To be honest, I’d never really attempted anything like this. I had already scoped out provisions for veil-making and had worked out my little mental schematic, but was pretty much up the river on working with silver wire and 3-D floral patterns. For this new assignment, I had to rely completely on my awesome-ness as a crafter and a couple of store samples as guides.

I ended up employing some basic trusty tools and the same ingredients I planned on using for the veil, minus the veil.

What we’ve got:

Pliers, at least two sets
Wire Cutters
Craft Wire
Combs
Ribbon
Glass Pearls
Crystal Beads

 How I Used Them:

I bent the wire! There wasn’t really an art to getting the beads onto the wire, just creating a mental image of how I needed them to lay and then twisting them off in sections of one to four, starting at the middle. Why one to four? Because five or more create too much bulk and makes the filigree to look like lupin.

Not every strand worked out at first. Some turned out too short, or too long, and ended up being bent it into a different shape or cut apart to salvage the beads. Using craft wire, and not pure sterling or gold made sure it didn’t hurt when I had to waste a little metal.

Once I had three layers of filigree, I lined up the loose ends all together and twisted just like before. The neater I kept this part, the easier it was ultimately to attach to the comb.

Speaking of combs, that was the next step! I broke out the ribbon and cut a two foot length to wrap with. I tied the newly twisted shiny beadwork to the comb with one end of the ribbon, and wrapped it  in one place several times to secure the wire. I continued wrapping the ribbon around comb and wire, working between the comb’s teeth, until I reached the other end, turned the comb over and worked back the other way with the ribbon. Finished with a knot and we were set! 

Awwwwwww……

Even if you aren’t into the stereotypical furry, fuzzy, super cute, pastel-everything, bunny rabbit Easter, you can still spruce up your space with these little pieces of spring fever.  Forget food coloring, vinegar, and those impossible wire “egg shaped” (since when is an egg an octagon?) frames.  Bring on your anti-the-man necessities– spray paint, fishnet, black lace, and anything that sparkles, and decorate some eggs with real personality.

I don’t get very technical with any of my crafting, and Easter eggs are no exception.  I broke out some extra spray-paint I have from making photo boards, tore off pieces of fishnets that already had holes in them, cut up a lacey stocking top, and clipped spiffy pics out of an old Glamour magazine.  To keep the whole operation truly low key, I even replaced the decoupage staple, Mod Podge, with a 50/50 starch and water mixture. There’s a lengthy explanation of why I did this at the end of the article.  Also, don’t forget glitter, if you’re into that kind of thing.

Here’s a pic of everything I used, minus the paint:

 The small knife is for poking holes into both ends of the eggs so that you can blow the yolk and white out.  If you’re a child, frail, or otherwise at risk of contracting food-borne illness, do yourself a favor and use one of those baby-nose-cleaner things to accomplish the task or blowing out the egg instead of using your mouth.  No one wants you dieing for decorations.

You’ll also note the small brush.  It’s used for brushing the paper clippings with the starch water, and then for applying the clippings to the egg.  You can also use your hands for this, but the starch will make your fingers stick to the egg.

The skewers are multi-purpose.  Put the eggs on the square end while you’re spray-painting so you have something to hold on to, and then stab the sharp end through the egg carton to keep your eggs upright for drying.  As long as you make the hole on the top of each egg slightly smaller than the hole on the bottom, the skewers shouldn’t go through.

Here is where some awesome photos of the eggs in progress should go.  But I got kind of into the whole thing, and totally forgot about photos at all.  The jist of what happened is as follows:

I spray-painted the eggs with a matte primer, hammer-textured silver, and a red enamel.  After letting the eggs dry for an hour, I pasted my magazine clippings, fishnet, and lace to them with starch water and glitter paint.  Then I let them dry.  It’s not rocket science.  I therefor accept your forgiveness for lack of photos regarding these steps. In fact, it’s basically kindergarten on an egg.

When the starch-water and the glitter paint or glue stick and what-not are all dry, this is what you get:

Beautiful, glamorous, Rockstar Easter eggs. Use whatever you’ve got, even if it’s just black paint. Wrap masking tape around an egg and make shapes with it, then spray. When the paint is dry, gently peel off the tape for deliciously emo Easter decorations.

On starch: Starch is my ultimate fall-back for sticking paper to other things in pretty much every circumstance. Unless  I require an ultra-glossy or built-up finish, I prefer it to Mod Podge for several reasons.

1. Starch is waaaaay easier to clean up. Warm water does the trick every time. Try getting dried glue product off of a wooden table without damaging the finish, or even off of the brush you use to apply it for that matter!

2. Starch won’t leave streaks or brushstrokes on top of your pictures. Thicker substances build up and leave streaks that can lower the visibility of the image underneath.

3. Starch gives shiney magazine pages a “vintage” look. I think it’s the water that pulls ink off of the page; it takes away the “hey, I totally just clipped this out of a magazine” looks.

4. Starch can get on your hands. Ever tried to peel glue from your finger tip? Or, even worse, ever been glued to a project you’re working on?

5. Starch can go down the drain. I’m not sure about the exact environmental implications of pouring starch down your sink. But I do know that it’s plant-based, biodegradeable on some level, and won’t clog your pipes. Especially if you rent, you don’t want to put anything that has to be removed with a solvent in the drain.

6. Starch can also be put in a spray bottle. To accomplish the same thing with any other adhesive, you’d have to buy it in sprayable form right off the bat. Then you have CFC’s to worry about.