DIY Egg Ornaments

DIY Egg Ornaments 

DIY egg ornaments and decorating with eggs is a cross-cultural tradition that dates back to ancient times. In both pagan and Christian traditions, the egg represents the beginnings of new life. What better time to celebrate the renewal and promise of a new life than Spring?! 

Life is popping up everywhere here on our cottage homestead. Chicks and ducklings are hatching. Spring bulbs are bursting up from their winter sleep. Honey bees and bird songs fill the air. Yes, it is a magical time! 

With Spring also comes an abundance of eggs. Here that means quail, chicken, and duck eggs. As I mentioned in the DIY Natural Veggie Egg Dye how-to, eggs are a consistent item on the small cottage farm. So you have the right combination for decorative food storage! 

Egg ornaments have also been in my family for years. I grew up with frosted egg ornaments created by my mother on our Christmas tree as a child. They are simple and quick to make. 

Supplies: 

• Eggs
• Large Safty Pin
• Straw
• Rubber band or hair tie to mark the mouth end on the straw.
• Glass Jar or cup to hold the yolks.
• Jute string
• Long thin needle 
• Dye if you desire colored eggs
• A simple branch with enough twigs to hold your ornaments

How to Create a Hole in the Egg Ornament: 

1. Hold the egg firmly, but not too tight, in your hand. You don't want to bust your egg. Or you can sit your eggs in an egg box to steady them while working. Holding the egg still, carefully tap, and push a hole in the top center of the egg with your safety pin. Once you have made the hole, carefully push one end of the pin as far as it will go to widen it.
2. 
3. Flip the egg over and make a second hole on the opposite side with your pin. Make the hole on the bottom a little bigger.  
4. Take the pin and insert into the hole, stir it around, breaking up the yolk and making it easier to remove the insides in step.
5. You can shake it around vigorously to help it break up.
6. 
7. Hold the egg over a measuring cup or jar with the bigger hole facing down. Use a straw to flush out the egg's contents by placing the straw's tip over the hole and blowing hard. First, the egg white while will come out, followed by the yolk-it can take a minute to get going, so be patient. You will see clear egg white at first, and then yellow yolk will follow. You will know it's all out when it becomes lighter, and you blow out a bubble of egg white, followed by air. 
8. 
9. Clean the shell by holding it carefully under running hot water from the kitchen tap. Wipe carefully with kitchen paper and leave to dry. You may have to shake it a bit to remove all the moisture. 

You can watch the DIY video below to see each step! 

Stringing Your Egg Ornament: 

1. Once your eggs are dry, you can now string them. 
2. You want a string that is just small enough for it and the needle to go through the egg. But not too small, or the knot will have difficulty staying. 
3. Thread your needle with your string.
4. Carefully push the needle and thread through the top hole. Finding the bottom spot with your needle might take a couple of tries. 
5. Don't press too hard, or you will bust the bottom. 
6. Leave enough string to make knots in the bottom and a loop knot at the top for hanging. 

Add a Layer of Coating

You can add a Mod Podge glue & finish layer or use the Mod Podge finish spray. The finish will give your fragile ornaments more strength and should help them to last longer. 

Egg shells have a very long shelf life. Ask anyone who composts, and they will tell you eggshells take forever to decompose. That is why it is suggested that you crush them up before composting them. 

Tips for Egg Ornaments: 

• Using a sizeable safety pin is very helpful. The extra piece gives you something to hold onto, unlike a needle. It also helps keep the pin inside the egg while you break up the yolk. 
• Duck eggs are thick, which makes them great for baking! If you also follow my Cottage Kitchen blog, you know they are my favorite to use. But this thickness also makes it a little harder to break up the yolk, so spend a little more time shaking it up and shaking harder. 
• Quail eggs have a hard-to-break membrane that wants to close back on itself. So make sure to have a large enough hole where the membrane is open. 
• Don't grip your eggs too tight once the yolk is out. I ended up crushing two of mine. 
• Getting a rigid plastic egg box is a great way to store your eggs until next year! 

Cottage Style: 

As mentioned, I decided to keep my tree simple and rustic this year. As you will see, I also used the natural dying method to decorate some of my egg ornaments. I decided to stick with a more natural and soft color palette for my tree this year with blue accents. 

I also added some traditional accent pieces like a "moonshine" or beer jug, a handmade wooden wheel barrel (given to my daughter when she was younger), my grandmother's gravy bowl, which holds the Beatrix Potter books my mother gave the kids this Easter.   

Old piece mixed with new is the perfect combination in a modern cottage homestead. 

Keeping the Tradition: 

I hope that egg ornaments will fit into your family traditions each Spring. I plan to add new egg ornaments with different decoration techniques each year. And yes, I'm already thinking about my Christmas ornaments for this year too! 

You can keep up with all our DIY projects on Pinterest! We would love to see you there! 

You can also follow our adventures on Youtube! Just click the video below and subscribe! 

Thanks for stopping by the Wildwood Wonder Cottage Homestead!