Paper Mache Easter Eggs

We made our string eggs the other day and that was fun, but because we were all home due to the coronavirus pandemic quarantine we definitely had some time on our hands for more fun crafts!  Enter paper mache eggs.  

I've done paper mache with the kids in the past, but my daughter was too young to appreciate it at the time.  This time, now that she's older, my she had a lot more fun.  She's actually quite the talented artist!  Look at her alien and Stitch.  So cute!

Before we started I did a little research and watched this video to decide what recipe we should use.  I was waffling between glue and flour recipes.  I've done the no-cook flour recipe multiple times in the past and it's definitely a good standby, but I was concerned about wasting resources when I wasn't sure the next time I would get to the grocery store.

We are still free to move around and go to the grocery store, but face masks are recommended and there is a limit of how many people can enter the store at one time.  I believe the limit at Walmart is 200 people.  That sounds like a lot, but if you've ever seen my local Walmart parking lot, you know that number is low.  All that to say, I wanted to use the gallon of glue I had on hand for slime making (now since banned in my household!) and not the precious flour in the cabinet.  

Above you can see all the newspaper we cut into strips and our containers filled with diluted glue.  We just dipped each strip in glue, used our fingers to remove the excess, and applied to the balloon.  We did a total of about 3 layers and it took about 2 days to dry fully.

I will say that the glue paper mache did seem to create a lumpier finished product.  It just didn't lay the same on the balloon as the flour version.  You can see in the picture below all of the lines from the paper.  I don't remember it being that stark with the flour recipe.  It's been a few years, though, so I could be mistaken.  I think maybe the thickness of the flour recipe creates a more uniform paste around the whole thing.  That's my theory, at least!

Below is one last photo of the eggs I painted.  They turned out alright, but I like my daughter's eggs best!  She really did a great job!

If you missed it, here is a link to the video I watched and it compares flour and glue paper mache. You decide what you like best!

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String Eggs

String Eggs

During this pandemic quarantine we have to find things to do.  One of those things can be making masks.  It's a worthy and useful thing to do.  If I'm honest, though, I like to add in some other things just for the pure fun of it!

I have a back-stock of craft activities and supplies, so I'm well prepared!  I made these eggs with my son one year with his homeschool group but we used yarn that time.  To put it bluntly, yarn was not the best option.  

I can't remember if we used decoupage medium the last time, but this time we used diluted Elmer's glue.  There is no specific ratio, just enough water to thin the glue to a slightly thinner consistency that will not stick in clumps to the string and a bit of salt to prevent molding.

So I mixed up some diluted glue and salt, and the kids and I blew up some water balloons and we got started.  All we did was dip the string into the glue, pinched our fingers and ran them down the string to take off the excess glue, and wrapped the string randomly.

I strung up a clothesline between rooms to dry the eggs. While it was certainly a slight hazard (LOL!), it made a great spot to dry our creations.  We dried them overnight and the kids were anxious to pop the balloons right when they got up in the morning.  

I was a little disappointed at how they came out.  You can see from the pictures that there is a lot of glue left behind.  I tried picking it out with tweezers but, yeah, after a couple minutes I was all set with that!  

They look cute piled in this Easter basket.  You could use them as a nice centerpiece for your table.  In the end, though, I decided to string them back up and hang them from the doorway.  They look adorable and they aren't close enough to pick at their imperfections.

With everything going on right now with COVID 19, it's nice to see a little festivity.  Easter is coming this weekend and it's sad to me that we can't spend it with others.  I will miss our choir cantata and family celebrations complete with ham and Easter egg hunts.  

We will do our own thing this year and it will still be fun.  We will have a turkey and candy and do an Easter egg hunt.  We will do some more crafts and still have a good time.

It's just funny.  For years I have thought of myself as an introvert, and I still think that's true.  But I realize getting out and being around people is vital to the human spirit.  I'm glad I have my family around even if the kids drive me nuts!

Here is a link if you'd like more detailed instructions.  Happy crafting!

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Pompom bunnies
Easter Eats

Cooking and Crafting During COVID 19

I didn't plan on writing here again.  I haven't written in over a year and I thought it was time to shut down.  But unprecedented times are upon us and we all have a little more free time.  I found myself not wanting to start from scratch on a brand new platform, and yet I wanted an outlet and way to keep track of what I was doing during this very strange time. I wanted to add to what I've already done because it's fun.  

Honestly, I thought about switching all of my content over to Wordpress and even began the process.  I thought of doing this years ago because it would more easily allow me to turn a profit while blogging.  But I re-evaluated and remembered the purpose of this blog is not to make money (though that would be awesome!) but to keep a log of the things I make and do and share them with you.  I can do that perfectly well on the blogger platform.  

I love looking back at what I've made and some of the projects I've done with my kids.  I am a record-keeper by nature and being able to see the things I've created in the past really makes my heart happy.  It's almost like a way of leaving my mark in the world, however small.

So I'm starting back up again as I've done before.  The next post will be on the string eggs we've made for Easter.  This Easter will be void of large group celebrations and church gatherings.  The cantata our choir has practiced will go unsung and Maundy Thursday and Good Friday communion will go uncelebrated.  Schools will be empty again this week and we will stay at home.  Stores will be filled with masked and gloved people and shelves of toilet paper will be unfilled.  It is a weird time.

I've been trying add cooking and crafts to the (very loose) daily schedule.  I've also been giving the kids freedom to do things on their own.  But don't get me wrong, these times are trying and our patience grows thin more than I'd like.  So happy faces and pretty crafts may not reflect full reality!!  LOL!  

Getting Started

Image by Pippalunacy

This is my second official blog.  My other blog, Jill's Curious Mind, found at jillscuriousmind.blogspot.com, has been dead for more than a year other than the one recent post I wrote.  The trouble with that blog is the vagueness of the subject matter. I could write about anything, really, but I was so unfocused. So here I'm going to write and show you the things that I do from my home. I love making things from scratch, be it cookies or cleaners or knit hats, but sometimes I cheat (I buy boxed cake mix).

I love reading about health and natural living, but to be honest, the wealth of information out there has caused my head to spin on more than one occasion.  I try to take what I can use and leave behind the stuff that makes me crazy. For example, as I read through Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions, I gained great insight and even a new way of looking at things.  I am no Weston A. Price foundation groupie,