egg seedlings.

Earlier in the year, the kids were really into harvesting fruit and vegetable seeds. There's something about a harsh winter that will get young and old, alike, dreaming of Spring's fertile planting ground! So, after splitting open a sweet red pepper (capsicum), we set the seeds out to dry on coffee filters. Once completely dry, we packaged them up and labeled them. Today, they came out of their storage and were sewn into these pretty metallic egg shells. A long, thin, white tray, lined with table salt provides a nice home as the seeds are looked after.

Here's how we did this simple craft, perfect for the season.

1. Mix food coloring (vary amount based on intensity desired) with 1/8 cup of water and a 1/2 tablespoon of white glue.
2. Blow out eggs and gently remove the top third of each egg. Rinse and dry.
3. Using plastic gloves, add a few drops of your coloring mixture over the entire egg.
4. Set aside and allow to dry just until tacky to the touch. Then, apply a sheet of silver leaf and rub randomly with the back of a wooden spoon. Pull off the silver leaf, leaving trace metallic pieces on the egg.
5. Fill each egg halfway with potting soil.
6. Add seeds and top with more soil.
7. Water lightly and set on a tray lined with salt, indoors, in a bright location.
8. Once seedlings form, plant the entire egg into your veggie garden.