Giant Egg

Cover egg with a coat of primer; let dry.

In a plastic container, mix joint compound with water until it has the consistency of yogurt. Stir in craft paint to desired shade (it will dry slightly lighter).

Place egg in a bowl to keep it from rolling. Paint top half with a thick coat of joint-compound mixture; let dry. Repeat on other half.

Lightly sand surface.

To speckle, place egg on craft paper. Thin craft paint slightly with water. Dip rough-bristled brush in paint mixture and aim at egg, then scrape chopstick across bristles, causing paint to spray. For larger dots, dab paint directly onto egg. Let dry. Repeat on other side.

If you want egg to stand, paint wooden disk; hot-glue to bottom of egg.

To make large egg into a cracked-egg basket: Draw crack shape onto egg with permanent marker just above middle of egg. Use a box cutter to cut egg along line. Lightly sand edges if necessary. Then follow steps 1 -6. Once the egg basket is completed you will need to weight the bottom of the egg to keep it upright. We used small pebbles. Fill the remainder of basket with Easter grass and place candy and gifts inside.