Eggcellent Kitchen Decorations

Don’t be chicken. These projects by Sandi Reinke provide an eyeful of delightful charm.

Eggcellent Bowl

Materials and Tools:

lime slush Calypso paper #27255
9 heather hen eggs #38010
Rice Krispy Shells "burnt" #922122
cocoa paper wire #11888
24" square of small-gauge chicken wire
small bowl
aluminum foil
white glue
bowl with water
hot-glue gun and glue
wire cutters
light gold acrylic paint

Steps:

1. Press the chicken wire over the bowl until it take the bowl’s shape. Then remove and set aside.

2. Cover outside of the bowl with aluminum foil. Smooth out as much as possible.

3. Prepare glue and water mixture, about 70 percent glue and 30 percent water.

4. Tear Calypso paper into workable strips. Dip Calypso paper into glue mixture and layer on the bowl, completely covering the foil side. This makes the inside of your bowl.

5. Put shaped wire back on the bowl, over the wet paper, and press the chicken wire firmly onto the surface.

6. Dip more Calypso paper into the glue mixture and apply to the top of the chicken wire, pressing it into the wire and allowing some of the wire to show through. Continue until the bowl is covered, allowing some of the paper to extend slightly past the chicken wire top in some places. Let dry overnight.

7. Clip top edges of wire, taking all sharp edges off. Edges will be uneven, adding to the charm of the piece.

8. Glue eight eggs to the top of the bowl about 1-1/2" apart. Leave one space for "hatched" egg.

9. The last egg has a "beak" and "legs;" to make legs and feet: Cut two 3" pieces of paper wire. Cut 1" off each piece, and fold the 1" pieces in half.

10. Hot glue the folded pieces to the remaining 2" leg pieces, gluing the fold to the end of a leg piece (making chicken feet). Poke holes on either side of bottom of egg, and hot glue in chicken legs.

11. To make beak, poke a hole in the pointed end of the egg with a pencil and hot glue the more rounded end of the Rice Krispy Shell into the hole. Paint the shell gold.

12. Glue the "hatched egg" into the open space left for him on the top of the bowl.