All my eggs have their own personality. As I work, anything I am listening to (music, audiobook, radio) gets infused into the egg along with the design. It’s funny – eggs take several days to make, and when I come back to an egg after a break – whatever music or chapter of the audiobook I had been listening to, plops back into my head as soon as I pick up the egg again and begin to work. Must be a brain-thing. But I digress . . .

The Four Suns egg (affectionately known as ‘Celeste’) is one of my favorite designs. As you can see by the image number, I have made at least 38 of these multi-faced girls. I love the oranges and reds blending in the fiery rays of the sun. This is also one of my most difficult egg designs to make (hence, the price).

Celeste has evolved considerably over the years. I made my first on in 1996 (according to my part-number log) copied from a Pysanka Poster that I purchased online at The Polish Art Center

Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of my original egg – probably a good thing, I’m sure it was pretty scary – but it looked somewhat like this:

The evolution of this particular design began with an altering of the sun rays, which I changed almost immediately as seen in this early version:

I finally settled on rays (I was going for ‘shimmer’) and went on to tackle the face. The face has become the biggest challenge. Using the light-to-dark progression of the batik process, it is easiest to draw the facial features first using light colors. But it doesn’t look right.

Trial and error ensued. Finally, using the toothbrush rubbing technique, I was able to achieve a face that made me happy. One with dark lines and a lighter background. This is the latest version:

And of course, during this creative process, I had to apply Celeste to jewelry as well. I only did a few pieces several years ago,

and I think I’m going to give this another go with the current batch and the more modern technique.

Should be interesting!

Link: Enchanted Hen Productions Ostrich Eggshell Jewelry

Yes, I am excited.  This is the first batch since moving to the Land of Enchantment, and it’s a good feeling to be settled in my studio and producing again.

It’s always interesting to see the final results as opposed to the work-in-progress.  The pieces might start out kind of uninteresting, until I get the final coat of finish on them, adding depth and bringing out the colors.  My fave result was with the simple design of the Trypillian Spiral earrings which were fairly cool looking in production but the black on brick contrast was much more dramatic when finished.

And then there are the Ukrainian designs with their warm reds and golds – they’re so pretty, I’ll post a picture here.

And this is just the first batch!  I still have a ton of work ahead of me and more new designs, but it does please me to get the first group out.

So I better get back to it!

Oh, first a Heads-Up  for those of you that are not on my email list yet:  There is a 25% discount for my subscribers through the end of March.  Sign up for my Enchanted Hen Newsletter (located to your right, on the sidebar) to get the coupon code.

Allright, I’m really going back to work now . . .

Nan

There are many ways to varnish an egg.  Some people prefer the spray varnish, some brush it on, some simply rub it on with their hands.  I use a combination of the rub-on technique and one I developed myself which I call the ‘Stake Method’.  The Stake Method allows the finish to dry without any contact and results in a nice smooth  coating with no fingerprint smears, or notches from a holder.

You can use regular varnish or polyurethane. I prefer the varnish because it results in a harder, thicker finish.  Marine varnish is the best.  Be sure you purchase clear varnish, you don’t want any tint in it.  You will need at least a quart size so you have room to lift the egg in and out of the can.

Materials you will need:

• Rotary Tool with a drill point.
• Blas-fix egg blower
• Minwax Clear Shield Or other clear varnish (quart size).
• Nail drying rack
• Bamboo Skewers
• Styrofoam block
• Clear bin

Lets begin where I left off in my last entry:  You have completed the design on your egg, and are ready to empty and varnish it. . .

Before I empty the eggs, I rub them with them a thin coat of varnish to 1) preserve the design if they are dyed eggs, and 2) add a little bit of strength to the shell while I am abusing it.

The rub-on technique is widely used, and you may already be familiar with it.  In a nutshell: Dab a little bit of clear varnish into the palm of your hand, and roll the egg around your palm until it is completely coated.  Then set the egg on a drying rack (simply made with small nails pounded in to a thin plank of wood – the egg sits on the pointy ends).  Let the varnish cure overnight.

To clean the varnish off your hands – rub them with plain vegetable cooking oil and then wipe it all off with a paper towel.

Next, drill a small hole with your rotary tool (Dremel), and use your egg  blower to empty the egg, following the directions on the package for your egg blower.  At this point, I inject a small amount of regular laundry bleach into the egg, shake it up, and rinse it again.  This disinfects the inside of the egg.

Set the eggs back inside an egg carton, hole side down, to drain.  Let them dry completely, occasionally dabbing the hole with a kleenex to wick any residual water that gathers at the hole.

When the eggs are completely dry (this should take at least a day, and 2 days is better), you are ready to apply the final coat of varnish.

Open your can of varnish. Insert the blunt end of a bamboo stake in through the hole of the egg. Dip the egg down into the varnish, stopping just short of covering the hole.  You do not want the varnish to get inside the egg, so leave a little void around the hole.

Using another stake or a wooden popsicle stick to support egg, slowly lift out the egg and turn it upright.  Let the excess varnish drain back into the can until the dripping slows.  The more you can drain off at this point, the easier it will be for you during the curing process.

Turn the egg straight up and stick the pointy end into the chunk of styrofoam.  More varnish will drip down the stake, and may travel down through the styrofoam block to the table below, so be sure and protect your surface. I use a flattened cardboard box placed underneath the block.

When all your eggs are planted in the styrofoam – all pretty like an egg garden – cover the batch with a clean clear bin.  This will keep dust and cat hair from sticking to the varnish while it cures.

During the cure time (at least 2 days), you will need to spin the eggs a few times so they do not glue themselves to the stake.  Use the pointy end of a bamboo stake to turn the egg gently on the stick and loosen the seal at the hole.  You should do this at first after an hour, and then again after another hour.  By that time, it will have hardened enough so the egg spins freely on the stake.

If they do manage to glue themselves to the stake, you can run a razor blade around the base of the egg where the stick enters the hole, to loosen it.

Note: I use this varnish technique for both my vinegar etched eggs and for my dyed (batik) eggs.

Tip: When drilling the hole in your egg, be sure the opening is large enough to accommodate the bamboo skewer.  Have a skewer handy to size the hole.

Questions and comments are welcome.  Happy egging!

~Nan