Not Martha

to make: papier-mache easter eggs

papier-mache easter eggs

For Easter I made papier-mache polka dotted eggs. I created them using small water balloons and tissue paper then I filled them with candy and toys and sealed them shut. The egg can hold a surprising amount of candy and the tissue paper seems delicate making for a delightfully heavy and yet fragile object, much like real egg. Also like a real egg you have to break the shell to get at what’s inside. I like things you have to destroy to open.

papier-mache easter eggs

You’ll need:

  • water balloons (they make the egg-iest shape)
  • white tissue paper (one sheet will make about three eggs)
  • colorful tissue paper (one sheet will make many eggs, so you don’t need much)
  • a 3/4 inch hole punch
  • a paint brush you don’t care much about
  • liquid laundry starch
  • a sturdy shot glass to hold your egg while you’re working with it
  • a way to hang the balloons to dry
  • enough time to let these dry overnight, and a few hours to let them dry after filling and sealing them (you’ve been warned)

A cutting mat, wheel cutter and straight edge will come in very handy but aren’t completely necessary.

Note: I tried a few variations on the starch. I used watered down wheat paste (the fancy stuff bought at an art supply store), watered down Nori paste and watered down Mod Podge. In the end I found that liquid landry starch right from the bottle was the least sticky and the easiest to work with considering the delicate tissue paper, so I stuck with that.

papier-mache easter eggs

First cut white tissue paper into the following sizes for each egg you’ll be making: one at 10″ x 5.5″, one at 10″ x 4.5″, two at 3.5″. These four sheets will be the base of the egg.

To create the polka dots I made squares of paper with holes in them which we’ll apply over the white base like scales. I cut a 1.5 inch strip of colored tissue, fold it in half, fold it in half again, then fold it in thirds. This made a square which could be punched all the way through with the paper punch. Then I cut each square off the strip. Two strips of tissue will be enough for one egg, three strips will cover two eggs.

Also cut a 1″ strip of your colored tissue paper and cut it into various sizes of triangles, these will fill in any bare spots of color later, I have more detail on this below.

Note: It will be helpful to have all your tissue paper cut and ready in advance. It’s frustrating to need to wash and dry your hands each time you need to cut more tissue.

papier-mache easter eggs

Inflate your water balloons just a bit until they have an egg-like shape.

papier-mache easter eggs

First we’ll apply the white tissue. Brush wet starch onto your balloon. Take the 5.5″ tall sheet and wrap it around the widest part of the balloon, lining up the top so that it will reach the knot in the balloon. Dip your brush in the starch and brush the tissue from the middle up to the top, letting the tissue crinkle and gather. Any spots that seem to stick up can be smoothed down with the brush and more starch. Now do the same brushing from the middle of the balloon down to the bottom. The bottom of this first layer will overlap itself, creating some strength there.

Apply the 4.5″ tall sheet next and do the same, the 3.5″ tall sheets go last. I went with shorter and shorter sizes so that we didn’t end up with too much overlap at the top and bottom ends.

Note: I tried a few different ways of creating the white base layer. First I tried using lots of strips of overlapping white tissue and working my way around the balloon but I found the tissue was too delicate for this application. I also tried cutting white tissue into a bunch of squares and applying it one layer at a time but found it was difficult to tell which part of the balloon I had already covered and it left a few areas of tissue that was too thin. Ultimately applying the white tissue paper in whole sheets wrapped around the balloon easier and more straightforward.

You can apply the color squares while the balloon is still wet, or you can let it hang to dry while you put the white layer on more eggs. You don’t need to allow them to dry the whole way before applying the color, but it won’t hurt anything if you do. Letting them dry until tacky, about 20 minutes, can make it easier to work with. I hung mine from the pot rack over my sink using clothespins and some string.

papier-mache easter eggs

To apply the color start at the top with the knot and overlap the squares covering as much white as you can as you go along. Since the surface of the balloon is still we you can place a dry polka dot square where you’d like it, then smooth it down using the wet brush. You can also use the tip of your wet brush to pick up and place the tissue paper so you don’t have to constantly pick up and put down the brush.

papier-mache easter eggs

papier-mache easter eggs

If you have some spots that the squares don’t reach simply cover it with one or two of the smaller triangles you cut.

papier-mache easter eggs

The bottom of the balloon can be a bit tricky, get one last polka dot on there if you can.

