Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets Blog

Archive for March, 2010

If you're looking for a new way to dye your Easter eggs to create a little pizazz, try marbling your Easter eggs!  It's easy to do and creates spectacular results.

To create a "Marbled" look to your Easter eggs, add 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to your cup of egg dye.

You can start with a white egg, or one that has already been dyed a base color.

Quickly dip your egg in and out of the dye. The oil causes only some areas of the egg to get the dye, creating the marble design. Keep dipping for more intense colors. You can also let the egg dry and re-dip in a second color. Repeat as many times as you wish. When the egg is dry, blot with a paper towel to remove the excess oil.

Different amounts of oil will result in more or less marbling. Experiment to find the mixture that you like best. Remember you can always add more, so start conservatively.

Curious to know what other cultures do for Easter eggs around the world?  Some cultures decorate hollow eggs, some dye eggs like Americans, but many celebrate in other ways.  Get the scoop on this Easter Eggs From Around The World article!

P.S. If you don't have time to make your own Easter eggs, don't worry, you can buy a beautiful Easter gift basket at Holiday Gifts & Gift Baskets that is filled with foiled chocolate eggs....pretty sure no one will complain!

How to make a perfectly hard boiled egg.

The first step to a great Easter egg is boiling the egg. You don't want your eggs to crack, because then they don't look as nice, and aren't as appealing to eat when the dye seeps into the egg. Try to avoid picking the "Extra Large" or "Jumbo" sized eggs.  The shell tend to be thinner on larger eggs, with a better chance of cracking while cooking or dying.

Egg Boiling Instructions
Put a single layer of eggs in a large pot, and cover with COLD water (about 1-2 inches above eggs). Turn the heat on under the eggs and as soon as they come to a full boil, remove them from the heat and let them sit in the hot water for about 15-20 minutes.

After the 15-20 minutes, either remove eggs with a slotted spoon and place in a colander, or drain hot water from pot then rinse eggs with cool water until eggs feel cool. Place on paper towels to dry.

Wait until eggs feel room temperature before dying.

Basic Dye Instructions

There are many kits out there with creative ways to dye your Easter Eggs.  They may be convenient, but they're not the most economical choice out there.  Here is a basic dye recipe.

In small cups or bowls (that can withstand boiling water) use 1 cup boiling water, 1 tablespoon of vinegar and a few drops of food coloring.  The more coloring you use, the more vibrant the eggs will be.

For a basic colored egg, place an egg in the dye mixture and let sit for 1-2 minutes.  The longer you let the egg soak, the more vibrant the color will be.

Remove the egg and place on a paper towel, plate, or in an egg carton to dry.

In the following weeks I'll show you some of my favorite dying techniques for creating unique Easter eggs.  If you want to decorate the eggs today, you can find some great Easter egg decorating tips on this All About Easter lens at Squidoo.  You can find all kinds of craft ideas for kids as well as tips for making your own kids Easter baskets as well!

Here's a St. Patrick's Day treat you can really sink your teeth into! We've taken classic Oreo cookies and dipped them in milk, dark and white Belgian chocolate to create a one-of-a-kind treat for St. Patrick's Day!  A golden box holds 9 of our chocolate dipped Oreos that are sprinkled with  green shamrock confetti and sprinkles. We then add various hand-made royal icing decorations such as shamrocks and leprechauns.  Each delicious cookie is nestled in the square gift box to create our St. Pats Chocolate Dipped Oreos Gift Box.

We offer a wide range of St. Patrick's Day Gifts & Baskets to celebrate this Irish holiday!  Our gifts start at just $21 so be sure to check them out!

You may not find his gold, but you can catch a Leprechaun's charm with these fun crafts for kids.

How about try a Paper Bag Leprechaun Puppet!

Supplies:

• Lunch sized paper bag
• Scissors
• Glue
• Green, white, black, orange, and yellow construction paper
• 2 Googly eyes
• Crayons

 

Cut out construction paper for the hat, face and beard. (You can also use white paper and color with crayons).  Make sure to make the upper and lower parts of the face separate so you can make your puppet talk!  Template can be printed at freekidcrafts.com.

Here are other fantastic Leprechaun crafts to try:

Toilet paper Roll Leprechaun

Leprechaun Trap

Pot of Gold Craft

St. Patrick's Day Coloring Pages

For even more fun St. Patrick's Day craft ideas, check out this fun and easy kids crafts lens on Squidoo. You'll find resources for all kinds of leprechaun crafts.  And don't forget to check out all of our fun St. Patrick's Day gifts!