From Humble Eggs Arise Treasured Gifts

Here is another great recycling idea. Use eggshells to turn empty containers into unusual gifts. Old tins, bottles, empty jars and lids make great objects for this simple eggshell mosaic.



Experiment with diffent colours by adding textile dye to the grout, dyeing the eggshells before glueing them onto the articles, create "pictures" by grouping the eggshells, use tinted or coloured varnish. As always with a new craft/idea like this one, start with small articles like baby food jars or even just the lid of a bottle or other container until you are comfortable with it.
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You will need:

bottles, lids, coaster, etc
eggshells
suitable adhesive (eg. clear adhesive for glass, wood glue for wood, epoxy resin for metal)
powder grout
water-based paint
small spatula(or flat ice-cream stick)
damp cloth
toothpicks
sandpaper
varnish
paint brush

Clean the article you wish to mosaic. Lightly sand the surface to roughen.

To make:

Break the eggshells into smaller pieces. Working in small sections, apply adhesive to the surface you wish to mosaic. Arrange the shell pieces over the area, flattening them with your fingers. Roll the tootpick over the glued eggshell to crush into smaller pieces, then gently ease them apart to form a pattern. Cover the whole area and leave to dry.

(I found that it was easier to apply adhesive to the inside of a piece of eggshell before placing it onto the article, then flatten the eggshell with my fingers to crush into smaller pieces, and gently ease the pieces apart with my fingers to form a pattern.) You will have much more control over the actual moving around of the eggshell pieces on the article and also obtain interesting "break-down" patterns. Fill the empty gaps with all the tiny pieces of eggshells that break off during this process.

In a small yoghurt or other container, mix a small amount of grouting powder with water to a smooth paste. Add a blob of PVA adhesive( wood glue) and mix in well.

Gently smooth the grout mixture over the eggshell pieces, making sure all gaps are filled. Carefully wipe off excess grout and leave to dry. (I also found that it is easier to first let the grout dry a little before wiping off the excess. The amount of grout you need to fill the gaps are not thick enough to withstand the dampness of the cloth. It tends to disappear between the gaps and you are left with "empty" gaps.)

Another way to solve this problem is to apply more than one coat of grout, but do not make the grout mixture too thick. Rather apply thin coats of grout, let it dry for a few minutes, wipe off excess and apply another coat, then leave to dry thoroughly.

Lightly sand the surface to remove excess grout. Wipe the surface with a damp cloth to remove grout dust. Continue sanding until the surface is smooth.

Apply two coats of varnish, allowing each coat to dry thorougly.

Tips:

To loosen the inner membrane from the eggshell, boil shell in water for a few minutes. Pull off any remaining membrane once the shells have cooled.

To preserve the eggs for later use, pour the yolk and white into a container, place a piece of cling film directly on to the egg to keep air out, and refrigerate. The eggs should be used within two to three days. (This is such an interesting project, let the kids make scrambled eggs for dinner while you are turning empty jars into masterpieces!)

Idea: Use tinted varnish to stain grout and eggshells. Dye the eggshells before using it.

Click on the link for examples of beautiful eggshell mosaic.