DYE THOSE EGGS!!

It is egg dying time again!!  It came sooooo soon!!!  Anyway I thought I would like share my favorite dyed eggs with y'all!

These are just a few, I have loads of them! It was so fun to do!!

I saw these in Country Living Magazine in '93 or '94, can't remember exactly, BUT  I tried them and it was so fun! 

These were done with lots of onion skins and some with cinnamon, cloves, tumeric.  The designs are little weeds from the yard.  I moistened the weeds to get them to stay on the eggs, then took old panty hose and cut them up, put them around the egg and held it in place with a rubberband, pulling the hose tightly.  Then I left them in the water where I boiled the onion skins or spices.  At one point I had three or four pots of hot water full of spices, and onion skins!  I like the natural colors, but you can get lots of colors using different vegetables, such as red cabbage, beets...  The longer you leave them in the water the darker they get.  

That same year I also made some "Pysanke"( probably spelled wrong) eggs.  This is an ancient art where a design is drawn onto an egg with beeswax then dipped into a dye. You do this layer after layer using different color dyes.  Then when you are happy with the design you just rub off the wax and what is left is a very detailed  design. I looks like you are a great artist! :0) As I was researching this art, I read that the eggs were not blown out, but left in tact.  Sounds gross, but when you think about it, eggs are porous so the inside yolk and white eventually dry out.  Some of mine actually rattle!  I also think that not blowing them make them stronger so that they last longer.  Once in a while one will get cracked and the smell is not so good, so I just throw that one away.  

I have had these eggs for a long time, I store them in an old wooden egg crate.  It is best to keep them in a way that air can get to them, I am guessing that if they are kept air tight the smell would increase.  Sometimes when I first take them out there is a little odor, but once they are out in the air it is a lot better!  If you would like, though, you could blow them out!

This is fun to do with children as a lesson in natural dyes.

OK!!!  Get out there and dye some eggs!!

THE ART OF DECEPTION!

Deception!  What does that really mean?  Well according to Mr Webster it means to mislead, elude or cause to err.  We think of it as a negative thing.

In my case I call deceit "the cheap way out"!  Let me explain!  My use of deceit is in decorating as in faux finishes, tromp'loi, or Fool The Eye".  An example is when one makes a wall look like plaster when it is really sheet rock.
You probably know about the faux finishes, these are techniques used to add texture to a wall or furniture, even fabric.  There is sponging, ragging, color wash, and on and on.  There are also an infinite number of finishes because they can be anything you want to try, let your imagination go wild and try any tool, brush, rag, sponges, dirt, sticks...you get the picture!  These are ways that can be used to make a different look.
I like the colonial uses of "fool the eye".  They are combing, marbeling, graining, just to name a few.

This is our front door.

          This door is metal.  It was dented by soccer balls, baseballs, you name it!  I didn't want to buy a new door so I used a combination of graining and combing.  It has worked pretty well over the years. 

 I have also used it in the kitchen.  Our cabinets are pretty old, not cute old just OLD.  We contemplated putting in new cabinets until we saw the cost.  I decided to try to disguise the wear and tear with some faux finishes.  I decided on this graining, but there are lots of other ways this could have been done.

These are the doors to the pantry.

 These are the kitchen cabinets.
These have held up pretty well for a while!

Just to give you an idea of others ways graining and combing can be used to transform an object to look like something else!!
This is a graining project that I did at an office building.

This is a metal door that was red.  It was primed in this picture

 Here it is with the base coat.

This is the finished door, made to look like a wooden door.

This picture was taken before it was completely dry so it has a sort of film look.  That goes away when it it dry.

So if you are thinking about replacing doors or kitchen cabinets this could be an alternative.  It is cheaper to paint the old doors than to buy new ones:)
Even a coat of paint and no graining can transform kitchen cabinets.
I did ours a few years ago, so now the actual cabinet doors are falling apart.  I guess it is time to look for new doors if not all new cabinets:)

Take a look around at nature, as in bark on the trees or leaves, and imagine that design on something in the house!

Here's hoping y'all have a happy "deceitful" day and take some time to play with paint!!!!