loosen it up; then put the egg to your lips and blow hard. After a puff or two, the yolk should start coming out of the bottom of the egg. Just be careful not to crush the egg while you blow!

Great job! The hardest part of the project is over, I promise.

6. Once you are finished blowing out all of your eggs, refill your bowl with water & a 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Add the eggs in once more, making sure to submerge each one & swish the mixture around.

7. Let the eggs drain~ I just put them all standing up in a bowl & changed out the paper towel a few times. They were completely dry within two hours.

8. Next, we’re going to thread the ribbon through the egg. Cut about 6 inches of 20-gauge wire and poke the edge of the ribbon through it a few times {I folded it over two or three times}. Tie a double knot at the bottom of the ribbon {I usually make the ribbon about 12 inches & cut it down later}.

9. Loop the edge of the wire around & use the pliers to flatten the loop. The ribbon should be snug & secure in the wire loop.

10. Gently thread the other edge of the wire through the bottom of your egg, guiding it up to the hole at the top. Pull the wire all the way through the egg, gently bringing the ribbon with you. The ribbon will run through the entire length of your egg when you’re finished with this step. 

11. Now it’s time for the really fun part~ painting!

I find it’s easiest to paint with my egg hanging, free from touching anything. Papa used to put the egg on the tip of a paintbrush, hold it with one hand and paint with the other. Whatever works best for you!

I decided that using one of our Baby Einstein toys would work out perfectly…it’s all about being resourceful, right??

12. Once your egg is ready, paint to your heart’s content! As you can see, I used regular kid’s paint, but watercolors work as well {Papa used those~ it gives the egg a softer look}. 

13. Paint, paint and paint a little more! {suggestion: put the year somewhere on your egg, even if it’s at the very bottom. My grandmother still has an egg that my grandfather made in 1964. Amazing!}. 

14. When I was finished with each egg, I hung it on our kitchen curtain rod~ out of reach from little toddler hands! I let the eggs dry overnight, although I’m sure they would have been fine after a few hours. 

15. Next up? Time to spray the eggs to ensure that the colors don’t fade over time. I used a regular craft shellac, but you can use any type of clear sealant~ type spray.

I set up a makeshift spray station outside, complete with a plastic tablecloth to make sure I didn’t accidently shellac our deck too. If you feel comfortable, it’s pretty easy to hold the egg ribbon in one hand & spray with the other, as long as you keep the nozzle the recommended 10-12 inches away from the egg. 

16. Hang the eggs up once more {they went back on our curtain rod} for another hour, or until the shellac is completely dry. Trim the ribbon {and discard the wire} to the length that you’d like~ I usually make mine about 6 inches. Make sure to keep the double-knot at the bottom of each egg.

17. Time to decorate your house with your keepsake eggs!

I’m so happy with the way that my eggs turned out:

18. I tied my finished eggs to an Easter egg tree I found at Target, and it worked out perfectly.

I keep the eggs Papa made me in a glass bowl, so if you don’t have an Easter tree handy, a bowl is a lovely option. Just remember to keep it out of reach of small hands~ since they eggs are hollow, they are fragile. 

I love the way my handmade eggs look with Papa’s handmade eggs~ beautiful! 

19. When you are ready to pack your eggs up for the season, place them inside of an empty egg carton. We keep our egg cartons inside of a plastic tote to make sure they stay dry & safe for the rest of the year.

20. Take out your keepsake eggs each Easter season & enjoy!

Counting My Kisses: These keepsake eggs mean the world to my family & I, and I’m so happy to be sharing Papa’s Easter egg legacy with you today. I recommend doing this project with older children~ you’ll need to help them with the blowing the yolk out, but if your child can sit & carefully paint an egg, it’s a lovely project to work on together. Keepsake eggs also make for wonderful gifts! A big thank you to my amazing grandfather for teaching us how to make such a beautiful treasure~ these eggs truly will be cherished for a lifetime.