Easter Eggs dyed

Easter Bunny Vignette

I meant to decorate the hutch for Easter, but I only pulled together this vignette in a corner of it.  The bunnies are rummage sale finds.  The tumblers and glassware were collected in the last year.

Easter Bunny Detail

Even thought the bunnies are cheap, (probably from a dollar store), cute little bunny sculptures now make me smile, and I find myself picking them up at rummage sales often.  I hope to make a spring hutch arrangement soon.

Sometimes, the accomplishment is just getting Easter Eggs dyed (with the teenagers.)  Accomplished the Saturday before Easter...  

Easter Eggs

We used the pastel eggs in my vintage egg platter (below)...  My 15 year old suggested the rainbow arrangement. (He took an interest!  :)

Easter Eggs on vintage egg tray

I didn't have lofty goals this Easter, besides surviving the earlier then usual school spring break.

I hope you had a blessed Easter.  Cherish your loved ones.


Click on the images to see them enlarged. 

If you enjoyed this post you might also like:

Heart Quilt

Batik Scrap Quilt

Butterfly Bling

Savvy Style: Wow Us Wed 112 (Entry 294 of 336.) h
Trendy Tree: Creative Share Wed (Entry 165 of 225.)
Lavender Garden: Cottage Style 38 (Entry 6 of 26.)
Handy: Wicked Awesome Wed 104 (Entry 67 of 93.)
Ivy and Elephants: Whats it Wed 68 (Entry 44 of 70.) 
Rose Chintz Cottage: Home Wed (Entry 15 of 36.)
No Minimalist Here: Open House (Entry 108 of 166.) 

Brambleberry Cottage: Time Travel Thur 143 (Entry 40 of 89.)
Col Lady: Vintage Thingies Thur (Entry 4 of 19.)
Shabby Chic: Transformation Thur 198, (Entry 155 of 489.)
Charm of Home: Home Sweet Home 113 (Entry 1 of 136.)

A Delight: Home and Garden Thur 18 (Entry 52 of 98.)
Faith Grace: Pearls and Lace Thur 130 (Entry 10 of 29.)
From My Porch: Treasure Hunt Thur 101 (Entry 78 of 116.) 

Thrifty Grove: Thrifty Things Fri (Entry 1 of 54.)
Rooted in Thyme: Simple and Sweet Fri 57 (Entry 25 of 72.)
French Country: Feather Nest Fri (Entry 52 of 317.)

Imparting Grace: Grace at Home 53 (Entry 38 of 68.)
* Common Ground: Vint Inspiration 133 (Entry 37 of 226.)
* Romantic Home: Show and Tell (Entry 92 of 178.)
Chic: Flaunt it Friday 148 (Entry 36 of 227.)

Shabby Nest: Frugal Friday (Entry 96 of 374.)
Tatertots: Weekend Wrap Up (Entry 129 of 712.) 
Jen: Fabulously Creative Fri (Entry 137 of 148.)
Dedicated: Anything Blue Fri 3 (Entry 105 of 116.)

Natasha in Oz: Say G'day Sat (Entry 23 of 113.)

Funky Junk: Sat Night Special (Entry 66 of 185.) *

Be Diff: Show and Tell Sat (Entry 254 of 358.)

The Tablescaper: Seasonal Sunday 145 (Entry 22 of  89.)
I Heart Naptime: Sundae Scoop (Entry 170 of 569+)

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Eggs - travaganza!

Decorated Easter Eggs

I love the shape of eggs, and over the years I have developed an egg collection.  My main  collection started with stone eggs I got as souvenirs in the Canadian Rockies.  (See this blog post).  I got other eggs over the years as well.  In recent years, when I've seen eggs I like at an estate or rummage sale, I end up buying them because they are usually so inexpensive.  So I now have quite a mish mash collection of eggs.  Today I am showing you some of them.

The photo above shows six decorated Easter eggs that actually used real eggs.  They are incredibly light and fragile, and so I am glad I have taken the time to photograph and document them. It seems impossible that they will last a lifetime - they are each from hollow real "blown out" eggs.  The style of the eggs are different, and they don’t necessarily “blend” well, but I enjoy them anyway.

Ukrainian Easter Eggs

The photo above shows my three Ukrainian Easter Eggs, decorated by truly talented artists.  Eggs like these take hours to decorate and I have seen them for sale for over $50. I bought my three at three separate estate sales, each under $5.

