Pepper Paints

See you next year Paas.

I am sure many people were cleaning or shopping or doing other busy things to get ready for Easter. But I am sure many of you did not try to also tackle boiling various strongly rank smelling vegaetables and spices to dye your eggs today. You probably just bought the Paas and had the usual great success of deeply colored eggs. But I am not you. I am a make more work for myself kind of person.

My house is a mess, my son had a few friends spend the night, we were supposed to make a duckling costume, a birthday card and shop for a birthday present. That wasn’t really enough on my plate today so I boiled purple cabbage, carrot tops, turmeric, blueberries, beets, and a kale, spinich, parsley mixture. SO all these gasouse oders mixed with the smell of hard boiled eggs and the clam chowder my daughter made for lunch making quite a STINK! The colors looked nice in bowls but most were just too subtle once they were on the eggs for my kids.
easter 08 014
The beets worked great.
easter 08 083
I ended up adding blue food coloring to the cabbage water, Yellow and a few drops of red into the carot tops and green to the kale mixture. I know you can boil the eggs in the pot with the veggies to make a deeper color but The kids like to dip and redip and do half and half colors. They came out pretty anyways. Molly said next year she just wants to use the box stuff. Of course Molly!!
easter 08 066
All three kids spent most of the day outside. The sun was out along with lots of fresh air and summer like play was on hand, barefoot puddle stomping and chalk in the driveway! It is going to snow tomorrow. I guess that’s spring around here.
easter 08 029
easter 08 023
easter 08 028

Bookmark me!
SubscribeBloglinesDiggdel.icio.usFacebookStumbleUponTechnorati

Tags: , , ,

Posted in Activities and Crafts and Messy and Outside and Uncategorized by Kristen on March 22nd, 2008 at 4:27 am.

12 comments

Previous Post:   Next Post:

12 Replies

  1. Hay Mar 22nd 2008

    Wow, that looks like hard work!

    Silly question, what do you do with the eggs after you dye them.
    Here is our easter craft
    http://sixofusnz.blogspot.com/2008/03/easter-egg-candles.html

    ****************Hey-we (they not me) eat the eggs. I left a message for you on your blog-can’t comment on blogger!!
    Kristen

  2. Alissa Mar 22nd 2008

    I may, or may not, use food coloring today. Depending on how I am feeling. My poor kids won’t have much of an Easter this year.

    ********************Feel better soon!
    Kristen

  3. Michie Mar 22nd 2008

    I’m so impressed with you. I’m normally a “make too much work for myself” kind of gal too, but I don’t think I’d ever take on natural dyes! :) I wanted to drop a link by for you: http://www.unplugyourkids.com/2008/03/16/wood-weekly-unplugged-project/

    The website http://www.unplugyourkids.com has a weekly “themed” project to do with your kids. Last week’s theme was wood, so then you go do any activity that has to do with wood, and then everyone links to her website. This week’s theme is “eggs” – I think everyone would be impressed with your dying technique. :)

    ****************Thanks so much for the link!! I will try to post there.
    Kristen

    Happy Easter!

  4. melissa s. Mar 22nd 2008

    Your eggs look great – well worth the effort! I’m planning on using natural dyes today too. I’m curious if any of the flavors from veggies, turmeric, etc passed into your eggs?

    **************See below

  5. Kristen Mar 22nd 2008

    Melissa S—My kids said no taste difference-except for the ones they peeled and soaked in the beet dye! The turmeric seemed to wipe off.? Good Luck!
    Kristen

  6. Amanda Mar 22nd 2008

    Wow, that does sound like a lot of work. But I actually really like the pastel colors. I can see why little ones might want the “brighter” box colors though. But I am impressed!

  7. kaylee Mar 23rd 2008

    i wanna color eggs wish i could :(

  8. Knitsteel Mar 23rd 2008

    I read the Martha Stewart thing on natural dyeing, even bookmarked it . I then came to my senses and bought 2 dye kits from the junk store.
    You can paint with them too!

  9. Melissa Mar 23rd 2008

    Oh my gosh. The smell must have been horrendous. What an experience though! You have done something so many others have not. Maybe it was because someone told them it was really a lot of work, stunk to high heaven and didn’t yield good results. But, none the less, you have joined an elite group of those that have been there done that.

  10. Kristen Mar 24th 2008

    Knitsteele-you had the right idea all along!!

    Melissa-Yea, I hear my medal is in the mail !!

  11. Karen Mar 24th 2008

    Bare feet (sigh) ….it’s almost here (right?? right?? :) )

    That looks like some intense work for a little bit of color, but at least you did it. I think we’ve all wanted to try! And you know, I think if we could take one project and do the one thing, then it would be so overwhelming, but with 3 kids, it’s never like that ~ there’s 22 things going on at any given time.

  12. Mom Unplugged Mar 25th 2008

    OK…so maybe the natural dyed egg idea is not one I will try this week after all, especially with a less than perfect tummy (thanks for mentioning the smell, I hadn’t thought of that!). You made me laugh with your comment that your link was “What you shouldn’t attempt to do when it is already done so well!”

    Perhaps that is so, but at least you tried, and by the way I think the eggs look lovely.

    Thanks so much for linking. I hope you’ll consider joining in again (next week’s theme is “rocks”). It is nice to “meet” you!


Leave a Reply