Kidfrugal: Holidays

This was an eggtremely time consuming project to do, but it was also very rewarding, and even fun. I want to warn you though, don't paper mache it alone. I was having a great time until I hit that part and I posted on Facebook: "I began to paper mache today...and I was reminded of this quote from White Christmas: 'Miss Haynes, if you're ever under a falling building and somebody runs up and offers to pick you up and carry you to safety, don't think, don't pause, don't hesitate for a moment, just spit in his eye.' If someone ever asks me to paper mache again, that's my answer." To which a dear friend responded: "It’s going to be great when it’s done! Don’t forget to post! And you’ll forget all this trouble by next year- it’s like having a baby." And guess what? She was absolutely right. I had such joy when the thing was finished, and not because it was done, but because it actually turned out alright. And I gave birth to it. But I still recommend that you get help with the paper mache part.

Supplies you will need:

a tall corrugated cardboard box (preferably at least 6 feet tall)
a large square sheet of cardboard for the middle "shelf"
small cardboard mailing boxes
a broom handle (optional, but it will lend support to the structure)
a gallon jug full of sand (optional) if you want to weight the bottom
square sheet of plywood or chipboard as the base
wood screws of 1 1/2 " and shorter
screw drive and either a hammer and large nails or a drill to make your pilot holes with
box cutter and extra blades (cardboard will dull blades quickly)
a long straight edge like a metal yard stick
lots of newspaper (you can use other materials like paper towels or construction paper
flour and water OR white glue and water
1 can white spray paint primer (unless you use paper towels or light colored paper for your mache layers)
2 cans of the color spray paint you want to make your egg
1 can of spray sealer if you egg is going to be outside
2 packages of permanent self adhesive colored paper for a Cricut. One assorted (for the polka dots on the egg) and the other all the same color (for the zigzag around the egg's center). You can also paint these on if you have time and want to save money

If you want to add a scene inside you will also need:

Clear vinyl (the heaviest gauge Joanne Fabrics, or whatever store you use, has)
I also purchased some green turf at Joanne's (using a 40% off coupon) for the grass in the empty tomb scene
The rest of the items you can make yourself or purchase online and print yourself. The links are below

Cut and Prepare the Cardboard for the Structure

To get started you need to make the strips for the egg "shell" and a round circle for the center even if you aren't going to put a scene in the egg (if you are putting a scene in this circle will serve as the shelf for it to go on).

Use your yardstick to mark off the strips of cardboard. I made mine 2.5 inches wide, but I probably should have gone with 3 or 4 inches wide. I think there were at least 6 feet in length.

Use the straight edge to run the box cutter along to get a straight edge.

Next, curve the strips of cardboard by running them over the edge of a table or counter. Again, watch the video if this doesn't make sense.

The finished pieces should look like the ones below:

To cut my round circles, I used the hole in the yardstick to anchor it to the center of the cardboard. Then I put my pencil on the 15" mark on the stick and moved it all the way around until I had a circle. You could also use a piece of string cut to the length of 1/2 the diameter of the cirlce you want, attach it to the center of the square piece of cardboard and attach a pencil to the other end and run it around in a circle. Use the box cutter to cut them out.

Form the "Shell"

To make the "shell" of the egg, I attached the long strips to a square of wood I had. I originally used a staple gun, but I ended up using wood screws, and attached the whole thing to a 3' x 3' piece of chipboard.

What you are creating in this section.

I added the second set of strips on top of the first. I intentionally left one strip out because I wanted to put a "window" in the top 1/2 of the egg. I ended up adding a strip in the bottom half so there was something to paper mache over. I also used a small round circle of cardboard over top of the strips to help them pull up in a round shape (see second picture below).

To support the "shell," you stack small boxes up the middle of the egg. I weighted the bottom 2 boxes with a gallon of sand because the egg was going out side for awhile.

I also ran a broom handle up through the boxes to give it additional stability. I cut X's in each box to allow the handle to pass through.

