Tuesday, April 5, 2011

I love robin eggs…

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And no, I am not talking about the candy ones…although they are sure good!  I made this wool felt nest last year…but I gave it away. 

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I like the real ones!  My son had this cardboard jewelry box he kept a robin’s egg in when he was about 4.  He carried it around in his pocket and was always looking at it.  It was a beautiful bright blue color egg with dark spots on the end…the baby bird had already hatched and Sam had found the egg shell under a bush after a spring storm. 

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Nice artwork, huh?

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The egg is basically crumbling.

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I found that box this past week cleaning out some drawers. The egg has greatly deteriorated and has lost its color but I can still see that little guy looking into the box at the egg.  Sigh…

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I have lots of wool yarn left over from various projects and decided to make a felted bird nest with eggs.  Of course the eggs had to be that same blue color. 

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First I made the eggs with this recipe that I found at Creative "Try"als .  Let me just say if you make that clay, follow the directions especially the part about being patient and not turning the burner up too hot!

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This is the end result (OK, so they don’t really look too much like real birds eggs, but after I dress them up they will look fine (repeat after me, they will be fine, they will be fine, etc.)

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Now on to the bird nest making….I used three strands of my left over wool yarn and made a small bowl like this one.  I used a large crochet hook, size J.  I washed the bowls/nests several times to make them a lot smaller and tighter.  Look how tiny the eggs look here. 

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And here is how they turned out after washing…

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I made different sizes…and thought I would make several because I made seven eggs.  I made the eggs about 2 am, so can’t really explained why I made only seven.

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The largest nest is made from two strands of mohair and two strands of wool…that makes it more fluffy and more like a real nest.  The mohair is vintage and it was sold by JCPenneys…beautiful labels—my brother found a whole shirt box full of it and gave it to me.  That’s one of the perks for having a brother who is an auctioneer!

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I used a light blue paint for the eggs, something that I already had.  After they dried, I spattered some dark brown, black spots on the ends of the eggs. And then of course, I covered them with a nice layer of Mod Podge (what craft project would be complete without a nice layer of Mod Podge?), matte finish. 

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See how cute they are?

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I am linking up to the parties listed here

19 comments:

Kristen @ Who's Watching the Baby? said...

Oh, those look great! I tried making my own eggs out of paper and mod podge, paint and prayers, and it wasn't so super successful. Your clay ones look superb - especially in that cozy little nest! And your description of your son carrying around the bird egg in that box made me a little teary. Gonna go hug my babies now. ;-)

Rachel said...

Great story and beautiful nests! So springy.

Tonya said...

Ooo, I absolutely LOVE these!! I'm going to make some, I will!!! Thanks so much!! Very crafty!! How lucky you are for an auctioneer brother!! What possibilitiess!!! :) Have a great day!!!

Robin Ange said...

So sweet! I love this and I think that I might have to try this with some wool yarn I have lying around. Thanks for listing this in Upcycled Awesome.

Anonymous said...

So fresh for Spring. Nice story and tutorial!

Brandy J. said...

I just found your blog and am your newest follower! You are one talented woman who has left me completely inspired. Thanks for the great blog and I love the eggs and tips!!

Unknown said...

I love those! That nest idea is great. Beautiful!
I am a new follower as well.
feel free to stop by my blog if you like
kissingbunnies@blogspot.com

Alison Agnew said...

this is adorable...love how the nests turned out with the felting...great idea...thanks for sharing at fridays unfolded!

blessings,

alison
stuff and nonsense

Heaven's Walk said...

Cute cute cute! I just discovered felted wool crafts this winter and fell in love with the look of it! So perfect for nests and little birds. :) Great job!

xoxo laurie

Screaming Sardine said...

That is such a cute project. Love the eggs and the nest. I'm starting to want to learn how to felt after seeing this and so many other cute creations.

Cheers,
Tracy All Thumbs Crafts

Jill said...

Oh they are just gorgeous! I love the fluffy look of the nests!

Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
Hope you have a great week!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/

SJ @ Homemaker On A Dime said...

OH, YES! They definitely look so cute :) Really appreciate the easy to understand tutorial and might have to do the same thing with my girls. Thanks for linking up at the Creative Bloggers' Party & Hop :)

Unknown said...

Lovely. I really like the uniqueness of the eggs, no two the same....and they have real character. Thanks for linking up to my Marvelous Mess!! :-)

Decor To Adore said...

Adorable. Creative. Genius.

I am having a spring craft linky party and giveaway on my blog this Friday. I would love for you to showcase this wonderful project.

Details are on my blog today.

Megan Gunyan said...

Those are so cute. I love the nests! Wow! You got very creative there...especially for 2 a.m.!! :)

I'm having a jewelry giveaway...would love to have you join! www.alittleknickknack.com

Jami said...

Such sweet nests and eggs! I hope you stop by the Tuesday To Do party and share it!

http://blackberryvine.blogspot.com/2011/04/tuesday-to-do-5-and-4-list-makers.html

Smiles!
Jami

Unknown said...

Those are so sweet! Love it!!

Thanks so much for sharing this at my For the Kids Friday Link Party! I appreciate you stopping by. I will be posting this week's link party shortly. I'd love to see what you have to share this week!

Hope to see you soon!
:)rachel @ http://SunScholars.blogspot.com

Funky Junk Interiors said...

My goodness... these are heavenly! I love the fuzzy nature. So sweet!

Donna

Heaven's Walk said...

There's just something so adorable about felted wool bird's nests! LUV these! :)

xoxo laurie