The Easiest Way to Decorate Easter Eggs with the Kids

 

I was kind of dreading decorating the eggs with the kids this year until I discovered a new technique. The old technique involves a dipping process which is messy and time consuming, and you have to add vinegar to the dye to make deep colors. The vinegar inevitably makes the eggs taste awful. 

Even with newspapers, towels, and everything else you can think of, the process is a mess.

But this year I found a new way.

       First, start with eggs that are blown out. The process to create these involves poking two small holes in each egg, one at the top and one at the bottom. Make the bottom hole slightly larger. Then blow the egg innards into your favorite recipe (like STMJ), and rinse out the egg shells. Let them dry. It can be helpful to do this well in advance of decorating day.

     Then get some small, sandwich-sized plastic bags from the dollar store. They do not need to be locking like those ziploc-style bags. And while you are shopping, pick up a variety of pack of food coloring from the baking section.

     Next, put a drop of food coloring of your preferred color in a plastic bag, and add the egg. Smear the coloring around the egg as desired. Do all of the eggs and use all of the colors. A single drop of food coloring goes a long way.

     Let the eggs dry and enjoy.

What You Need to Know About Selling Plants on Etsy

 This last springtime I learned something about Etsy - that there are many people who want to buy garden plants at that time of year to maximize their growing season. 

"What is THE GROWING SEASON?" you ask, in disbelief.

Well it turns out that Northeners, often referred to as Yankees, can only grow plants outside in the late spring, summer, and early fall. So they are just going outside as we are just returning to the inside in a kind of opposite effect.

I was reminded of this fact when I decided to try to sell some of my extra papyrus plants on Etsy this last March and April. By March and April, my water gardens were overflowing and plants were literally bursting out the sides and bottoms of their pots. Forehead smack, that ruins my pots! So I took many photos and listed the yellow cannas, which bloom first, the taro, and the papyrus.

Turns out that no one really wants to buy taro and cannas, likely because they are available at box stores most everywhere, but boy did the papyrus sell! I sold 9 sets of three rooted plants each at a very reasonable price, all within the span of two weeks. It was so fast that Etsy literally held my payments because they thought I had been frauding people somehow. But I did sell the plants so they eventually paid me.

One more thing about selling plants on Etsy - I have sold about 20 to 30 plant sets now, and in those orders have had two people whine and complain that the plants they received were not what they ordered. So...I am going to have to raise prices to make up for the bad apples. Just like Walmart. I mean, where do you think I learned that from?