CREATIVE EASTER BASKET IDEAS ~ ALTERNATIVES TO CANDY
Parents will be thrilled to have these alternatives to sugary snacks in their children's Easter baskets:
sports hat with sunglasses attached
white Sunday straw hat with ribbons and bow
white baby bonnet.
gloves and pretty anklets with lace
socks
new Christian CD's
Veggie Tales CD's
Steve Green Scripture Songs on tape or CD's
miniature Easter tea set
a good book
art supplies
stickers
colored pencils
rubber stamps and ink
erasers that glow in the dark
gel pens
crafts
Legos
colored light bulbs for lamps in their rooms
sippy straws
Parents will be thrilled to have these alternatives to sugary snacks in their children's Easter baskets:
sports hat with sunglasses attached
white Sunday straw hat with ribbons and bow
white baby bonnet.
gloves and pretty anklets with lace
socks
new Christian CD's
Veggie Tales CD's
Steve Green Scripture Songs on tape or CD's
miniature Easter tea set
a good book
art supplies
stickers
colored pencils
rubber stamps and ink
erasers that glow in the dark
gel pens
crafts
Legos
colored light bulbs for lamps in their rooms
sippy straws
COLOR EASTER EGGS NATURALLY WITH DYES FROM YOUR KITCHEN
by Debra Lynn Dadd ~ Used by permission
The most beautiful dyes for Easter eggs come from foodstuff you may already have in your kitchen.
I have been delighted with the results of the colors I have tried and my friends have been thrilled to receive them as springtime gifts.
The colors are very unusual — gentle, earthy, soft, and very vibrant, without being harsh like the artificial dyes — and when I tell people the colors come from plant dyes, they always want to know the origin of each color.
To color these eggs, you boil the eggs with the dyestuff, rather than boiling the eggs separately and they dying them.
Here are the general directions:
1. Put raw, white-shelled, organically-raised eggs in a single layer in a pan. Cover with cold water.
2. Add a little more than a teaspoon of white vinegar.
3. Add the natural dyestuff for the color you want your eggs to be. (The more eggs you are dying at a time, the more dye you will need to use, and the more dye you use, the darker the color will be.)
4. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Quickly check the eggs for color by removing them from the dye liquid with a slotted spoon.
If the color is as desired, pour off the hot dye liquid and rinse the eggs immediately in cold water to stop the eggs from cooking. Continue to change the water until it stays cool in the pot because the eggs are no longer releasing heat. Drain and allow eggs to cool in the refrigerator.
If you wish a deeper color, strain the hot dye liquid into a container, then rinse the eggs immediately in cold water to stop them from cooking. Continue to change the water until it stays cool in the pot because the eggs are no longer releasing heat. Drain the last of the cold water, then cover the eggs with the strained dye liquid. Add more water if necessary so that the eggs are completely covered. Put into the refrigerator immediately and keep eggs in the refrigerator until the desired shade is achieved. Overnight is good. Longer than about twelve hours some of the colors just get muddier instead of deeper, and the lighter shades are more vibrant.
Try these foods to dye your eggs:
Red - Pink — lots of red onion skins, cranberry juice, or frozen raspberries.
Orange — Yellow onion skins
Brown — Red beet skins or grape juice (produces a beautiful sparkling tan), coffee.
Yellow — Saffron, tumeric or cumin, orange or lemon peels, or celery seed.
Green — Spinach, or carrot tops and peels from Yellow Delicious apples for a yellow-green.
Blue — Red cabbage leaves make the most incredible robin’s-egg blue.
Deep Purple — Red wine makes a beautiful burgundy color. (Editor's Note: Red beets work too.)
Tips for successful results:
* Use filtered or distilled water. Chlorine and other chemicals will work against the dye, making it less intense. Buy distilled water or use your own filtered water.
* For deeper colors, use more dyestuff or let the eggs soak longer.
* For even coverage, cook eggs in a pot large enough to hold enough water and dyestuff to completely cover the eggs, even after some of the liquid has evaporated during the 15 minute of boiling.
* Again, for even coverage, if you continue to soak the eggs in the refrigerator after cooking, make sure the eggs are completely covered with the dye liquid.
* Blot the eggs dry or allow them to air dry, as for some colors the dye will rub off while still wet. On the other hand, if you wish to make a white pattern on the egg, you can rub off some of the dye for some colors immediately after cooking.
* Make sure eggs of different colors are completely dry before piling them up in a bowl together, as wet dye from one egg can transfer to another.
Hailed as “The Queen of Green” by the New York Times, Debra Lynn Dadd has been a consumer advocate for products and lifestyle choices that are better for health and the environment since 1982. Visit her website for 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural and earthwise products, and to sign up for her free email newsletters. www.dld123.com
by Debra Lynn Dadd ~ Used by permission
The most beautiful dyes for Easter eggs come from foodstuff you may already have in your kitchen.
I have been delighted with the results of the colors I have tried and my friends have been thrilled to receive them as springtime gifts.
The colors are very unusual — gentle, earthy, soft, and very vibrant, without being harsh like the artificial dyes — and when I tell people the colors come from plant dyes, they always want to know the origin of each color.
To color these eggs, you boil the eggs with the dyestuff, rather than boiling the eggs separately and they dying them.
