Start saving eggshells today

It will be after the holidays before I dye any more eggs, so in the meantime I’ll post some of these articles that have been accumulating. The first one is from Creating Mosaics, by James E. Seidelman and Grace Mintonye, 1967. It’s a nice introduction to making mosaics for young people. Harriet Sherman’s illustrations are charming.

DO IT WITH EGGSHELLS

Start saving eggshells today. You will need dozens and dozens when you find out how much fun it is to make an eggshell mosaic.

Save the egg cartons, too. They have twelve little cups that can be used for storing the eggshells after they are colored and broken into little pieces.

Tint the eggshells different colors with Easter-egg dye. Make several shades of colors, some light, some dark. Break them into little pieces and keep the colors in separate containers. It's also good to separate the different sizes so that you can find them easily when you need them.

Eggshells break easily and are hard to pick up, so be prepared with a pair of tweezers. Or dip a pencil eraser in paste and use it for picking up bits of shells. You will need two hands when you are working with eggshells; one to pick up the shell, the other to hold it in place. Straighten out a paper clip to help you keep the shell in place.

READY? WHAT WILL YOU MAKE?

Find a piece of eggshell about the size of a quarter. Spread paste on the back, place it on a piece of paper, then press down with your finger and see it explode into little pieces. Take a paper clip and spread them around.

It's like a puzzle. As you pull them apart, you create a design different, unusual, and your very own.

Do an eggshell mosaic on the inside of a saucer or a plate. Spread glue over the saucer, then pick up each piece of eggshell and stick it in place.

When it's finished, cover the design with clear shellac.

Give your mosaic a Byzantine gold-leaf look. After the eggshells are glued in place, cover everything with gold paint. Wipe it off immediately with a soft rag, 4 but do it gently and carefully so that you don't destroy the design. A gold background will be left in all the little cracks around the shells.


MAKE GIFTS WITH EGGSHELLS

Jars and boxes come in many shapes. Look for empty cold-cream jars . . . pickle jars . . . small metal boxes . . . compacts that are ready to be thrown away because the mirror is broken.

Covered with an eggshell mosaic, any of these would make a handsome gift.

Cut a piece of lightweight paper to fit around the jar or box. Plan your design, then sketch it lightly on the paper. When it's finished, spread glue on the back of the paper and fasten it in place.

TRY—a pattern of stripes in different colors.
TRY—a solid color across the top of the lid with a design around the sides.

Spread glue over the design you sketched on the paper, then pick up the eggshell pieces, one at a time, and lightly press them in place.