WFMW – Frugal Easter Decorations & Blown Eggs

Whew… I’m pretty late with this week’s Works For Me Wednesday (hosted by Shannon at the Rocks in My Dryer blog!). Going through 2 funerals in the past week really took a toll on me, so I haven’t felt much like blogging until today. Anyway….

Being a “newlywed” couple (married in June of 2006) who refuses to use credit (not to mention living on one income and being 8 months pregnant with our first child!), buying decorations for each holiday like I would like to do is pretty much out of the question. So, in my deliriously happy frugal mode, I came up with some nice but inexpensive Easter decorations this year using my color printer and stuff I found lying around the house!

First, I made “blown” out eggs and dyed them with some food coloring from the pantry. This will allow them to last forever (as long as no one squeezes them!!) or at least until Little Jack steps on them next year. No more stinky, rotten eggs. (We once found an 3 month old boiled easter egg at my mom’s house….it was still “hidden” under the couch!!)

MAKING BLOWN EASTER EGGS

To make your own, take 1 dozen fresh eggs, and prick two holes (using a needle and a thimble to protect your finger!) in each end of the egg. Make the hole on the fattest end of the egg bigger than the one on the small end. Then, placing your mouth on the small hole, “blow” out the liquid egg from the large hole. I blew my eggs out into a bowl (and then made an egg & cheese cassarole that night). You’ll also want to fill the egg with some water a few times through the larger hole, shake, and blow out the water. This cleans the egg inside and removes residue that might end up smelly in a week!

To dye them, boil water, then get out your cups, some white vinegar and food coloring. Using one cup per color, drip a few drops of color into the cup and fill the cup about halfway with boiling water. Then, add a tablespoon or so of the vinegar and stir slightly with a spoon. You can use sturdy plastic cups (make sure they’re ones that can stand up to boiling water though) or regular coffee cups.

I had a pack of red, blue, yellow, and green food coloring. Out of those I also made some orange dye (red & yellow drops in one cup) and purple dye (red & blue drops) for my eggs. Speckled eggs can be made by drizzling the dye drops in the water and NOT stirring.

Next, set your blown eggs into the cup. Since they have no “innards”, they will float. That’s fine! Just be sure to turn the egg shells over a few times, as well as press them down into the dye for a few seconds to make sure the whole egg gets covered. The longer your egg sits in the cup, the darker it will become. When it’s the right shade, take the egg out and let the dye water drain (as it may have seeped through the little hole). Then place the egg into an old egg carton to dry.

After it is dry, drizzle some olive oil (or oil of your choice) on the egg and buff slightly with a rag to shine!

My eggs ended up with some very lovely shades! I remember dying (boiled) easter eggs this way with my granny when I was a little girl and have never understood why people have to buy commercial “egg dye” kits. Plus, I think it’s a lot more fun too.

RECYCLING CALENDARS AT EASTER

For a whimsical “spring” feeling, I used an old calendar that I didn’t have the heart to throw away! The photos in there were simply so beautiful that I knew they’d come in handy for something. All of the photos in the calendar reflected the old fashion victorian era. Using the March, April and May month pictures, I came up with some lovely prints to hang up and place around the living room!

For added frugality, all of my photo frames come from thrift stores. I never pay more than 50 cent or so for a nice 8×10 frame. Sometimes I find expensive ones with the original price tags still attatched! Since we decorate with an old country / southern theme in mind, a hodge-podge of wooden frames suites us well.

In the two pictures below, you’ll see my (calender inspired) artwork, thrift store frames, blown easter eggs, and a cardboard bunny carton that is currently holding my hubby’s favorite snack-of-the-moment (starbursts!). Oh – and of course the blue stuffed bunny, curtesy of my dog PupPup’s toy chest.

PRINTING YOUR OWN EASTER DECORATIONS

Although I use mainly “traditional” easter decor (pastels, bunnies, eggs, etc), you can create a variety of Christian images to cut out and place around the room as well! An 8×10 photo of the Last Supper, Jesus on the Cross, the Empty Tomb, or other beautiful art prints can easily be found and printed out for free - then put on display. For our decor, I used clipart from google images and Paint Shop Pro to make some easter egg prints, some grass prints, and a few other easter themed prints. Then I cut them out and placed them in various spots around the entry way and living room.

When my hubby, Kevin, arrived home, he had a fun little “hunt” awaiting him because I hid all of the printed easter eggs (that shared our living room color scheme) in the corners of all of our living room frames. It was his job to “find” them all!

This was also great practice for when Little Jack gets bigger and we can do real easter egg hunts.

MORE INEXPENSIVE EASTOR DECOR IDEAS

It’s hard to tell in the photo, but these little pastel signs are adorable! This one is pastel pink & green, with arrow pointing that say “Flowers 5 Cents” and “Happy Easter”. The little face is a cute yellow chicken. I also have an easter bunny one that says “Egg Dying” and “Carrots 10 Cent”. They are my most expensive easter decorations this year at $1.88 each at Walmart.

The old fashion country bunny in the primitive dress was a great thrift store find a few months ago for only 10 cent.

AND FINALLY….

A tribute to my soon-to-be-born son! His Nana (Kevin’s mom) gave him the (very beloved) children’s book “Guess How Much I Love You” at our baby shower back in January. The pastels and bunny photos were too cute to hide away in his nursery!

Being frugal is hard sometimes, especially when you love to decorate with each month’s holiday in mind! I could easily go crazy buying all the cute decor out there. But alas, we simply can’t afford it. Hopefully, these ideas may inspire your own creativity and encourage you to look around your own home for decorating objects.

Then you’ll truly be thinking outside the egg…uh.. box.