Here are the general directions:
1. Put raw, white-shelled, organically-raised eggs in a single layer in a pan. Cover with cold water.
2. Add a little more than a teaspoon of white vinegar.
3. Add the natural dyestuff for the color you want your eggs to be. (The more eggs you are dying at a time, the more dye you will need to use, and the more dye you use, the darker the color will be.)
4. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Quickly check the eggs for color by removing them from the dye liquid with a slotted spoon.
If the color is as desired, pour off the hot dye liquid and rinse the eggs immediately in cold water to stop the eggs from cooking. Continue to change the water until it stays cool in the pot because the eggs are no longer releasing heat. Drain and allow eggs to cool in the refrigerator.
If you wish a deeper color, strain the hot dye liquid into a container, then rinse the eggs immediately in cold water to stop them from cooking. Continue to change the water until it stays cool in the pot because the eggs are no longer releasing heat. Drain the last of the cold water, then cover the eggs with the strained dye liquid. Add more water if necessary so that the eggs are completely covered. Put into the refrigerator immediately and keep eggs in the refrigerator until the desired shade is achieved. Overnight is good. Longer than about twelve hours some of the colors just get muddier instead of deeper, and the lighter shades are more vibrant.
Try these foods to dye your eggs:
Red - Pink — lots of red onion skins, cranberry juice, or frozen raspberries.
Orange — Yellow onion skins
Brown — Red beet skins or grape juice (produces a beautiful sparkling tan), coffee.
Yellow — Saffron, tumeric or cumin, orange or lemon peels, or celery seed.
Green — Spinach, or carrot tops and peels from Yellow Delicious apples for a yellow-green.
Blue — Red cabbage leaves make the most incredible robin’s-egg blue.
Deep Purple — Red wine makes a beautiful burgundy color. (Editor's Note: Red beets work too.)
Tips for successful results:
* Use filtered or distilled water. Chlorine and other chemicals will work against the dye, making it less intense. Buy distilled water or use your own filtered water.
* For deeper colors, use more dyestuff or let the eggs soak longer.
* For even coverage, cook eggs in a pot large enough to hold enough water and dyestuff to completely cover the eggs, even after some of the liquid has evaporated during the 15 minute of boiling.
* Again, for even coverage, if you continue to soak the eggs in the refrigerator after cooking, make sure the eggs are completely covered with the dye liquid.
* Blot the eggs dry or allow them to air dry, as for some colors the dye will rub off while still wet. On the other hand, if you wish to make a white pattern on the egg, you can rub off some of the dye for some colors immediately after cooking.
* Make sure eggs of different colors are completely dry before piling them up in a bowl together, as wet dye from one egg can transfer to another.
Hailed as “The Queen of Green” by the New York Times, Debra Lynn Dadd has been a consumer advocate for products and lifestyle choices that are better for health and the environment since 1982. Visit her website for 100s of links to 1000s of nontoxic, natural and earthwise products, and to sign up for her free email newsletters. www.dld123.com
CREATIVE IDEAS: HOW TO COLOR AND DECORATE THOSE EASTER EGGS
by Angela Billings
Children and adults love to decorate Easter eggs for the big hunt or to use for decorations around the home. My children and I have experimented with a few ideas and wanted to pass them along to you. As always use precautions when working on any kind of project.
You will need to have your eggs boiled for these projects.
Color Your Eggs With Food Coloring
Have a small bowl for each food coloring color you want to use and any mixed colors you want to make. Add 1 cup of hot water along with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to each bowl and then measure ¼ teaspoon of food coloring into each bowl and mix. Then add your eggs to the mixture and allow them to soak until you get the desired color you want about 5 minutes or longer.
Refer to this chart as a guideline to make other colors with basic food coloring. For deeper colors add more until you get the color you prefer.
Purple – About 5 drops of red coloring and 15 drops of blue
Teal – 5 drops of blue coloring and 15 drops of green
Raspberry – 14 drops of red coloring and 6 drops of blue
Raspberry – 14 drops of red coloring and 6 drops of blue
Making Designs on The Eggs
To make various designs on the eggs you can use some of the ideas below.
Marbelized Look
Simply place several eggs in a strainer type bowl and pour vinegar over them, after this is done drip a few drops of your food coloring choice and roll them around in the strainer and then proceed to add your other color choices until you get the effect you are looking for. Let each color set on the eggs about 30 seconds before adding the next color. Then rinse them and let dry.
Rubber Band Technique
For this you will need a large rubber band to wrap around the egg several times but still leaving some of the egg shell exposed. Then you put the egg in the food color of your choice and allow it to sit until you get the desired effect you want. Rinse with cool water and then let dry.
White Crayon Messages
Use a white crayon to draw designs or write things on the egg shell. The next step is to put the egg in the food color of your choice and allow it to sit until you get the desired effect you want. Rinse with cool water and then let dry.
I hope you find these ideas and tips helpful and fun as an Easter activity for the family. Just remember that candy eggs are fun to eat and plastic eggs are fun to find with treats inside but coloring your own Easter eggs is an activity in which you can make some fun memories.
Angela Billings is the author of the ebook Home and Family Ezines Guide To Easter Fun you can read more about it at http://www.homeandfamilyezine.com - Used by permission
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