This was not a perfect egg. The first cardboard circle probably should have been a little lower. The second one was not necessary. I was originally going to put the window up by that shelf. Once the "tower" of boxes was built, I brought the sides up and anchored them on the exposed broom handle. However, it really was not a good idea as I explain below.

This was a great way to anchor the strips of cardboard, but it made for a lopsided egg. Instead, I should have put a circle of cardboard on the broom handle and then anchored the strips all around it. I ended up having to put a circle of cardboard over the top of the whole thing (see 2 pictures down).

I had to put the circle of cardboard on top so I could get somewhat of an egg shape. I ended up using screws to get it to stay in place. And some duct tape.

You can see how the top piece of cardboard is screwed down. I also had to slit it all the way around to get to curve over the top of the egg.

Paper Mache Steps

I covered the egg with some brown packing paper I had before I paper mached it.

Then came the most time consuming step, covering it in paper mache. You can see the window area I left open below. I used glue and water for two reasons. First, I read that it would dry faster. Second, it won't mold if you plan to keep the egg for awhile (flour and water will, but you can add salt which helps to prevent it). I really did not like this medium. It seems like it went faster when I used the flour/water base in the past.

It took so long that I only put one layer of mache on. The brown paper gave it more durability though.

Painting

Since I used newsprint I spray painted it with white primer before using my yellow paint. My sister told me it would make the color "pop," and she was right.

One can of primer...you will still see some newsprint. That is the "window" that you see outlined in blue masking tape.

Then 2 cans of yellow spray paint. You can see why 1 would not be enough in the picture below.

Decorating

Now it was time to decorate the egg. We used a Cricut to cut the circles and zigzag pieces out of adhesive paper.

Stabilizing and Finishing

A friend used yarn to create the boarder around the window. At this point the egg was fastened to the wood, but it was very wobbly. I hot glued about 1 1/2 pool noodles around the bottom to secure it. I had to slit the noodle with a box cutter to get it to bend in a circle. Then my friend sprayed the wood with adhesive and we sprinkled green Easter grass all over it.

The final detail we added was a yellow plastic tablecloth. I simply pulled it around the egg and tied it in the back. Details on what I put inside the window are below this picture. The "R" was part of the egg scavenger hunt the kids did. There were eggs on yard sticks hidden all over town on people's lawns. Each had a letter which you put together to spell out a phrase (He is risen).

The Window:

I wanted to put a scene in the egg that would show children what Easter is really all about. I thought a large egg would draw their attention and then they would see the scene. My hope was that they would ask their parents about it.

Another idea I had for the egg was to leave it outside during Easter week and advertise the giant egg for families to come see. Someone would have had to take it in and out though, and this wasn't practical. So we put it in the church lobby after the event. Our church runs a preschool and everyday that week all of the children wanted to look inside of the egg. So it was a great opportunity for the preschool teachers to share the message of Easter.

I made the scene of the empty tomb and the risen Christ. The tomb and Jesus came from Catholic Icing (I cut the halos off of the figures that had them). I added Christmas lights I had with an external battery pack and switch. They weren't really bright enough, but I love how they lit up the inside of the empty tomb.

The scenery for behind the tomb came from Jesus Without Language (Witnesses to the Crucifixion Craft 2). I blew up the scene twice. I put the larger in the back even though that defies what you are supposed to do. I used blue construction paper for the sky. I was going to use the green moss turf they sell at Joanne Fabrics, but it was very expensive, so I opted for the astro turf they sell by the foot.

Some other scenery that would work well can be found at My Wonder Studio, a site that has loads of free visuals designed by Didier Martin. You can look at the ones for Easter below and access these at the link I just gave you for Martin's studio.

Color Flannelgraph: He's Alive! from MyWonderStudio

The window is heavy gauge clear vinyl they sell at Joanne's. I had to put "v" slits in it to get it to conform to the egg's shape. I was going to paper mache over the top of the "window," but I ended up using white duct tape at this point for the sake of time.