More onion eggs

[sunnyday]

Here are some easter eggs, dyed using a technique my mum taught me.
You place a pretty leaf or flower on a blown egg, cover it with a piece of stocking and secure it with a rubber band so that the leaf is pressed flat against the egg. I then suck some water into the egg so it doesn't float. Boil with onion skins for several minutes and you have a lovely brown egg with a leaf pattern on it. I rubbed the shells with olive oil to make them shiny but I'm thinking of washing it off and using spray lacquer instead.

I used the same technique with some blue egg dye too.




Edited by sweets4ever to include additional tutorial information/photos from later in the thread:

To answer a few questions:

I did the blue eggs with a packet of easter egg dye I found at a deli. I think it's Russian so I can't read the name. The packet is pictured with the eggs.

To blow the eggs you make a small hole at each end using a pin. I make my holes a few millimetres,or 1/8" to 1/4", in diameter. Start the hole by sticking the pin straight through the shell several times in a little circle, enlarge and neaten the hole by carefully chipping away at the edges. Blow out the contents then suck a little clean water into the egg from a glass as if the egg is a straw. Shake it around and blow the water out. Repeat a couple of times to clean the inside of the egg.

You don'd need to dry them before removing the stocking. Just wait for them to cool or run cold water into the pot.

The eggs are still pretty strong. If you are carefull with them and store them in an egg carton between Easters then you can keep them forever without breaking. My mum has a huge collection of dyed and painted eggs. She displays some in a bowl, some in egg cups and some hanging.

To hang the eggs, tie a piece of ribbon or thread around a piece of toothpick and insert it into one of the holes. I used scissors to score the toothpick in the middle so that the ribbon didn't slip off.

One other tip: You don't need to buy onions. There are usually plenty of loose skins around the onions at the supermarket.

[peachcake]

I am really interested in trying this. What did you use for the blue color?

[rafalkner]

These are lovely!

[CraftyCarrie]

WOW!  This is a great technique.  Thanks for sharing.

[cinnamon teal]

Holy moley!  These are gorgeous!  Thanks for the tutorial.  I think I'm going to have to try these.

[slb2724]

wow! my grandma does these, but i never knew about the onion ones! great job!

[bubba*tink]

absolutely beautiful!!!  I've wanted to dye eggs every year (but never got around to it...) but this year I think I'm definitely going to try this!

[thriftjunkie]

those are so incredibly stunning. do you let them dry after boiling with the stockings on? i wonder how you could get them so that they don't break? maybe fill them with something? hmmm...

[Altered Angel]

Oh WOW they are beautiful, I'll definately have to try this.

What are the blue ones done with?

They must be delicate, how do you display yours?

I really like them alot, Thanks for sharing.

[luvcraft]

These are lovely!! Thanks for sharing how to do them too, I might give it a try.
I was thinking that if you blew the eggs middles out - you could hang these as a mobile.