How To Make An Easter Tree

Guest contributor Sarah Shaw from brightbunch tells us how to beat this ‘coldest March in 50 years’ gloom this Easter by decorating your home with this fabulous Easter Tree with handmade decorations. Lots of fun for the family and season of renewal (and chocolate).

PLUS, she is offering BrightonMums.com readers a 4th bunch of flowers free when you sign up! Use the code BM4FOR3 on your order. (only one voucher claim per sign up, per person)

What you will need:

Attractive and sturdy-ish foliage, a few branches:

- Forsythia is ideal and has beautiful egg-yolk yellow blossom. ‘brightbunchers’, will get a supply of Forsythia next week (March 29th / 30th)!

- Elegant & fragrant Magnolia or Prunus would also fit the bill or maybe try Birch branches for a simpler option… anything that is strong enough to hold a few decorations.
A slender vase or bottle (so that the branches are held together and can’t flop out of shape too much).
- Alternatively you could ‘plant’ your branches in pot or container filled with pebbles for support. Just don’t forget to treat them like any fresh cut flower and add water regularly.

Decorations

Being Easter, using chocolate eggs would be the obvious choice plus a different way of presenting them. However if you would like to use something that may last longer then try making decorated eggs of your own. It can be a fun activity with the kids (under your supervision of course) and a decoraton you could re-use annually.

Decoupage eggs

Customise your own, home-made, egg decoration. You will need is some hollow eggs, paper and strong PVA glue.

Now for the tricky bit…

Of course the egg has to come first! (leaving philosophical-genetic debate about chickens and eggs aside…)

Option A – Blow out your own eggs.

You’ll need eggs, a straw or medicine syringe (without a needle attached), a scalpel, a wooden skewer and a bowl.

- Gently swirl the point of your scalpel into the end of the egg, pushing as you go slightly, until it pierces.
TIP: To make the shell easier to poke holes in, rub the egg on fine grain sandpaper to thin the shell before piercing.
- Repeat at the other end, but continue to widen the hole at the other end by swirling the scalpel around gently. Make it large enough to just insert the skewer.
- Insert the skewer and jiggle it around a little to break up the yolk.
Insert your straw or syringe into one end of the egg, the other end over a bowl and gently blow air into the egg. If the yolk appears stuck, shake the egg and try the skewer again.
- Now hold a finger over the bottom hole and place the top one under running water so the egg catches a little water. Shake it around a little and blow out again.
- Leave to dry and then they’re ready to decorate.

Of course once you have your eggs, decorate away! Try different methods such as decoupage, dye, or paint using acrylics or poster paint…

Option B – cheat!

Decopatch do a great range of ready-to-decorate moulded shapes, including small and large eggs for hanging, They also do beautiful papers and specially made-for-decoupage glues and finishing products. This range doesn’t come especially cheap but it is good and will make your creations easier to make…. which means more time rolling eggs down hills, hunting for them at the bottom…. or just eating chocolate on the sofa…

TIP: If you were to invest in just one thing from this range, the decopatch glue is highly recommended. It doubles as both glue and varnish, drying to a clear and glossy finish, and letting the colours of your paper shine through.

 

 

Here’s the sticky bit…

1. Cut or tear your paper into pieces – strips or squares about the size of a large postage stamp. Cutting will give you more of a ‘patchwork’ effect – tearing will produce a more ‘flowing’ look.

2. Start applying glue to your eggs then stick your pieces of paper on, smoothing the edges over with another thin layer of glue as you go. Work in areas, so that the glue doesn’t dry before you have a chance to stick your paper.

3. Leave to dry. Done!

 

However you choose to spend your Easter break, we hope it’s a good one for you and your families!

More info

Local Decopatch suppliers include:

T N Lawrence & Son Ltd:

36 Kingsthorpe Road
Hove
BN3 5HR

Fiveways Arts and Crafts:

261 Ditchling Road
Brighton
East Sussex
BN1 6JH

Tel: 01273 927 273

Or you can buy online at a website near you… for example http://www.thedecopatchplace.co.uk

eBay is also a good source for decopatch supplies, and is also full of easter egg dying and painting kits at the moment – some of which (such as this one) come with eggs all ready for you to decorate.

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