Easter Egg Time!

Posted on March 24, 2012 by Nanette

Yes, spring is my happy time. The hens start laying again after the cold winter, and the eggs are nice and sturdy. My website gets more traffic, as people are searching for egg decorating ideas, and I am always happy to get emails from fellow egg artists looking for solutions.

If that would be you, please check out my download page for egg design instructions.

Lately I have been on a mission to find cute egg cups. These are my latest finds:

A set of cast brass leaf dishes made in India . . .

"Koi" egg design in a brass leaf dish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And how cute is this little sage green teapot . . .

"Flower Nebula" egg in sage teapot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These little milk glass salt dishes really set off the bright reds in my Sun Face egg . . .

"Celeste" egg in a salt dish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And sometimes, you just find a random piece with the perfect colors to compliment an egg design.  It’s like they were made for each other!

"Daisies" egg in a ceramic wildflower egg cup

 

 

 

 

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Thoughts on the Drop-Pull style of Egg Art (and how I can’t draw animals on eggs)

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Nanette

I was wandering the internet looking for others of my ilk, and came across the following article from a Milwaukee, Wisconsin online newspaper.

Artisans carry on the art of the egg – JSOnline.

I have always been impressed and a little bit awed with artists who can paint freehand on an egg, like those in the leading photo.  My particular talent leans toward geometric design with particular emphasis on color combinations.  Painting a live animal such as a bird or a dog on an egg?  Nawww.  Mine end up looking very juvenile and it’s a good way to frustrate myself into multiple stabbings of my block of beeswax with my penknife.

The closest success I have had with animal subjects is my little Corinthian Owl egg, which is a variation on a design I found in my Janson’s Art History book.  A little more about this intriguing piece of art can be found on Sulpicia (III)’s Platonic Psychology blog, which is an adventure into the philosophy and language of ancient Greece.

But, back to the artists of Wisconsin . . .  Barbara Godlewski’s drop-pull style eggs.  Love these!  Now this is more my style and I want to give it a try someday.

Here is a pretty good YouTube video demonstrating the process:

I admit I was slightly intimidated by the quantity of eggs Barbara (who is 71 years at the time of the article) produces in a year.  If you didn’t get that far into the article – it’s 20,000.  Yes.  Twenty-thousand! Wow.  You GO Barbara!

 

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Revving Up for the Holiday Shopping Season – And New Jewelry!

Posted on October 7, 2011 by Nanette

And here we are at the starting gate of the holiday shopping season.  I have a love/hate relationship with this time of year.  I love seeing the season changing (the Aspen are just short of full golden right now, and they look awesome against the Ponderosa Pines!).

Sunspot Highway, NM

 

 

 

And it’s also ‘crunch time’ and I never think I have enough inventory to add to my website.  But I do have some new offerings to tell you about . . .

I am beginning with hanging egg ornaments this year.  And I have been having so much fun experimenting and expanding the vinegar etch technique I wrote about in my last newsletter.  They look rustic, they have depth, and I can never replicate the same color or pattern on another egg!  The vinegar just does it’s own thing.  Each egg is different  It’s pretty cool seeing what emerges after each dye bath.

I made Eight-Point Stars, and a pretty wrought-iron Cross design. The new ornaments are on the first two rows.

www.enchantedhen.com/egg-art

 

Upcoming new items are beaded necklaces using natural stone beads

Onyx, carnelian and mother of pearl beaded necklace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and emu eggshell earrings designed with vinegar etching, no dye.

Emu egg shell dangle earrings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are not for sale yet, but I am working furiously to make more in time for the big holiday rush.  Look for my newsletter around Thanksgiving.  If you have not signed up for my Enchanted Newsletter, there is a link over there —-> on the right hand panel.

As always,
Thanks for your interest in my work

~Nan

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Enchanted Hen Sale – Ostrich Eggshell Pins & Brooches

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Nanette

Well here it is, September, and time to start thinking about the holidays.

I’m way ahead of you.

I am streamlining my product line, and will be discontinuing pins and brooches. I will still take custom order of course, if someone wants a matching set, but I want to focus on improving my best selling items which are necklaces and earrings.

The necklace line will be expanded to include beaded necklaces with eggshell focus pieces. I’ve made a few already, and I am excited about them.

Future earring designs will have more variety in shape, AND I have began experimenting with emu egg shells, which are naturally dark green with a light green under-layer. They are too dark for dye, but are beautiful when etched, so all the color is natural. Emu eggshell jewelry will be available for the holiday shopping season, so stay tuned!

OK, I’ve gone off track, I wanted to tell you all about the sale at my website. http://enchantedhen.com/pins_brooches.html

All pins and brooches are deeply discounted for quick sales. The oval and rectangular pins are now under $10. Dangle Pins with the sterling silver settings are under $20. There are (at the time of this writing) 3 to 5 available in most of the styles. The shopping cart will tell you if you’ve requested more than are available, or you can always shoot me a quick email and I can tell you how many I have left. nan@enchantedhen.com

Just think – this is a perfect opportunity to stock up on those incedental presents to keep on hand for friends, co-workers, neighbors, classmates, your boyfriend’s mother, your children’s teachers . . . You know, the ones you forgot to put on your list, who stop by unexpectedly with a pretty little box for you, and it hadn’t even occurred to you to get them a gift?

