Pull-string surprise egg
This is a fun way to bestow Easter treats. When the recipient pulls the embedded ribbon, it breaks the paper mache egg in half to spill its hidden treasures.
What you will need:
- An oval balloon
- Several yards of ribbon
- Tissue paper
- Your favorite papier mache glue (I use wallpaper paste)
- Glass jar with a lid
- Medium paint brush
- Very small trinkets and/or wrapped candies
Step 1: Prepare to papier mache the balloon.
Blow up the balloon and tie it off. (By the way, the balloon will be discarded before you give the gift, so the color of the balloon is unimportant.)
Cover the work surface with newspaper or plastic (such as a large garbage bag.) Be sure to have towels or paper towels available.
Cut or tear the tissue paper into strips – mine were about 6 inches long and one inch wide. I also cut some heart shapes in a contrasting color. You may want to cut strips of two colors — this can be helpful later (I’ll tell you more about that in a minute.)
Mix up the paste in the jar.
Wrap the ribbon around the middle of the balloon, and stick it to itself with a little of the paste. Leave the rest of the ribbon hanging down; you will use more of it soon.
Step 2: Apply 7 or more layers of tissue strips.
Use the paint brush to paint the ribbon with paste, then place strips over the ribbon, slightly overlapping, painting the strips with paste as you go around the balloon.
For added strength, apply the strips in different directions for each layer. Go all the way around doing vertical strips, then do the same with horizontal strips. (It may help to alternate colors of tissue for each layer, so you can easily identify which areas still need to be covered.)
Every two layers or so, wrap the ribbon all the way around the balloon again, directly atop the previous ribbon line. Then papier mache over the ribbon again. Leave a little bit of the balloon (the end that is tied off) exposed, and save some of the tissue paper to cover that part later.
If you have cut decorative shapes, add them atop the last layer of tissue paper strips. You would not need to brush the paste on top of those; just leave them dry on top.
Be sure to clean your brush right away so that the bristles don’t become stiff and stuck together. Save the extra paste in a lidded glass jar in the refrigerator. Protect your plumbing! Do not wash excess paste down the drain; it can clog your pipes. Instead, empty it into the garbage.
Step 3: Wait for the egg to dry, then remove the balloon.
Be patient! Make sure that it is good and dry before you try to remove the balloon. This may take several days, depending on how many layers are on the egg. Speaking from experience, it is VERY disheartening to see all your hard work ruined because you did not wait long enough. Putting the balloon in a warm, dry place (like in front of a heating vent) may help speed up the drying process.
Turn the balloon every so often, so that all parts of the balloon are exposed to air and have the opportunity to dry.
Once you are sure it is dry (it should feel hard and not cool to the touch, and should be a uniform color), use a pin or scissors to pop the balloon and pull it out through the small hole you left in the papier mache. Be sure it is 100% dry before attempting to remove the balloon! If not, the balloon will not release itself from the egg and the egg will collapse in on itself.
Step 4: Insert trinkets and complete the egg with more papier mache.
After removing the balloon, feel the inside of the egg to make sure it is completely dry. If so, insert the trinkets through the small hole that remains in one end of the egg.
Then use papier mache to close up the hole, being careful to keep the small trinkets well away from the wet end of the egg.
Let the egg dry. You can paint or decorate the egg however you desire; just be sure not to place anything across the egg’s “equator” that would make it difficult to tear the egg open later.
Step 6: Generate delight!
Watch the recipient open the egg by pulling on the ribbon until the treasures spill out!
P.S. While working on this project, I discovered that I have developed an allergy to latex. These allergies are fairly common and can become quite serious, even if the sufferer has previously had little or no latex allergy symptoms. Please be sure the recipient of your gift is not allergic to latex balloons. If there are allergy concerns, use a non-latex alternative, such as a vinyl inflatable (like a beach ball; not stretchy like a latex balloon.) There are many inflatable shapes available at Oriental Trading. When using them for papier mache, cover everything except the area right around the valve. Then you can open the valve to let the air out, when your papier mache is dry.
