Right now we're all stuck in the house with nothing to do and a holiday coming. Normally I would think that's a recipe for disaster but I started thinking about the things we could do with eggs and feathers and other materials we may have around the homestead. So I've compiled a list of crafts and fun things that we can do both to alleviate boredom and to celebrate the Easter holiday. Most of these will use things you can find around your house.
Although you may have to snag a tie from Dad or scrounge the cupboards for glue and glitter, you probably have everything you need. With a few craft supplies and some kitchen staples, we can come up with some things to do. If you can't run out for materials any time you want, or just don't want to spend more money than you have to, these frugal Easter crafts will be exactly what you need!
Homestead Easter crafts
If you have glue, beads, glitter (or a hole punch and paper) paint, food coloring, vinegar, sewing notions or markers you can make the majority of these crafts. Substitute whatever decorations you have for the ones I've used. The very essence of homesteading is to think outside the box and reuse what we can. So fire up your imagination and lets get crafting....
Make egg people
Next time you use an egg crack it very close to the top. This will provide a good size base for the body of the egg. Find some googly eyes or markers or paint and draw a face on them. Allow it to dry fill with soil and a couple of seeds then water it. This will grow looking an awful lot like hair. If you don't have seeds you can dig up a tiny little clump of grass from outside. Complete instructions here.
Blow out and decorate eggs
Eggs can be blown out and dried and they become surprisingly sturdy after they dry. I have complete instructions on how to blow out an egg here. Once they're blown out you can thread them for hanging or just decorate them however you'd like. They keep for years so don't be afraid to go crazy and get all fancy with these eggs. I have complete instructions on how I decorated these eggs if you're looking for inspiration. Feel free to use anything you have on hand whether it be paints, glitter, markers or food dyes.
Tie dye eggs
You're going to have to ask Dad to sacrifice a silk tie for this one. Old ones are perfectly fine for this activity, though he won't get it back so make sure it's not his favorite! All you need is a silk tie, a white t-shirt or other white fabric, some twine and vinegar. Here's the complete instructions to make eggs look exactly like the pattern of a tie and hard boil them at the same time!Dye Easter eggs naturally
You don't have to buy those kits at the store to have pretty colored eggs. Terry from Homestead Honey shows How to naturally dye Easter eggs using things you have at home like onion skins, turmeric or red wine. Easy to do and a fun little experiment with kids.Curl feathers for decorating
Did you know you can actually curl a feather? Using the same technique that you use to curl ribbon you can curl the edges of a feather. Simply put a butter knife under the feather, press down with your thumb and pull outward. The feather will curl under, though like ribbon you sometimes have to do it a few times for a curlier look. Once curled you can use feathers to decorate pretty much anything.
Dye feathers
You can die feathers using Kool-Aid packets or food coloring and vinegar. You probably have all that in your kitchen. It's simple enough to color your feathers almost any color you want, I have complete instructions here. Once colored they can be used for almost any craft including if you're decorating the blown out eggs I mentioned earlier.Science experiment, rubber eggs
This one is so much fun and I did this with my kids when they were younger. Unfortunately I don't have a picture but you can find one at this link. Eggshells dissolve in vinegar. You simply place your egg in a glass of vinegar for about a week and the egg shell will dissolve leaving just the membrane around the egg. So it basically feels like a rubber egg and it's transparent. Very cool!I hope you have a great holiday weekend and enjoy yourself even though we're living in these difficult times. Have any other fun egg or feather activities that don't need a lot of supplies? Let me know in the comments!
~L
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