Well I’ve fixed that for you – These pins come in a nice box, ready for gifting. So when someone arrives at your door with a little package with your name on it, you can say breezily “oh, come in for a second while I run upstairs and get your gift!”

Best prices are always at my website,  or you can also find me at the following sites:
Etsy.com / enchantedhen 
Artfire.com / enchantedhen
eBay.com / enchantedhen

OK, enough of the sales pitch (I do get carried away sometimes). Thanks for reading, and for your continued interest in my work . . .

Nan

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Timberon Art Society

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Nanette

Just a quick post about the Timberon Art Society.

The third annual Labors Of Love artist showcase and sale is happening this Labor Day weekend (Sunday September 4th) at the Timberon Lodge.
It will be open from 2pm through 7pm.

Come and see the art, talk to the artists, and get some of your holiday shopping done early!
We will have: Woodcarvings, gourd art, egg art, jewelry, and more.

More information on our Labor Day Events at Timberon.org

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Egg Art Technique: Vinegar Etching

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Nanette

I get a lot of inquiries about my vinegar etched eggs, so I thought I’d share my technique.

Vinegar etching is done simply by immersing an egg in a jar of white vinegar. The vinegar reacts with the calcium on the eggshell and breaks it down, to where the outer layer of the eggshell can be rubbed off, revealing the under-layer.

Vinegar etch on brown egg (no dye)

This works especially well with brown eggs.  The darker the better.  Although I have seen some lovely vinegar-etched white eggs, giving them an embossed appearance.

 

 

 

 

The common technique, is to write on the un-dyed brown eggshell with the kistka, and then dip it into vinegar for about 5 minutes or until you see the bubbles of the reaction start to form.  Then lift it out, and brush it with an old toothbrush to remove the un-waxed surface. The shell underneath will be much lighter.  If you want to go even whiter, you can give the egg another vinegar bath.  But be careful, because each bath makes the shell thinner.  Remove the wax as usual.

Koi egg, vinegar etch with blue dip

A more interesting technique (and the one I have been playing with) is to finish a pysanka, with all the colors, all the way to the final dark dye bath. THEN do the vinegar bath. You can either leave it with a white background, as seen on my white Nesting Hen egg, or (and this is fun) dip it quickly into a royal blue dye, and it will make a beautiful bright blue color.

 

 

In the image above, I did a very light-touched rub when I removed the dissolved shell surface.  I used a paper towel instead of a toothbrush, and ‘blotted’ the area to pull off small amounts of dissolved shell.  I allowed some residue to remain at the edges and corners of the design, and then gave it a quick dip in the royal blue.  The residue shell turned very dark and the rubbed areas went bright blue.  This created the dark edges and gave it a little bit of depth.

Other colors: Dipping a vinegar etched egg quickly into black, makes an interesting ‘stone’ like effect. Green comes out like new spring leaves.  Pink comes out a really pretty pale pink.  Pumpkin over pink creates a beautiful peach-coral color.

Just a note – when I say ‘dipping it quickly’ into the dye, I’m not kidding.  In and out – one second.  That’s all it takes.

Have fun!

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How To: Find The Center of your Egg for Blowing – Marking The Ends

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Nanette

I always admire egg artists that can just pick up an egg, and eyeball the divisions perfectly. I, on the other hand, need tools.

There are a couple ways to mark the center hole of an egg for blowing.  Since I have been decorating eggs for a while now, I mark the center first thing, when I am mapping out the egg with a pencil.  Then I mark it with a blob of wax from the kistka (wax pen) so that I will be able to locate the center after the egg is all colored.

Draw the first divisions with a pencil

To find the center using a pencil, draw two connecting lines as close as you can come to the center (top and bottom) pole of the egg.  It should divide the egg into 4 equal wedge  sections.

 

 

 

Measure the length of the line from top to bottom

Next, take a section of measuring tape, and, holding the tape at the apex of your egg with your index finger, run the tape down alongside one of the pencil lines to the bottom and note the measurement.  It’s usually something like 3-1/4 inches.

 

 

 

Do this with all four lines.  If you’re lucky (and I never am), they will all be the same length, and your egg is perfectly centered.  I am normally about 2/16ths off.  Move the point of the line, re-mark and re-measure until you get it centered.

Note – You can usually see where the center point is at the small end (top) of the egg.  That’s because it is a small point.  It’s the bottom end that goes off center. So you want to use the top end for control, and the bottom end for adjustment.

If you have already decorated your egg, and the design is so random that you can’t find the bottom center for drilling, you can get a good approximation by using rubber bands.

Wrap the bands around the egg, just like the pencil divisions, and roll them until all 4 sections look even.  Turn the egg to see it from all angles, top and bottom, side to side, to be sure the bands are centered.  Then take a Sharpie pen and mark the butt for drilling.

Rubber band marking method.

 

 

 

 

 

It isn’t perfect, but it’ll do in a pinch.

