marbled plastic easter eggs

I have a confession to make, plastic Easter eggs are not my favorite thing! While they are great for filling with goodies, they are really challenging to decorate. But this year, after lots of experimentation, I discovered a really pretty way to transform those plastic eggs!

I started with a variety of plastic eggs in all kinds of bright colors. 

Remember back in February when I shared how much I love the product Easy Marble? Well the great thing about Easy Marble is that it works on all kinds of surfaces, including plastic.

You can use Easy Marble just like any marbling process- pour the paint into water and it will float on top of the surface.

You can use a toothpick to move the paint around and even more marbling.

Then dip the plastic egg into the water and it will pick up the marbling! The cool part of this process is that the color of the egg will show through the marbling.

The result is really beautiful plastic eggs!

Looking for more egg decorating inspiration?

bird nest eggs   watercolor easter eggs   everyday decorating easter eggs   butterfly eggs

wood burned eggs

mermaid eggs   geometric eggs   doodle eggs   whimsical eggs

scrappy eggs   altered plastic eggs   speckled eggs   canvas eggs

coiled rope hanging planter

Recently I did some rearranging in our living room. After moving things around, I was left with a big space in one corner that was screaming for a hanging plant! While there are some really pretty macrame hanging planters out there, I was inspired to create a rope basket planter. The process is crazy easy!

You can make a coil basket out any thick rope or twine, you can even use scraps of fabric wrapped around the rope for something really colorful. But I like to keep it simple and use rope (out of everything I've tried, I liked using clothline the best). 

To begin, coil the rope. Using a machine, zig zag stitch the coil together and keep coiling and stitching.

TIP: I spend lots of time sewing heavy duty and non-traditional materials on my machine- I typically use a denim needle for these kinds of projects.

Once you have the base of the basket you can create the sides by tilting the coiled rope as up as you sew. 

Continue sewing until the basket is desired size.

TIP: The more you tilt the the base, the more dramatic the curve of the sides will be.

I created a basket to fit a self watering plastic pot which meant that I needed to build the walls of my basket higher than the pot so the pot wouldn't show.

I also created little loops around the edge of my basket.

Next I tied rope to each of the loops and I added glue to the knot to keep it secure.

I repeated this process on all of the loops.

The last step was to paint my basket. While I love using lots of color, our living room is decorated in lots of white and neutral colors with pops of blue so I wanted to keep it simple. I started with a thick layer of grey acrylic paint and then added lots of drizzles over the top.

I repeated this painting process on the inside of my basket.

TIP: While you could keep the rope natural, I really enjoy painting my handmade baskets. It adds a unique look but it's also another way to stabilize the basket. After a couple coasts of paint, the rope basket will be very firm.

Next, I potted a long house plant in the pot and then placed the pot into the basket.

Last, I hung the hanging basket.

Need some more rope inspiration?

coiled rope tote bag     coiled rope baskets    coiled rope pouches

rope rug

rope bowls online class

happy weekend!

get scripty is HERE!

Hey friends we've got another fun class that drops today! Here is a little peek!

Scripty Intro from Megan E Wells on Vimeo.

GET SCRIPTY

Starts April 5th

$30.00

For more details or register for class HERE

Script style lettering is Meg's absolute favorite, so in this class she’ll be sharing tips and tricks on how to make your letters extra fancy and free! From flourishes and swirls to embellishments and illustrations, together we’ll explore the infinite ways to sketch, draw, and paint gorgeous, scripted letters, words and phrases, and we won’t be afraid to get a lil funky!

masking fluid easter eggs

Easter is right around the corner and for the last six years, I've got a tradition of coming up with a couple of egg decorating tutorials for my readers! Every year I challenge myself to get creative with all kinds of supplies. 

Right now I am loving masking fluid because you can use it in a variety of ways on a variety of surfaces. I thought it would be fun to play around with masking fluid on eggs and wouldn't you know it...it worked GREAT!

SUPPLIES

Masking Fluid:

Masking fluid is a latex liquid used to block out areas of a watercolor painting. Once it dries you can paint over it and retain the white paper anywhere you've applied the masking fluid. When you are finished painting you simply rub it away and you are left with white space anywhere the masking fluid was applied.

Watercolor paint or ink or dye

Variety of brushes

Using a small brush and masking fluid, I painted tiny designs on the surface of my eggs.

Once the masking fluid was dry, I painted over the top of the egg and the designs.

I let the watercolor paint dry.

Next I peeled away the masking fluid. 

Once all of the masking fluid was peeled away, you are left with the white design.

I also used waterproof ink for this process and it worked really well! The color was much richer and darker than the watercolors.

I love the color and pattern in these eggs and the process was SO easy!

Looking for more egg decorating inspiration?

bird nest eggs   watercolor easter eggs   everyday decorating easter eggs   butterfly eggs

wood burned eggs

mermaid eggs   geometric eggs   doodle eggs   whimsical eggs

scrappy eggs   altered plastic eggs   speckled eggs   canvas eggs

new class acrylic blooms and a GIVEAWAY!

My latest online class Acrylic Blooms goes live today! And I'm giving away 5 free spots to the class  Scroll down to the bottom of the post to enter to win!

ACRYLIC BLOOMS

$15

Flowers and acrylic paint make the perfect pair! In this class I will be sharing all kinds of really simple techniques for transforming your favorite flowers into expressive, beautiful and colorful acrylic paintings.

REGISTER FOR CLASS HERE

Enter to win a spot in this class!

Leave me comment.

Tell me your favorite flower.

I will randomly select 10 winners and announce at the bottom

of this post later this week!

*********************************************************************

UPDATE WITH WINNERS!

email me at alisaburke@gmail.com and we will get you access to the class!