Re-cycling dyed Easter eggs...Fun Craft Ideas

Now that the egg hunts are over what can I do with these colorful battered eggs?

This year we got store bought white eggs to dye for Easter. That's right, store bought eggs, six dozen! And a NEON dye kit which produced the most vibrant eggs ever. I enjoyed admiring my kids amazing egg dying artistry.
Now, you may be thinking :

"How unsustainable and very un-homesteady* of you! Dying store bought eggs with artificial dye instead of home-made herbal dyes on your free range fresh eggs"  

Oh well, sometimes simplicity wins out.  But now all the Easter Egg Hunts are over and these battered eggs need to go. I usually crush up shells for the garden, (they're great around tomatoes to prevent blossom end rot) but wasn't sure about the dyes, they're supposed to be non-toxic and food grade but I didn't want to try it, so I did a little research and found some fun ideas to try with the kids.

Here's a fun mosaic craft using colored eggshell bits Mosaic Egg Craft that I found at Egg farmers of Alberta

Pendants and earrings made from eggshells The Egg Shell Pendant - Craft Tutorial video.

Here's a vase tutorial at Crafts by Amanda Egg Shell Mosaic Vase

How about a decoupaged jewelry or trinket box? Decoupage with Egg Shells

On Craftsmanship

What is Craftsmanship? It evokes a sense of true mastery and skill in workmanship, of creating something that is both beautiful and enduring with attention to detail.

To Craft is to make or produce with care, skill, or ingenuity.

Crafting involves making something in a skillful way by using your hands

crafts : objects made by skillful use of the hands

I learned about craftsmanship from my grandfather "Bud" He taught me the value of taking the time to do things right the first time. How to measure twice and cut once, how to take care of your tools so they will take care of you, and how to always do your best so you can be proud to put your name on your work and stand behind it.


Bud was a builder and a true craftsman, recognized for the uncompromising quality of his work. He built a house in the early 50's for my Great-grandmother. It's a small, modest farmhouse, but the level of attention to detail in the interior woodworking is amazing, you just don't see that kind of craftsmanship everyday.


Still to this day, one of the first things new visitors comment on when they walk into the house is the woodwork. "Wow, this woodwork is amazing!" is often exclaimed, and I am always proud to say, "My grandfather built it." He cut every board and hammered every nail. THAT is true craftsmanship, not just to create something that you can be proud of, but something that your family can be proud of for generations to come.


And that's what we are striving for here on our crafty farmstead, to build something our children and one day our grandchildren can be proud of.