P Y S A N K A !

My love for miniature things and my craving for artistry have come together quite beautifully this year just before Easter. I happened to witness a Ukrainian Egg Painting demonstration by a Ukrainian woman named Linda here in the area. (She spends her summers in DisneyWorld painting and selling eggs. Tough life.) I couldn't believe how simple the process was. I had often attempted egg painting and in fact a bowl of hollowed eggs sat on my refrigerator for the better part of a year once as I tried to find time and supplies to sate my thirst for this new hobby. But this year I've done it! Thank God for craft stores! I have purchased kistkas, beeswax, and designs. Now the complex, elaborate, ornate, splendid world of pysankas is within my reach. I can't tell you how excited I am. If you want in on the project, decorate your own egg and tell us about it here at YLSN(a)ED. Here's a step by step approach to the traditional egg. BUT please be advised that it is easier to decorate a full egg than it is to decorate a hollow one. Other tips I learned from the Ukrainian that differ from the process you see on the link: soak in water and baking soda to clean overnight. Hold up to light to look for cracks. Dab on green and blue only where you want it (don't dunk) and then wax designs on the dried daub areas. Use a Blas-Fix after dying and polishing to empty and rinse egg. Make a simple drying rack out of thumbtacks through cardboard. Three tacks are all you need. DON'T EAT THE EGG YOKE AFTER. It should be kind of gross if you did it right.

To help inspire you (view images full size to see detail):