Deer Easter Egg

For my next state symbol Easter egg, I chose a deer. The white-tailed deer is the state animal of Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, the state game animal of Oklahoma, and the wildlife symbol of Wisconsin. Affiliate links below.

  

Deer Easter Egg

Materials:

• egg (raw, hardboiled, or empty)
• acrylic paint (brown)
• brown cardstock
• scissors
• colored pencil (white)
• black paint pen
• craft glue

Steps: 

Paint the brown. While the paint is drying, cut out a pair of antlers, a pair of ears, and a tail. Make each a little longer than needed; fold back a small tab at the base. (This is where you'll be putting glue.) Use a white colored pencil to color the inside of the deer's ears. Color the edges and the underside of the tail white. 

Use the paint pen to add a nose to the pointed end of the egg. Add eyes and a mouth. Glue the ears,  antlers, and tail in place. 

Ice Cream Cone Easter Egg

Ice cream cones have been around since 1904, when visitors to the St. Louis World's Fair tried a revolutionary new treat. Vendors folded waffles into cones and filled them with ice cream. In 2008, 104 years after the birth of this now-ubiquitous treat, Missouri named the ice cream cone their official state dessert. Honor the ice cream cone by making an Easter egg version. Affiliate links below. 

 

 

Ice Cream Cone Easter Egg

Materials:

• egg (raw, hardboiled, or empty)
• acrylic paint
• cardstock (tan)
• colored pencil (tan)
• scissors
• craft glue
• binder clips
• Sharpie

Steps: 

Start by painting the egg your desired color. While that is drying, work on the cone. Use a ruler and a colored pencil to draw diagonal lines on the cardstock, first in one direction and then the other. There's no need to measure - just get some lines on there to mimic the look of an ice cream cone. 

Roll the cardstock into a cone shape, making sure the lines you drew face out. Measure the cone against the egg and adjust the wide end of the cone accordingly. I ended up cutting down my paper significantly. You may want to make a template with scratch paper first if you don't have another use for the excess cardstock. Glue the cone and add a binder clip to prevent it from unrolling while it dries. 

Use a Sharpie to add flecks of chocolate to your mint chip or chocolate chip ice cream, or skip this step if you chose a different flavor. When the glue on the cone is dry, trim to the top to make it even and nestle the egg inside. 

Another fun Easter egg idea, inspired by a state symbol!

Cat in the Hat Easter Egg

You may be wondering why I made a Cat in the Hat Easter egg when I said that this year's eggs are all inspired by state symbols. While the Cat himself is not a state symbol, Dr. Seuss is the official State Children's Author and Illustrator of Massachusetts. We had a fantastic time at the Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum in Springfield, Massachusetts a few years ago. If you've never been, make plans to go! In the meantime, try this easy Easter egg idea. Affiliate links below. 

 

Cat in the Hat Easter Egg

Materials:

• egg (raw, hardboiled, or empty)
• scissors
• cardboard tube
• cardstock (red and white)
• craft glue
• binder clips
• Sharpie

Steps: 

Start by making the hat. Slice a 2.5" ring off a cardboard tube. Cut up the side so that you can adjust the circumference of the tube (you'll need to make it smaller to fit the egg). Cut a piece of red cardstock that is slightly taller than the cardboard tube ring and wide enough to wrap around it. Cut two strips of white cardstock and glue them to the red to make the iconic stripes. Glue the cardstock to the cardboard tube, then adjust the tube to the appropriate circumference to fit your egg (about 1"). Clip the ends in place to allow the glue to dry without having to hold it. 

When the glue is dry, cut a circle of white cardstock for the brim of the hat. Snip the inside of the brim and fold up the flaps of cardstock. This gives you a surface to glue to the inside of the hat. 

Use a Sharpie to draw the cat's eyes, eyebrows, nose, whiskers, and smile. Then add light, whispy marks to the area beyond the face. 

Finally, place the hat on top of the egg. 

I can imagine making a whole collection of Seuss-inspired Easter eggs. There are so many fun characters in his books.

Harbor Seal Easter Egg

I enjoy coming up with creative ways to decorate Easter eggs. This year, I'm challenging myself to decorate my eggs using state symbols. First up, a harbor seal. 

In 2016, the harbor seal was adopted as the official state marine mammal of Rhode Island. Did you know that harbor seals can weigh up to 300 pounds and live up to 30 years? Females give birth to a single baby between March and May. Babies weigh around 20 pounds at birth and can swim and dive within hours of birth. They gain almost a pound a day during the 4-6 weeks their mothers nurse them. Harbor seals eat a variety of seafood; they will swim more than a hundred miles upstream in large rivers in search of migrating fish. Affiliate links below. 

Harbor Seal Easter Egg

Materials:

• egg (raw, hardboiled, or empty)
• acrylic paint (grey)
• white chalk
• paint pen (black) or Sharpie
• fishing line
• craft glue

Steps: 

Paint the egg grey. When the paint has dried completely, orient the egg with the pointy end facing you. Rub some chalk on your finger (or on a cotton ball) and apply it to where the seal's eyes and cheeks will be. 

Use a black paint pen to draw the seal's eyes, nose, and mouth. Add random spots around the body, then add lots of tiny dots where the whiskers go.  

Cut six (or more) short pieces of fishing line for the seal's whiskers. Add dots of glue and press the whiskers in place. You'll need to hold them for 30 seconds or so while the glue sets up. 

Tissue Paper Crafts for Kids

I am a tissue paper hoarder. Not only do I save the used tissue paper from all the presents our family receives, but if I go to a party and it looks like the recipient is going to throw out their tissue paper, I jump in and save that too. I've been doing this for decades and I manage to stay in equilibrium - I use as much as I bring in. How? Tissue paper crafts! 

There are so many fun things you can make with tissue paper. Over the years, I've shared more than 40 different tissue paper crafts. You can find them all using that link. Below are some of my favorites. 

Tissue Paper Cardinal
     This project is one of my all-time favorite bird crafts. I love cardinals and this one is so cute. 

Paper Taco
    Tissue paper acts as the lettuce in this all-paper version of a taco. 

Decoupage Flower Bouquet
     These colorful flowers are so much fun to make!     

Tissue Paper Stained Glass
     It's amazing how much tissue paper resembles stained glass in this project. 

Paper Plate Salad
     Once again, tissue paper plays the role of lettuce. This time, it's in a salad. 

Tissue Paper Ocean Art
     The secret to this project is bleeding tissue paper. 

Fall Tree with Tissue Paper Leaves
     Celebrate fall with this tree craft, featuring tissue paper leaves in yellows, greens, reds, and oranges. 

Volcano Art
     Tissue paper acts as lava in this unique craft. 

Strawberry Piñata
     Homemade piñatas are so much fun! This strawberry is beginner-friendly.