These fine and delicate Easter eggs are covered entirely with paper napkins and are extremely easy to make! I already have a dozen or so that I made a couple of years ago and I’m making some more this year to give as a present, and, of course, to show you. On today’s post you’ll find the step by step process on how to make your own. Two more posts are following on how to hang them (Part II, tomorrow) and an easy and inexpensive way to wrap them and offer them as a present (Part III). The instructions may include quite a few steps, but believe me: These little eggs are super easy and fun to make and can be a family project that older children can enjoy, too!
You will need blown out raw eggs with a white shell (how to blow out an egg at the end of this post),
You will also need a few good quality paper napkins with a design and colors that you like, a pair of scissors, a foam brush and some mat Mod Podge that will be used both as a glue and as a sealer.
Start by separating the first layer of your napkin from the other(s). Usually, good quality paper napkins are 3-ply but some may also be 2-ply. Keep the top layer of your paper napkin and discard the other(s). Cut a few pieces of your napkin either by keeping the outline of your desired print, like I did with the two strawberries, the butterfly and the purple flower, or by just cutting roughly around it as I did with the ones on the left (it works perfectly well either way).
With a foam brush, apply some Mod Podge on half of the egg and place the cut piece of napkin on top. Work gently with clean and dry hands and smoothen the surface with your finger. Let dry completely. Here, I have put together a little “assembly line”. The first half part of each egg is done and drying.
Repeat the process on the rest of the egg, washing your hands in between so that the glue on your hands does not destroy the part that is already done. When all sides of the egg are covered and are dry, apply an additional coat of Mod Podge. This will seal them and you will have them for years and years to come.
At this point, the eggs are ready to be used for decor in a basket, glass bowl or in any other way you like. But I like to hang them (see how on tomorrow’s post) and that’s why I will add a little ribbon to them. Plus, the colorful ribbon makes them look even cuter! If you want to add a ribbon to yours as well, make sure that the holes on the top and bottom of the egg are not covered with the napkin cut-outs.
To insert the ribbon: Use a thin wire (mine is a 22 gauge florist wire, 5 1/2 inches long plus 1/2 inch for the loop). Make a loop and insert the ribbon into the loop (1) and twist it so that the ribbon stays in place. Using the wire as a needle, thread it through one egg hole (doesn’t matter which one) (2) and take it out of through the other hole . The wire has to stay straight and it might take a few tries to get it through (3). Once you get the top of your “needle” through the second hole, pass the loop through the first hole, (press the loop with pliers if you need to make it thinner to pass through the hole). At this point (4) the wire has passed through both holes and the ribbon is through the egg. Remove the wire from the ribbon, make a double knot (even triple, if needed) at the roundish end of the egg (6) and let enough ribbon (7) at the pointy party of the egg to make a bow or hang. With scissors, cut off any excess ribbon after the knot.
Those are some cute Easter eggs! Make a small bow using the ribbon and they’re even more adorable! Here, I turned the egg holders upside down, so that most of the egg is visible, and that’s an easy way to display them.
I have a close up for you:
And here is another one. You can use the same pattern on one egg. This one here is entirely made of the same flower, on all sides.
Or you can use all kinds of shapes and colors on the same egg, like the one that has the two strawberries and the purple flower. They will all come out equally perfect!
You can “stretch” the motif on the egg to create a flat surface (works best with smaller motifs), or you can make little wrinkles for a more textured look (works best with larger motifs). There is no right or wrong. And if one didn’t work well, just hold it under running water; the glue and napkin will come off and you can start again.
I had so much fun experimenting with all the different patterns, shapes and colors! Most of my eggs are partially covered and only a few are completely covered. The paper napkin that I used has a white background and it blends well with the white egg shell.
The colors and design of the napkin make them look so pretty. And there are so many types of pretty paper napkins to chose from!
The layer of napkin is so thin that you would almost think that these eggs have been painted by hand!
Accidentally, I dropped a couple of them while I was arranging them for the pictures, and I’m happy to report that they did not break! I guess the paper and the Mod Podge added a protective layer to them.
Be sure to come back tomorrow to see how I will use these cute eggs to decorate my home for Easter!
How to blow out an egg: You will need a raw egg with white shell, one thumbtack, one bulb syringe from the pharmacy (used to clean babies’ ears & nose), and an unfolded paper clip.
(1) Hold the egg in one hand and use the the thumbtack to make a hole on the top of the egg. Move the thumbtack gently around to make the opening a little wider. Repeat the process on the other end of the egg. Try to make the bigger hole on the pointy part of the egg and the smaller one on the rounded part (2) Insert and take out the paper clip through one hole a few times to break the egg yolk. (3) Place the syringe on top of the smaller hole and squeeze. The air that goes trough pushes the egg trough the other hole. Make sure to work on top of a bowl. (4) Rinse the blown out egg inside-out under running water and place in a vertical position allowing the inside of the egg to dry completely, overnight.
