Friday Egg: Tippyloo Part Deux

It's another round of Tippyloo eggs this Friday, two chicken eggs and one tiny quail egg done the same way but with brighter colors.  I can't decide if I like one better than the other.  I really like the earth tones of last week's egg, but the brights are a lot of fun too.  Which one do you like?

Happy Friday!

Friday Egg: Does this look like a Tippyloo egg?

It's still Friday right?  I think I will be getting this done in time to still qualify for Friday egg.

This is a new design! I am really enjoying the freeform movement of the swirling colors.  This design was inspired by my friend Julie. She has a nephew she adores and she is making up stories for him about a make-believe bird called a Tippyloo. She called me to ask whether I could create a Tippyloo egg to send him for Easter and this is what came to mind immediately.  I am still playing with the design and colors - next week when I have a working camera (these photos were taken with my i-phone) I will post photos of a few more colorways I have explored with this design.  It reminds of of those beautiful agate gemstones like this:

I started with a brown egg on this, waxed and then dyed yellow.  Waxed the yellow layer and then etched it down to white and waxed that layer.  Next I dipped in Brick very briefly to get the terra cotta color and waxed.  Next I dipped in Asparagus for the dark green and once that layer was waxed, I washed the dye down to a lighter Asparagus color and waxed that layer.

I hope you like it, because you will definitely see more of this design.

Happy Friday!

Friday Egg: Technical Difficulties

Friday Egg is postponed for a bit as I can't find my camera battery charger.  Argh.

Friday Egg: Lavender Iris

Friday Egg this week is a restrained little and shy little thing that reveals its infinite charms only upon close examination.  

I started with a brown chicken egg for my outlines.  Once all the guidelines were drawn, I etched the egg in regular white vinegar until the eggshell was white.  I dipped the egg in bright yellow for the polka dots surrounding the flowers and the yellow centers of the flowers.  I did the nets and some tiny triangles in the eternity band in bright green as well as the leaves of the flowers.  Next was orange for the band and then violet for the flowers and details in the band.  For the final background color, I washed the purple dye down with just plain water until it achieved the pretty lavender color.  One side shows two iris and the other side is a bloomed iris and a bud, each surrounded by spiky shoots.

Unusual color combination of purple and orange on this egg!  I wonder how different this egg would have looked with a white egg instead of a brown egg.  Probably a lot more showy and bright.  I really like this sweet little guy, hiding his lights under a bushel.

If you are interested in purchasing this sweetheart, click here!

Hope you like it too.  Happy Friday!

Friday Egg: First of 2011

Happy New Year!

The first Friday egg of the year is a pretty little dark brown egg featuring a peacock on a  tree.  I really like the colors on this egg, especially the golden yellow.  I am having a hard time getting back on schedule, so I don't have a lot of time to blog today.  I need to go exercise - I started the Couch to 5K program yesterday and want to get a quick run in before I go to my kickbox class this evening.  

Enjoy the egg!

Friday Egg: Traditional Scarlet Poppy

I'm busily getting ready for the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, which starts next Wednesday.  I have to be ready to load in by Monday, so I have only three days left to get everything sorted both for the booth.

So the Friday Egg today is short on words and long on pictures, but I think that's what you like anyway, right?

This poppy egg was started on a white goose egg and went through the traditional steps of light to dark.  I really like the orange tips on the petals and scarlet inner petals.  One mistake that turned out interesting was the black spots on the petals - that was me being in a hurry and not covering all the areas with wax so that the final dye bath of black got on those parts of the flower. I think it adds some interest and texture, so will have to figure out a way to incorporate that idea in future eggs.

The poppy is a popular motif in traditional pysanky.  It is the national flower of the Ukraine. I personally enjoy it because it is fun to draw.  The flowers has a definite structure, but within that structure I can make a lot of different choices.  The petals can be ruffled or straight-edged.  I can do one solid color or choose different colors like in this egg.  I can do a straight-on view of a flat poppy or a side view. I also like playing with buds and seed pods.

Hope you enjoy it!

I will be taking the rest of the year off unless I get a wild hair and post another egg.  Most likely I will be too busy with the Armadillo to get back to this until the new year

Friday Egg: ‎"the earth laughs in flowers." — Ralph Waldo Emerso n

I saw this quote this morning from my friend Jackie on Facebook that I loved (Houston friends should visit her shop: Mariposa Flowers.)  I thought it was totally appropriate to the subject of the Friday egg.

‎"the earth laughs in flowers." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanks for the great quote, Jackie!

Big Announcement today:  I will be participating in the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar!  I am very excited to be a part of this Austin tradition, while at the same time being completely freaked out by how big the show is!  It is a 10-day art show at the Palmer Events Center in downtown Austin that goes from December 15 to Christmas Eve, December 24th and is open each day from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.  Live music daily, food and drinks;  it's going to be tremendous fun. You can check out the music schedule here.  I have been busily getting my storefront set up for the show, and am really looking forward to being done with the preparations and getting on with the SHOW!

And now, the moment you have all been waiting for:  FRIDAY EGG!

Today I want to show you how a simple change in color scheme can dramatically alter the mood and feel of a design.  The first design was done starting with a white goose egg.  I chose bright colors and a black background to make the flowers really pop.  Next to the egg is a second egg I did where I started with a dyed-black goose egg, then washed it back down to white and proceeded with dyeing approximately the same colors as I did on the black background egg.  When I was done, I etched the eggshell back down to white so that the outlines would stand out.

Isn't the contrast interesting?  One is a sweet floral, the other is a 1960's hippie extravaganza (this descriptor came from a co-volunteer I work with at the Harry Ransom Center - thanks Lysa!)

Sweet Floral

1960's Hippie Extravaganza

Do you have one you prefer?  I really like both of them for different reasons, so I am finding it hard to choose. 

Happy Friday!

P.S.  The Susan G. Komen Ostrich egg is up in the Holiday House Easter Room!  And the Ebay auction is up and running, with all proceeds going to directly to the Susan Komen Foundation.  Please take a look and bid for it!