Family Photo Easter Eggs

Photo Easter egg

As photography has increased in popularity among hobbies, it seemed only logical to me to place snapshot images on Easter Eggs. Although I tried a similar technique years ago, new technology and products have enabled me to make, what I believe, is a superior egg to those made the first time around.

Materials and Tools:

raw eggs at room temperature
snapshots (see Steps 1 and 2 for details about selection, photocopying, and cutting)
cuticle scissors
paint, gold leaf and/or paper napkins, etc. for decorating
white glue
small paintbrush for applying glue

Decorating the Outside of the Egg

Although selecting the photos is the logical first step, you may find it best to actually decorate the outside of the egg first.

• When covering the egg with paper napkins, use the decorative type. Cut off the border and pull the layers apart. Tear into small pieces and apply to the egg with a generous coating of white glue mixed with water painted on the egg. Brush over the tissue after it has been applied, overlapping all edges so no shell shows through.

Figure A

Steps:

1. Select photographs to use as subject matter. The images should be small enough to fit inside the egg with extra room at the top. If the selected images are too large, use a scanner or a local copy shop to reduce them to size. If you use original photos, they will be sturdy enough to stand by themselves in the egg. If a photocopy is used, it is best to either laminate the picture or glue it to an index card for more body, then cut out the image.
2. The background inside the egg can be painted, left white, or covered with another photo. If another photo is used, a photocopy will work without further backing. The picture itself should be a relatively uncluttered image such as a beach, a road, a house, etc.
3. Using cuticle scissors with blades closed, poke a small hole in one side of the egg, then open the scissors and cut an opening. If you follow the outline of the egg itself, there will be no need to draw guidelines to follow. The opening should be large enough to easily accommodate the photos inside, but small enough so that there is still the illusion of looking inside of something.
4. Thoroughly rinse out the inside of the egg with running water. If you will be painting the inside of the egg rather than covering it with a picture, remove the membrane so it will not flake out later.