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Thursday, April 7, 2011

Spring Craft Idea

Egg shells are great in your flower bed and garden!  According to Colleen Vanderlinden at Planetgreen.com, egg shells are an excellent way to nourish your soil as they break down.  They also make wonderful pots for starting seedlings and with a little effort you can turn these handy little pots into a sweet little spring gift!
Here is a list of things you will need to get started:
Natural “dyes”
 I like mustard mixed with a bit of water, you can also use grape juice, coffee or tea (I need to credit my nieces, Lexi and Lily for these creative dye ideas!) 
Potting Soil
Seeds of your choice (herbs are perfect for this type of starter)
Clean, dry egg shells with open tops and a drainage hole poked in the bottom
Clean, dry egg carton filled ½ way with sand
Now you are ready to dye your eggs.  The longer you leave them in whatever solution you choose, the darker color they will become. Let these dry when you are done.
Add a few spoonfuls of soil and two or three seeds. Gently set your egg on top of the sand in the carton
When you are finished with all of your eggs, water them and place them in a plastic bag or container in a sunny location.  I like clear containers so that little ones can watch their projects sprout.  Once you see a sprout, uncover your seedlings and move your shells out of the direct sunlight. 
Once your seedlings are ready to be planted, you can package them up in pretty baskets or containers lined with colored paper shreds or tissue paper.  Now your eggs are ready for gift giving or planting!
An extra special touch:
If you are feeling really creative, you can print up a tag that labels the type of herb or plant as well as instructions on planting.  When planting your egg, give it a squeeze so that it breaks up a bit and makes an easy path for roots. 
Enjoy!


References:

Colleen Vanderlinden. Reuse These 3 Items for Indoor Seed Starting No cost, no-waste solutions for seed starting. 10 FEB 2010. Web. http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/reuse-indoor-seed-starting.html

2 comments:

  1. Oh Neato! Me and my little one may have to bust this craft out because I know some nanas and grandmas that would love these as easter gifts.

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