Blog - Page 15 of 41 - Shannon Von Eschen Photography

Eggs, Easter, & Eli

Luke 24: 5-6.

♥ “Why do you look for the living among the dead?He is not here; He has risen!” ♥

It’s by far my favorite verse in the Bible. Which is why every year, on this day, I reference it. Today, we’ll glorify His name in all things. He is Risen! HALLELUJAH!

It’s become a tradition ever since you learned to walk. I hide eggs (and sometimes other treasures) in our fields of evergreen trees during the weeks before Easter, and you try to find them. We read the Easter Story and we talk about the true meaning of why we celebrate. And afterwards, we play! You have loved hunting for eggs since your very first Easter, and it melts me that you look forward to this each year. And guess what? This year, it snowed! How fun it was to frolic in the cold and yet still pretend it was really spring! You are such a gift, child.

♥ Happy Easter, Eli! ♥

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Botanical Imprints – A Natural Dye Easter Egg Tutorial

Spring will come and so will happiness. Hold on. Life will get... Warmer.
 -Anita Krizzan

Materials:

Hard-boiled (or blown out) eggs

Cheese-cloth

String (6-7” lengths) or rubber bands

Mugs for dye and spoons to retrieve the eggs

Red cabbage (robin-egg blue eggs), Blueberries (gray & blue eggs), & