Silver Leaf, a Glue Gun, and Plastic Eggs

As I said before, I don't normally craft for Easter. 

While I think this may be  my final egg-centric creation for this Easter/Spring season, 

I reserve the right to change my mind.

It all started with a glass cloche, green moss, and a pewter base.

I wanted an elegant silver objet d'art to display inside.

I really had fun with this. 

What you're looking at is a plastic egg that I "drew" a design on 

with hot glue straight from the glue gun. After the glue had cooled and hardened,

(which only takes a minute or two), I brushed on leaf adhesive size.

Once dry, I applied a sheet of silver metal leaf., then brushed on brown 

and black alcohol ink, smooshing it into the crevices of the glue. 

For a final touch, I gently wiped some of the ink off the top of the glue lines and 

smooth surfaces of the egg, using a paper towel dipped in rubbing alcohol. 

What is left is a warm patina on the egg surface and darker ink in the crevices 

to enhance the contours, mimicking tarnish. Pretty cool, right?

I could have stopped there, but I realized that some people

are glue-gun-challenged. (Yeah Amy, I'm talkin' about you.)

So I thought I'd experiment with other methods,

and gave puff paint a try. Well, let me just say, that

while it basically worked, it was by no means

a picnic, nor as effective as the hot glue.

Here is a picture of the egg with a quick design drawn using puff paint.

Three reasons why I prefer the hot glue....

A) You have to wait at least an hour for the paint to dry. 

(Hot glue is cool and hardened almost immediately.)

B) Holding the egg while drawing with the puff paint 

makes it easy to smear the design you've just drawn..... 

C) The puff paint settles where it meets the egg, taking away the

distinct crevices needed for the ink to be smooshed into, and the profile is 

also a bit lower than the hot glue. What results is much of

the ink wiped away from the lines, taking away

the dramatic tarnished effect.

Here is a side by side of hot glue vs puff paint.

Although it may not look like much,

the puff paint egg on the right

has a very soft profile, compared

to the hot glue lines on the left egg.

Now if all this sounds like a hassle for an egg design,

you could just try some 3D stickers and go from there.

Or you could attach some flexible appliques made with

silicone and mini molds. There are lots of possibilities. 

I personally liked the instant gratification of hot glue, 

and the freedom to create my own designs.

With the egg at the top of the post, I drew a quick leaf

and vine design with a pen, then followed the 

lines with the glue gun. I should note that I used a mini

glue gun with a fine tip. That was actually the second egg 

I made with the hot glue. Here is the first one.....

Since I was experimenting, I didn't want to invest a lot

of time on a design, in case the technique failed to please.

So I just did some free-form swirls and lines with

the glue gun, just to get a feel for it.

The nice surprise here is that even something

as unexciting as sloppy swirls still seems

redeemable with the right treatment.

So even those who feel artistically-challenged

can create an elegant egg using simple lines.

I know I said I was probably done with egg crafts for now,

but I may feel compelled to draw a more perfect design,

so don't be surprised if you see another one here next week.

I do like the idea that the concept can be used

on other objects, like plain candlesticks, boxes,

frames, etc. That might get me thinking about 

Christmas ornaments.....Oy, too soon.

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