My attempt at Ukrainian Easter Eggs

LOL!  The photo above shows my attempt at decorating Ukrainian Easter eggs. Can you see the difference between my amateur attempt and the experts?  My sister purchased the correct tools (a ‘kitsky’ stylus), wax, and the correct dyes. I used my Ukrainian Design Book (image at right).  

Trying to recreate the artistry someone else has achieved can really give you an appreciation for the talent and skill that goes into doing a craft well.  Drawing lines on a 3D curved surface is much harder than it looks, and takes a lot of practice.  I will not be practicing that much, so I hope to find more eggs at sales.  I also had a couple of more eggs I made, but they broke after several years, reinforcing to me how fragile blown out eggs are.  
 

Ukrainian Easter Egg

You can not count on finding an Ukrainian egg like the one above at estate sales.  I've gone to more then 50 estate sales, and only come across three Ukrainian Eggs.  And you don’t get a selection at estate sales – you just get the one random egg that happens to be there. 

Ukrainian Easter Egg, Multiple views

I now like Ukrainian Easter Eggs so much that I am considering buying a full price egg next time I see an egg artist selling them - just to encourage the artist for spending so much time perfecting this craft.  Support your local artists!  

Pewter Easter Egg

Another egg I bought many years ago with my husband is the pewter egg above.  We like pewter, and this little egg was at a shop in Long Grove, Illinois.  They had several different pewter eggs there, but they were expensive (for us at that time), and so we only bought this one.  It opens up.  It is kind of like my own little Faberge egg, if you know what those are.

Dutch Delft Easter Egg

The last egg I am sharing today I bought when my husband and I were on vacation in Holland.  Holland is known for Delft china - a hand painted blue and white china.  The souviner shops feature Delft, and we toured a Delft factory.  Delft china sort of goes with the flow blue china I love.

Delft Easter Egg

In Holland, we saw three beautiful eggs in a window display in a shop.  The shop clerk would not/could not sell us the items from the window display, something that clerks typically will do in the United States.  After that, we searched for eggs in all the other souvenir shops we came across and even the Delft factory store.  This one egg was the only souvenir egg we found for sale.  Sometimes it is the search that makes it fun.  

I hope you enjoyed the goofy collection of eggs presented.  You may also have noticed the vintage linens I picked to go with the various eggs...  Have a Happy Easter all!

Click on the images to see them enlarged. 

If you enjoyed this post you might also like:

Heart Quilt

Batik Scrap Quilt

Butterfly Bling

Spring Needlework

Vintage Lace

Eggs of stone

Faith Grace: Pearls and Lace Thur 129 (Entry 20 of 23.)

Brambleberry Cottage: Time Travel Thur 142 (Entry 88 of 93.)

A Delight: Home and Garden Thur (Entry 90 of 93.)
Shabby Chic: Transformation Thur 197, (Entry 488 of 494.)
Charm of Home: Home Sweet Home 112 (Entry 115 of 162.)

Jen: Fabulously Creative Fri (Entry 117 of 153.)
Thrifty Grove: Thrifty Things Fri 102 (Entry 36 of 51.)

French Country: Feather Nest Fri (Entry 226 of 338.)
* Common Ground: Be Inspired 132 (Entry 184 of 235)
* Romantic Home: Show and Tell (Entry 151 of 299.)
Chic: Flaunt it Friday 147 (Entry 104 of 222.)
Shabby Nest: Frugal Friday (Entry 186 of 410)
Tatertots: Weekend Wrap Up (Entry 392 of 712)
Shabby Art: Shabbilicious Friday (Entry 75 of 83.)
Vintage Farm: Creative Thing Thur (Entry 31 of 46)
Maleviksrose: Easter Showoff (Entry 33 of 70)
From My Porch: Treasure Hunt Thur 100 (Entry 127 of 129) 
How Sweet: Pink Saturday (Entry 70 of 129.)  *
Mod Vintage: Mod Mix Mon 95 (Entry 35 of 59.)

