Artful Eggs

If you are planning on decorating Easter eggs this year, Artful Eggs: Six Dozen Extraordinary Ways to Decorate an Egg by Terry Taylor is the book for you. As the title belies, this book has all the information you need to decorate eggs. The first chapter is about the basics. Included is information about types of eggs, tools and hints for displaying your eggs. Apparently any type of egg will do, real bird eggs as well as wood or even glass. A handy section on tools is included. On the topic of coloring eggs, the book tells how to use natural dyes as well as food coloring. The next chapter describes lots of different projects. These start with a description of how to use stencils made from nature (small flowers or leaves) and natural dyes. “Trim eggs” are made from decorative ribbon or rickrack and are an easy option. Included as well are “pearl eggs” these are beautifully made using just pre-strung craft pearls and hot glue. A description of how to use small silk flowers with foam eggs follows. There are many more projects, ranging from easy to fairly complicated, and they are all beautiful. The final chapter offers ideas for decorating with eggs. Included are ideas for an elaborate springtime buffet, complete with egg place cards. Other ideas show painted eggs being paired with ribbon and fresh flowers. And lastly they provide info on doing brightly colored eggs hung from budding fruit trees for an Easter gathering. Happy coloring!

-- Mary Ellen, Main Library