Dyed in fresh spring hues, our egg chain makes a cheerful seasonal swag for a mantel mirror; the blown-out eggshells are light enough to loop across a doorway. The simple hardware (a few adhesive hooks) is concealed under satin bows for a finished look. Save extra colored eggs to nest in a decorative glass compote or cup.

For this project you will need two-dozen raw eggs, food coloring, seam-binding ribbon, a beading needle, 3-millimeter adhesive hooks, and satin ribbon. Ribbons should coordinate with one another.

1. With an egg blower (available at crafts stores), poke a small hole at top and bottom of each egg -- be sure that the pin pierces the yolk; carefully expel contents. Rinse, let dry, and then dye with food coloring.

2. Thread one end of seam binding through beading needle. Use to draw ribbon through egg holes. Knot ribbon to secure first and last eggs, and snip. Hang garland in swags over hooks affixed to wall or molding. Place bows so they conceal hooks.

Cover work area with old newspaper to catch drips. Use cups or bowls as deep as an upright egg, so you can completely submerge the shells.

To prepare dyes, use 1 teaspoon of vinegar and about 20 drops of food coloring for each 1/2 cup of boiling water. Experiment with various shades in different bowls; a couple of blue drops added to a red dye, for example, will yield a raspberry color.

Vary dipping times to create different intensities of a single color. Shells absorb dye at different rates: Dipping for less than 5 minutes will produce subtle, translucent hues. To deepen color, leave egg in dye bath for at least 10 minutes.