Boogie Board: Masterpiece Mon 117 (Entry 100 of 111.) 
BNOTP: Metamorphis Monday 219 (Entry 188 of 196.)
Making the World Cuter (Entry 180)

Uncommon Slice: Tues Treasures 128  (Entry 109) 
Savvy Style: Wow Us Wed 111 (Entry 373)
Rooted: Simple and Sweet Fri 56 (Entry 59)
No Minimalist: Open House Wed (Entry 192)
Lavender Garden: Cottage Style 37 (Entry 1b)
Handy: Wicked Awesome Wed 103 (Entry 111)
Rose Chintz Cottage: Wed (Entry 18)

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Needlework finds

I haven't written a blog post for so long I'm going to have to relearn how to do it. So today I am just sharing some needlework images that I hope you will enjoy.

I enjoy estate sale and rummage sales. Recently I have been finding beautiful examples of lace and other needlework - crocheting, knitting, tatting, hardinger, cutwork, and more. The prices are frequently low - so now I have a collection of needlework.

Vintage Doily (diameter about 9.5 inches)

The details of the needlework I collect captivate me - the artistry, the design, the creativity, the knowledge and the skill, the amount of time it would take to create the piece. I think the amount of time it would take to duplicate a piece awes me.

Vintage Needlework doily with crocheted edge

I learned to sew, crochet, embroider and knit. I have done weaving, cross-stitch and hardinger - mostly tiny projects, like Christmas ornaments. I decided I didn't want to become "jack of all trades, master of none" - so I decided to concentrate on quilting and left the other crafts behind. But my beginner skills have left me with an appreciation for the needlework I now find at estate sales.

Vintage Lace with a 3-d Rose petals

The pieces are rarely perfect - because it's handwork, and because of the passage of time.  Still, the skills the needlework displays make me marvel.  For example, in the image above, the middle rose petals are free from the background - see how they are folded up in this detail as opposed to the first image.

Detail of doily with crocheted edge.

I like to try to figure what techniques were used for a piece.  The edge of the doily above is crocheted, but the acorn like shapes in the piece above is a technique I have never seen before.



Click on the images to see them enlarged.


If you enjoyed this post you might also like:

Spring Needlework

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Heart Quilt

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I am linking to these parties:

Dedicted House: Make it Pretty Monday 40 (Entry 312 of 375.)

Mod Vintage: Mod Mix Mon 92 (Entry 65 of 72.)
Boogie Board: Masterpiece Mon 114 (Entry 121 of 143.) 

BNOTP: Metamorphis Monday 216 (Entry 230 of 238.)
Making the World Cuter (Entry 187 of 199.)

Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tues 154 (Entry 186 of 278.)

Maria: Tue at our Home (Entry 23 of 35.)

Uncommon Slice: Tues Treasures 126  (Entry 128 of 266.) 

Diamond: Time to Shine 108 (Entry 132 of 157.) 

Uncommon Design: Monday Funday 9 (Entry 612 of 671.)

Twigg: Sunday Showoff 9 (Entry 91 of 94.)

Stroll Life: Table Top Tue 156 (Entry 73 of 126.)

Sew: Sew Darn Crafty 105 (Entry 199 of 207.) 

Savvy Style: Wow Us Wed 109 (Entry 299 of 472.)  

Lavender Garden: Cottage Style 35 (Entry 21 of 36.)
Handy: Wicked Awesome Wed 101 (Entry 85 of 128.)
Rose Chintz Cottage: Wed (Entry 10 of 35.)
Faith Grace: Pearls and Lace Thur (Entry 12 of 26.)
Brambleberry Cottage: Time Travel Thur 140 (Entry 45 of 81.)

A Delight: Home and Garden Thur (Entry 70 of 77.)
Shabby Chic: Transformation Thur 195, (Entry 183 of 481.)
Sew Much Ado: We Did It Wed (Entry 233 of 255.)
Charm of Home: Home Sweet Home 110 (Entry 76 of 150.)

Jen Rizzo: Fabulously Creative Fri (Entry 164 of 187.)
Thrifty Grove: Thrifty Things Fri 100 (Entry 36 of 64.)

French Country: Feather Nest Fri (Entry 199 of 419.)
* Common Ground: Be Inspired 130 (Entry 139 of 249.)
* Romantic Home: Show and Tell (Entry 110 of 289.)
Chic: Flaunt it Friday 144 (Entry 105 of 281.)

Shabby Nest: Frugal Friday 144 (Entry 152 of 435.)
Annamarie: Link your Stuff 20 (Entry 178 of 215.) 