Note: Don’t toss your cut bits of colored tissue paper just yet. We’ll be using it to seal the eggs after they are dry and have been filled.

papier-mache easter eggs

I found that darker tissue paper make for a more consistent color on the final eggs. Lighter pastels showed the areas of overlap more. Not a big deal, but good to keep in mind when choosing which colors to use.

papier-mache easter eggs

Hang up your balloons overnight, wait until they are completely dry before moving on.

papier-mache easter eggs

To remove the balloon hold the knot and use a pin to make a small hole. Now wait until the balloon slowly deflates, it makes a most impressive noise while this is happening. (I didn’t have any trouble with the laundry starch sticking to the balloons, and even made an 11″ tissue paper balloon without trouble.) If you forget to hold onto the knot of the balloon and it falls inside it’s not big deal, you can pull it out later before you fill it with candy.

papier-mache easter eggs

Gather your candy (this is my favorite part). I found that candy over 1″ wide was a little too difficult to get inside, those yellow/orange/pink malt balls didn’t make it.

papier-mache easter eggs

To fill cut two places down from the hole in the top, making sure to avoid cutting over a polka dot as we’ll be covering the opening with more colored tissue to seal it later. The papier-mache is flexible and this slit will give us enough room to get those small foil wrapped chocolate eggs inside.

When you’re filled the egg make a loop of string, I attached “Pull Me” or “For Scott” messages to mine, and stuff half of it in the egg. Now get your starch and colored tissue paper back out. Using a bit more tissue put two or three more layers over the opening and let it dry.

papier-mache easter eggs

Why the loop? Simply because it can be difficult open the finished egg without cutting a hole in it, it turns into an awkward crushing/ripping thing. Pulling on the loop rips enough of the egg to get it started.

papier-mache easter eggs

For our niece and nephews Scott drew this awesome picture on a puzzle card which we broke up and distributed between the eggs. This was our sneaky way of getting them to work together and share.

papier-mache easter eggs

Last note: These are based on a Halloween project I first saw in Martha Stewart Living magazine in October of 2001, thePapier-Mache Treat Balls can also be found on the Martha Stewart website. I previously made these as Tiny Pinata gift containers.

papier-mache easter eggs

178 Comments

178 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Heather // Feb 23, 2014 at 4:00 pm

    The tissue paper kept ripping when I first tried to punch it. I found that if you cut your 1.5″ strip and then rap it around a thin piece of card stock, it punches a lot more smoothly

  • 2 Katharine // Mar 2, 2014 at 3:40 pm

    Darling project!

    I think if you want to make your own starch, you must boil it, as for making starch gravy. Try mixing about 2 Tablespoons of regular cornstarch with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. It should thicken, but I’m not sure if the ration would be perfect, but you could play around with it by adding more water or adding more cornstarch, MIXED WITH WATER, TO AVOID CLUMPING!, and stirring while adding. That’s basically how I make my own laundry starch to use in the washing machine, but different ratios, of course.

    Hope this helps someone who cannot find liquid starch.

  • 3 Débora Ferreira // Mar 3, 2014 at 7:44 am

    Loved. Thanks for sharing your idea. Very creative.

  • 4 Papier-mache Easter Eggs » Make Something Daily // Mar 7, 2014 at 5:43 pm

    […] making papier-mache Easter eggs for Sunday. I saw the idea last year on the fabulous blog Not Martha, and I made these same eggs […]

  • 5 4 DIYs To Try When It's Rainy » Positively DreamingPositively Dreaming // Mar 10, 2014 at 8:41 pm

    […] Get a jump on Easter with polka-dotted papier-mâché eggs. […]

  • 6 Cool Life Magazine | Where the Best Ideas Come From // Mar 19, 2014 at 2:24 pm

    […] Source […]

  • 7 alessandra lucci // Mar 23, 2014 at 11:41 pm

    sono bellissimi , e’ una bella idea

  • 8 Easter Decorations and Inspirations… | The Holiday Shoppe // Mar 25, 2014 at 11:36 pm

    […] http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/papiermacheeastereggs/ […]

  • 9 Ostereier selber basteln - KiWeZ // Apr 2, 2014 at 12:23 pm

    […] kann auch gut mit kleinen Kinder schon gebastelt werden. Die Anleitung findest du hier: notmartha.org E-MailTwitterFacebookGooglePinterestTumblr Previous postPearl Jam für Babys… Next […]

  • 10 Überraschungseier selber basteln - KiWeZ // Apr 2, 2014 at 12:23 pm

    […] kann auch gut mit kleinen Kinder schon gebastelt werden. Die Anleitung findest du hier: notmartha.org E-MailTwitterFacebookGooglePinterestTumblr Previous postPearl Jam für Babys… Next […]

  • 11 Easter Finds — sweetcelebrations.com.au // Apr 13, 2014 at 8:11 pm

    […] Papier-mache Easter eggs […]

  • 12 An Easter Afternoon Project | Twists and Turns 2.0 // Apr 19, 2014 at 1:12 am

    […] followed this tutorial: http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/papiermacheeastereggs/  The only thing I did differently was I home made my own laundry starch since I wasn’t sure […]

  • 13 Kristy // Apr 26, 2014 at 7:07 am

    Gisele- I’m from australia and have just finished doing the crochet string eggs. In America they use liquad starch but it is very difficult to find in australia. I watch a thing on better homes and gardens and she does the string eggs with 2 parts water and 1 part PVC glue. It worked amazing and this would be the same too. Give it a go. I’m going these next year for my easter gifts so let me know if it works for you too. Good luck!

