Religous Easter Eggs - Clay Birds' Egg Tutorial

Stamped and Speckled Easter Eggs

Our Easter preparations are continuing and here's a little peak at what we have been crafting this week. 

We've had a great time creating these adorable devotional speckled eggs!

Not only do they look lovely, they are also really tactile.  I think this is a result of the matt paint in gentle colours and stamped letters providing an 'embossed' look.  They just beg you to reach out and stroke them!

This project was a real family affair and here is a little 'how to guide', should you be inspired to give it a go with your own brood!  

Speckled Birds' Eggs Clay Tutorial

Grab your supplies

I used air-drying clay as it is really cheap and can be purchased in 'discount' book shops such as 'The Works'.  I've had this pack years and according to the sticky label it cost me just £1.50.  You could also use a polymer clay such as Sculpey or Fimo which bakes in the oven.  These might be slightly easier to work, but the packs are small and cost rather more!  You will also need foil, rolling pin, paint, alphabet stamps, paint brushes, tooth brush and a fine permanent pen.

Getting creative

Firstly, fashion a foil base which you will then cover with the clay.  Doing this helps the eggs to dry much quicker.  It also makes them lighter and helps the clay go further (gotta watch those pennies!)

Some of our eggs are rather round, but that's okay nature can be a little random too!  The best foil egg maker in our house was Alice.  

It is worth taking your time at this stage if you want your eggs to be perfect.......although they could just become 'pebbles' of course!

Next roll out a lump of clay roughly the circumference of your foil egg.

Now wrap the clay around one of your foil eggs......

....and then smooth it out so that it is as 'egg-like' as possible.  We had a mini production line going at this stage in our kitchen and whilst Antonia was wrapping I was smoothing.  George was busy at the same time writing a list of 'words to inspire'.

We had intended making personalised eggs to use as table settings, but the children didn't want to give them away.  I still think they would have looked fantastic on the Easter table, but hey it's a democracy in this house!

Once you're happy with the shape of your eggs emboss them with suitable words or names of your choice (whilst still wet), using rubber alphabet stamps.  We deliberately stamped some of ours in a slightly 'wonkey' manner as we wanted them to be oh so shabby chic.  You could of course stamp yours in straight lines! 

Once the eggs are dry simply paint them.  We used tester pots of emulsion (vinyl) paint in lots of yummy pastel shades.  When the paint is dry you will need to trace over the letters in a colour of your choice.  I think either brown or black work best.

This makes the words really 'pop', although they will tone down once you speckle them.  You could paint over the letters and then wipe off the excess, but I found it easiest to use a permanent fine-liner.

All 'fine lined' and ready to be speckled!

The final task is simply to use a toothbrush and paint to flick those all important speckles onto your eggs.  This is quite messy, so move into the garden or use lots of newspaper!  It is probably also a good idea to practice your speckling technique on some scrap paper before attempting your eggs.  Any mistakes however can just be wiped off using a piece of damp kitchen paper or wet-wipe.  I actually find it a good idea to wipe over the first application of speckles as this blends them in nicely and also tones in the black permanent pen.

You're done.....now just stand back and admire your work! 

Use them to bring the message of Easter into your home this year

All these eggs for £1.50.......cheep cheep!

I had to go with the last pun, it's such an eggcellent yolk......

Hopefully this tutorial contained enough eggsplanation and has inspired you to now make your own xx