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Batik Star Quilt

Batik Quilt Top

Today I am sharing a scrap quilt top I made with batik fabric I have collected over the years.  I finished this quilt top more then a year ago.  One of my goals for 2011 (with 2012 as a fall-back) is to actually put a back on this top and quilt it.  Quilting the quilt tops, and binding the quilt together is something I am not good at, and actually dread.  I try hard to piece really well, get seams to line-up, and then when I quilt it - Ugh!  everything goes down badly and there are puckers and messes everywhere.

The quilt top has a pieced sash framing squares of batik fabric.  The intersections of the sash form white stars.  If you squint your eyes a little bit, you can see four darker diamond stars in the pattern.  I put them there on purpose - since I have four children I decided there was one diamond for each of them.

Closeup of Quilt top - can you see 4 dark diamonds?

Although this is not a new quilt pattern, I don't know the pattern's actual name.  When a similar star sash frames a log cabin quilt, I believe the name of the pattern would be a "Colorado Log Cabin".  I didn't include the log cabin blocks, I just wanted to frame and highlight the beautiful batik squares.

In Mar 2011 I shared another batik scrap quilt top I made, this is a different top, although both quilts share many of the same batik fabrics.

The star quilt's dimensions are approximately 36 by 48 inches. By the way, I am joining thrifty and vintage parties with my quilt because quilts were originally thrifty, and I consider quilts a vintage art form, or at least vintage inspired.

Click on the images to see them enlarged.

I blog for fun and my blog is ad free.  Comments encourage me, and I sometimes need encouragement. Please leave a comment if you have time!  Anonymous comments and  comments months/years later are welcome!

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If you enjoyed this post you might also enjoy:

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Spring Mini-Album

Mixed Media 1

Needlework

Vintage Lace

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I am linking up to these memes:

Stitched in Color: Celebrate Color (Entry x)

Quilt story: Fabric Tuesday (Entry 50 of 53)

Creative Itch: Sew Cute Tue (Entry 74)

Very Merry Vintage Style (Entry 3)
TShirt Diaries: Stashbusting (Entry 35)

Mod Vintage: Mod Mix Mon 7 (Entry 10)
Running with Glitter Mon 18 (Entry 112)
Roses: Show off your Cottage Mon (Entry 38)
Boogie Board: Masterpiece Mon 29 (Entry 66) h
Dittle Dattle: Amaze Me Mon 33 (Entry 247)
BNOTP: Metamorphis Monday (Entry 133)
Making the World Cuter (Entry 208)

Diamond: Time to Shine 27 (Entry 105)  

Todays Crafts: Get Your Craft On Tues (Entry 29)

Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tues 81 (Entry 58 0f 235+)

Uncommon Slice: Tues Treasures  (Entry 183)

* House of Grace: Twice Owned Tues (Entry 48)
Sassy Sites: T2Treasure Tues  (Entry 82)
Someday Crafts: What Ever Goes Wed 85 (Entry 550 of 581.)

Trendy Treehouse: Creative Share Wed (Entry 27)
Sew Much Ado: We Did It Wed (Entry 7 of 404.)
Beach Cottage: Good Life Wed (Entry 37 of 43+)
Brambleberry Cottage: Time Travel Thur 64 (Entry 40)

Col Lady: Vintage Thingies Thur (Entry 11)
Bloggeritaville: Thrifty Thur (Entry 36)
Shabby Creek: Transformation Thur (Entry 228)
Strut your Stuff (Entry 163)

Charm of Home: Home Sweet Home 34 (Entry 89)
French Inspiration (Entry 3 of 11)
Thrifty Grove: Thrifty Things Fri 27 (Entry 34)
French Country: Feather Nest Fri (Entry 197 of 315.)
* Common Ground: Vint Inspiration 57 (Entry 103 of 163.)
* Romantic Home: Show and Tell (Entry 207 of 345.)
Chic: Flaunt it Friday 72 (Entry 105)
Picket Fence: Inspiration Fri 34 (Entry 211)
Friday's Unfolded 35 (Entry 93)
Tatertots: Weekend Wrap Up (Entry 563 of 952.)
Addicted to Decorating 30 (Entry 65) 
Funky Junk: Sat Night Special 101 (Entry 63)

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