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 Dragon Eggs

four eggs
top: raw egg, hollow egg
bottom: dyed hollow egg, finished Dragon Egg

Materials:
  • raw eggs
  • ice pick
  • small bowls for raw egg and dyes
  • hot water
  • vinegar
  • food coloring
  • confetti
  • tissue paper
  • white glue or craft glue
  • scissors

Start with raw eggs (do not use hard-boiled eggs!).

Gently pierce each end of the egg's shell with an ice pick. Make sure to insert the ice pick into the egg and break the yolk. Using the ice pick, enlarge the hole at one end so it is no bigger than a dime. Holding the egg over a bowl, blow at the smaller hole in the shell so that the contents of the egg flow out of the larger hole.


raw egg, hollow egg

Alternately, you can pierce a larger hole (no bigger than a dime) in just one end of the egg and shake the contents of the egg out. This may take a little longer, but it results in the cleaner look of only one hole.

After you've emptied the egg, wash the egg inside and out thoroughly. Let dry.

You can dye the hollow egg just like you would any Easter egg. Mix boiling hot water with 1 teaspoon vinegar. Add food coloring in the color of your choice -- the more drops of color you add, the darker the final dye color. Dip the hollow egg into the dye. For darkest colors, let the egg soak in the dye for up to an hour, turning frequently for even color.

Instead of food-color dyes, you can paint the hollow eggs with craft paints or use small rubber stamps and ink. You could draw patterns with glue and sprinkle glitter over the glue. You could glue ribbon around the egg or use paper cutouts for decoupage. Let your imagination run wild with egg decorating!

After the egg is decorated and fully dry, fill the eggshell about halfway with confetti. You can make confetti using scrap paper and a hole punch or you can buy it at a craft or party supply store. If you want extra sparkle (and a bigger mess ;-), add some glitter into the confetti.


empty dyed egg, finished Dragon Egg

Next, cut tissue paper into a small square that will overlap the larger hole in the eggshell. You can use tissue paper in the same color as the egg decorations or in a contrasting color. Dab a small amount of glue around the opening of the larger eggshell hole. Place the tissue paper over the hole and gently press the paper into the glue. Once the glue is dry, trim away excess paper.

Dragon Eggs are a great addition to a gothic Easter basket or for an egg hunt. They're fun for kids and perfect for anyone who doesn't like to eat hard-boiled eggs. Of course, the best part about Dragon Eggs is cracking them over someone's head, especially if they aren't expecting it! Take a dozen to your next summer picnic and surprise your friends!





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