 

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Enchanted Easter Eggs

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Nanette

Easter is my happy time!
Not only does it herald the start of warmer weather, it means the hens are laying and I can get the best eggs for decorating. Spring eggs are thick-shelled and smooth skinned. The hens must be happy that the winter has ended.

This spring, my featured egg is called “Oasis”.

Traditional pysanka "OASIS" in porcelain shell dish

Like many of my featured designs, it is the result of many years of revisions, color experiments and name changes (for example,  I used to call it “Metropolis” because it looked like a small city).   You can see more views of the Oasis egg at my website.

I made four Oasis eggs this year, all slightly different.   The remaining three will be at Etsy, Artfire and eBay.  The one at my website is the only one with the peach colored band.

As long as I was making intricate eggs, I pulled out an older design that I had converted to jewelry last year.  This is the “Wheat Stars” egg:

"WHEAT STARS" pysanka

And a matching set of ostrich eggshell jewelry:

Ostrich Egg Shell Pin & Earrings Set "Pine Stars"

Projects on my To-Do list are:

  1. Lily of the Valley egg, in a cameo style (like the Oasis egg)
  2. Etched emu egg shell jewelry – emu eggshells are dark avocado green, and when you carve them, the under-shell is very pale, almost white.  They are perfect for carving.
  3. Explore Aztec mythology for designs.

Happy Easter everyone!

 

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Valentine’s Day Eggs

Posted on February 7, 2011 by Nanette

My brainstorm for this year is to expand on Holiday Eggs. I already do eggs for the obvious ones, Christmas and Easter, and I want to create designs for some of the other holidays. Halloween, 4th of July, Dia de los Muertas, Mardi Gras to name a few. Please post in comments if you think of any other holidays in need of an egg!

Last night I sent out a notice to my mailing list people, Valentine Eggs are available at my website I made a few different Heart eggs. One, a variation on a Ukrainian design, came out SO cool with an antiqued look. I called it Victorian Heart It’s in turquoise and burgundy colors.  I used a vinegar etch technique with “blotting” instead of wiping all the surface away, and it leaves residue in-between the lines and adds a ‘distressed’ look to the design. Love these ones. I’m making more.

I do have eggs on the way for Easter (my happy time). Here’s a look at some of my spring batch.

Valentine's and Easter Eggs

~Nan.

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Enchanted Hen Egg Art – A Year In Review

Posted on December 20, 2010 by Nanette

As 2010 draws to a close, I have been reflecting on the numerous changes, updates, and additions I’ve inflicted on my little business this past year.

I made a ton of jewelry, thinking that I would not need to add to my inventory again for quite some time. I started with a batch of around 280 pieces. Finished ‘em, and ended up doing another 50. Things just come to me (ex: Talavera Flower earrings – love these! Must make more! ). Or I will get a request. Or something sells out quickly and I want to replenish right away. Whatever the reason, the “batch” I began last spring was still in production up until November. But it’s all good. Now I have lots of backup. Until I come across another design that I must try (admission: I already have several post-it notes with design names stuck on my 2011 annual planner).

I re-vamped my storefront website. Now it’s leaner, cleaner, and hopefully easier to navigate.

I began – and then ended – an online Egg Art Class. I may drag this back out and look at it again in the future, but for now – it was too involved for me to do properly. Kudos to all of you who have successfully created an online class. It’s a tremendous amount of work!

I did a few craft shows, got a few commissions for some personalized jewelry. And met a bunch of really nice people.

I immersed myself in the social media rage, tweeted, facebooked, researched article marketing, and set my blogs up for RSS feeds. See the cool icons up there on your right?

I launched this blog. Previously, I had my home-blog at nanettethorell.com, which I will continue to maintain, but I want to dedicate this Enchanted Blog for All-Egg-Art-All-The-Time.

My benefit piece for this year is the pretty White Sands Yucca earrings. An original design that I tested earlier this year and they sold out very quickly. Profit goes to the Kitty City no-kill animal shelter in Alamogordo, NM.

For 2011 my plan is to concentrate on more eggs. New designs, more intricate traditional pysanky designs, and playing with colors. At the moment, I have some beautiful spring eggs in blues, turquoises, and dark pinks. I have been experimenting with the “rosette” pattern, because it contains many little boxes for me to fill up with pretty colors. Here is a little taste (they’re not ready yet – they still have the final varnish coat to go).
New Eggs for 2011

I have also resurrected my little Corinthian Owl which I had not made for almost 10 years, and sold almost immediately when I put him up on my website for sale. He’s still cute! Four of them in process as I write.

And, because I need to break from the ovoid surface every once in a while, I am building a database with almost 20 years of production and sales information. I have it all in Microsoft Excel now, but it’s become massive, and I needed to corral it. So I found an online course in Microsoft Access (which I had on my computer, but did not know how to use) at lynda.com and was up and plugging in data the same day.

So. Between laying eggs and frying my brain, it’s been an eventful and exciting year. Thanks to all my readers and fellow egg artists for following, friending, and feeding me. I lift a glass of egg nog and wish you and yours a successful and prosperous 2011!

Nan.

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