Eggs have historically been regarded as universal signs of new life and of the coming of spring. Within the Christian church, the egg is seen as a symbol of the resurrection; it is dormant, but contains a new life inside its shell.
Decorating Easter eggs has been a long-standing tradition within the Christian faith. It has since turned into a form of art, however, combining deep religious meaning with delicate, superficial beauty. During its long history, the Easter egg has evolved from a simple dyed or painted chicken’s egg to much more intricate and elaborate representations, including ones made from chocolate, plastic, candy, and even gold.
Perhaps some of the most famous decorated eggs are the Fabergé eggs commissioned by Russian Czars Alexander III and Nicholas II. Of the fifty jeweled eggs that were made by the House of Fabregé between 1885 and 1917, only 42 have survived.
While it may be difficult to imagine creating such a beautiful egg for your own Easter or springtime celebration, there are many ways to decorate unique, colorful eggs. I’ll admit, I have never been the most creative with my Easter eggs; I preferred to play it safe with the typical store-bought dyeing kit and the occasional use of a white wax crayon to draw designs (rebellious, I know). Since the Pinterest phenomenon, however, I have discovered so many more ways to create beautiful Easter eggs that I just had to share with you.
Paper Covered Plastic Eggs
These gorgeous specimens combine your typical store-bought plastic eggs, paper from old books (or newsprint), glue, glitter, ribbons, buttons and beads. By basically modge-podging the outside of the egg and rolling it in glitter, adding ribbons and little buttons, you get distinctly beautiful eggs that will last a long time. Click here for more detailed instructions.
Martha Stewart’s Lace Eggs
Though these eggs seem to be a little more complex, they are much easier to make than they look. All you need are eggs, standard egg dye, rubber bands, lace trimmings, scissors, and a foam board with pins. Wrap the eggs with the lace and secure with rubber bands. Dye the eggs according to the package instructions, cut off the bands, unwrap the lace and let them dry. Here are more detailed instructions and a video showing you what to do.
Washi Tape Easter Eggs
These are probably the easiest and least messy of the all the egg decorating instructions. All you need are hard-boiled eggs, scissors, and different colored and patterned washi tape. Cut the tape into fun patterns and place them on the eggs however you see fit. Easy, right? Here are the instructions, just in case.
If you are even half as excited as I am to try out some of these methods, then you are definitely going to have a blast getting creative this Easter. Happy decorating!
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_egg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faberg%C3%A9_egg