DIY: Fabergé-esque Easter eggs

A glorious decorative egg

The talented jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé created 69 luxurious decorated eggs for the Russian royal family between 1885 and 1917. These artistic creations, now known as Fabergé eggs, are displayed in museums across the world, all richly decorated with diamonds, gold and precious stones. Several are still owned by the Queen herself. Given their high value, and their limited number, some of these hugely coveted objects have mysteriously disappeared over time. We believe that means there’s room for a new round of decadently decorated eggs — but this time of the hard-boiled variety and adorned with flowers.

Drawing our inspiration from the original Fabergé egg, we’ve created an opulent floral version for Easter. Follow our DIY instructions to make one of your own.

DIY FABERGÉ-ESQUE EASTER EGGS Funnyhowflowersdothat.co.uk

You will need

Hard-boiled egg
Food colouring
Glue gun
Scissors
Egg cup or silver/gold napkin ring
Your choice of small, sturdy flowers such as mimosa, waxflower, Astrantia major, limonium

How to make it

There are two ways to prepare your egg so that it's hard enough to work with. The first option is to boil it for 12 minutes, then leave to cool completely. Choose an attractive base colour, then place the egg in a bath of food dye to achieve the shade, before leaving it to dry.

The other option is to make holes with a needle in the top and bottom of the egg, and blow out the raw insides. You can then use the egg for scrambled egg, omelette, or an Easter cake. Dye the eggshell as before, then, once it is dry, coat it with PVA glue two or three times to harden the shell, leaving it to dry in between coats. Readying the egg in this way also means your decoration will last longer.

Once the egg is prepared, you can get started on the flowers. Cut them as small and as close to the bud as possible, then, once the egg is dried, use a glue gun to attach the delicate blooms. Vary the colour and shape to give the egg a decadent, bejewelled look, just like Peter Carl Fabergé would have done.

When you’re finished, place the egg on your table as a centrepiece, either in a vintage eggcup or on a nice silver or gold napkin ring.