  • 14 Kristy // Apr 26, 2014 at 7:07 am

    Also youtube video made home made starch. It is just corn flour and water

  • 15 DIY – 30 Amazing Easter Decorations | Life in Colors // May 21, 2014 at 9:48 am

    […] Source […]

  • 16 Kylie // May 24, 2014 at 5:23 am

    Love this- will be definitely trying this next easter xxx

  • 17 13 Eco-Friendly Easter Crafts for Kids | Inhabitots // Jun 16, 2014 at 11:13 am

    […]    Photo by Not Martha Easter is less than a month away, and that means it's time to break out the art supplies and make […]

  • 18 6 of My Favorite Spring and Easter DIY Craft Tutorials - Southern Fried Genius // Jul 8, 2014 at 10:06 am

    […] 1.) Cute and Colorful Pull-Apart Papier Maché Easter Eggs (with treats inside!)  (notmartha.org) I love pretty much anything papier maché, but these are made with one of my favorite craft supplies — tissue paper — so I love them even more! Plus, these little cuties are designed to break open and reveal a secret stash of sweetness, so in my book, you can’t go wrong!! […]

  • 19 Kitty // Feb 8, 2015 at 10:51 pm

    I love this idea but do you think it is possible to make it in a heart?

  • 20 Valerie // Mar 23, 2015 at 10:08 am

    I made the eggs using bigger balloons. At first I tried using water & cornstarch but it wasn’t sticky enough to hold the shape. Sta Flo with flour made the egg stiff enough. The eggs have a matte not glossy finish. Thank you for the detailed instructions, they are very helpful.

  • 21 Daniella // Mar 23, 2015 at 12:50 pm

    Love your tutorial. I am definitely making them for Easter this week! Just one silly question you may have tried it already… wouldn’t it work as well to just put the treats inside the baloon before inflating it? Thanx!

  • 22 megan // Mar 23, 2015 at 1:10 pm

    Daniella – You could for sure, I’m afraid handling them while wet would become a lot more tricky. Also, opening them without the pull string is really difficult unless the person opening them has scissors or a knife so keep that in mind.

  • 23 Jeanine // Apr 3, 2015 at 1:11 pm

    Oh my goodness! This is by far thee greatest Easter Egg paper mache craft I have ever seen! Such clever little tweaks you’ve made to create an almost brand new idea! Thank you for sharing this with us. Happy Easter

  • 24 Carol // Jan 26, 2016 at 7:50 am

    I love these! I have grandchildren that I craft with and make treats for them to share with their classmates. I think this will be loved by them all! Thanks for sharing.
    Carol

  • 25 Kristy // Feb 26, 2016 at 6:43 pm

    I using these to announce my pregnancy at Easter. I had them saved to do this year anyway now we have an extra special surprise to put inside. Hope they turn out just as cute :)

  • 26 Ruth // Mar 28, 2016 at 7:33 am

    Made these eggs for this year’s EE hunt. They were a hit. For New Yorker’s looking for liquid starch, I found it at Gracious Home ($6 for a big bottle, less than on Amazon). I also tried a Mod Podge fabric stiffener found at Michael’s but it was much sticker to use. Also found that doing the white layer and letting it dry was easiest to handle. The tip about using a shot glass was invaluable. I also used the leftover circles punched from the tissue paper for one of the eggs and it was great – easy to cover as well when cutting a slit. Filled w Mardi Gras beads and gold coins. Also made hole punches for the string as I had trouble w the suggested method. So fun – will do it again with round balloons for Christmas to hang on the tree and fill with small gifts. Thank you!

  • 27 broad // Apr 19, 2016 at 2:50 am

    I using these to announce my pregnancy at Easter. I had them saved to do this year anyway now we have an extra special surprise to put inside. Hope they turn out just as cute too very good keep it up:)

  • 28 Scarlet // Mar 30, 2019 at 1:33 pm

    I am pinning this right now. So clever and cute. I just love this idea for Easter!

Leave a Comment