Project

Giant Egg

Enormous colorful plastic eggs look glaringly artificial; which is why there’s wit in taking them to the natural place -- coating each with hardware-store joint compound to replicate an eggshell texture, then speckling them all over with paint for a quail-egg appearance.

Photography: Gentl and Hyers

Source: Martha Stewart Living, April 2014

Introduction

Use one (or several) to decorate a mantel or side table, or as part of a centerpiece -- especially on a large table.

Sources

Large plastic egg, $9, mileskimball.com
Sheetrock joint compound, $3.50 for 1 qt., homedepot.com

materials

Large plastic egg

White primer

Joint compound

Craft paint

Paintbrush, 2 inches wide

Sanding sponge

Craft paper

Rough-bristled brush

Chopstick or pencil

Small wooden disk (optional)

Hot-glue gun (optional)

Permanent marker (optional)

Box-cutter (optional)

steps

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.