Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Paper Hole Punch Easter Eggs

Amber from The McIllece SpotI'll be on a break for the next couple weeks, posting from afar while applying much sunblock and soaking up much sun on the sunny beaches of Florida. In my absence my cousin Amber from The McIllece Spot is taking a turn as a guest poster. She has three beautiful children, a husband who's served his country in Iraq and a lovely sense of style--and if you don't believe me just keep reading . . .

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Paper Hole Punch Easter EggsMy thanks to Michelle for asking me to guest post during her much-earned vacation, I am flattered beyond words and a little intimidated to walk around in her fabulous blogging shoes for even a day!

When my husband and I were still living in our tiny on-campus apartment our last year of college, my burning desire to decorate for each holiday was quickly tempered by our lack of income. I remember complaining to my mom and her sharing a great idea she had seen in a magazine many years before. It was simply this: punch out a bunch of paper hole punch circles and use them to decorate blown Easter eggs.

They were cheap, easy and I already had all the things I needed to create them. I just needed a bit of time and patience (which before my three children came along, I had plenty of). Not only are these easy decorations durable--if cleaned properly they will keep for years--they've got quite a visual impact sitting together in a bowl. So here we go!

Paper Hole Punch Easter Eggs1. You'll want to allow plenty of time for this first step, the eggs must be clean and dried completely before you start gluing. First, make two holes in a raw egg: one on each end. Blow through one hole until all the egg insides have come out the bottom. Carefully wash each egg with soap and water and blow out any remaining moisture. Place upright in an egg carton lined with paper towels to dry overnight.

2. Next, punch out holes with your paper hole punch in the desired color of cardstock. I like to use cardstock because the color options are endless. You could, however, use construction paper if you'd prefer.

Paper Hole Punch Easter Eggs3. Using a toothpick to apply craft glue (I like to use plain old Elmer's glue for this project because it dries clear), place a dab of glue at one end of the egg and cover the hole used to blow out the egg guts with a single paper circle.

Continue the process with toothpick and glue, spiraling down the egg, overlapping the circles so the egg is covered completely. Press each section of new circles gently into the egg, making sure to wipe away any extra glue that seeps through between the circles. Continue until the entire egg is covered and place another circle over hole at the other end of the egg.

Paper Hole Punch Easter Eggs4. You can play with stripes and dot patterns. This year, I put mine in our trifle bowl with a bit of crinkle paper in the bottom.

And there you go . . . beautiful, elegant Easter eggs that will delight for years to come!

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Congratulations to Jenna from Islip, New York for winning this week's Saturday Giveaway of a $60 gift certificate to Mikarose--which dress to choose? They're all so pretty!

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18 comments:

Bonnie B. said...

Yeah! I love Amber's blog! Good choice for a sub! I have to admit, that when you first hear "use paper punch circles to decorate a egg" it sounded cheesy. But those are adorable! No cheesi-ness at all! You are oh so fancy!

Daisy said...

Patience -- I'm lacking in that one. My crafts never seem to turn out nicely, and I'm sure part of it is that I rush.

Marie N. said...

I like the lizard-scale look. My kids would call these dragon eggs.

Marketing Mama said...

Those are gorgeous! Thanks for the great craft idea. Looking forward to reading more of your posts. :)

Montserrat said...

Way to go Amber! These are very adorable. I think my oldest daughters would love to do this, as long as I kept the baby away.

luvmy4sons said...

Too cute! Could you come and be our arts and crafts teacher...of course I could never even get my boys to pick up a crayon! LOL!

Anonymous said...

Wow - those look amazing. Hope you have more guest posts from her!

Maggie said...

Very sweet, although I'm getting a headache just thinking about lining up those little circles. Maybe I will use a magnifying screen and try this one out.

Janet said...

Welcome! What a lovely first post! I love this idea, but I imagine it's a bit beyond my kids (ages 4 and 2). Maybe I'll try it when they're in bed.

ewe are here said...

What a cool idea! And they look great!

But I'm not sure I know how to blow out an egg.... hmm, maybe my husband does.

Melissa said...

What a great idea!!!

AlaneM said...

Wow, before I read your post I thought the eggs in the bowl were glass with little bumpies on them.
Pretty, don't know if I have the patience for it but I wish I did!

my4kids said...

Those are awesome! They look so pretty. With 4 kids though I don't know if I'd could get the time to do them but maybe someday.

Wendy said...

AWESOME!! Especially if I do call them dragon eggs! ;-)

Melissa Markham said...

I am sure you will do a fine job filling in for Michelle while she is gone. This is a wonderful idea! I love it!

Anonymous said...

I am attempting these pretty little eggs and have finished the first one. I love it. I covered it in mostly pink and a few random yellow dots. Thanks for such a fun and accessible easter decoration! ~ Deb O

Mo said...

Let's play the "Everyone in Alaska is connected somehow" game!
I am from Alaska, I now live in WA, when we moved here I got the perfect soup recipe, the recipe was originally Amber's, Amber is your cousin, and YOU live in Alaska! I love that game....
I'm going to dig out my hole punch now, this seems like one even I can do!

Anonymous said...

These are beautiful! I love this site!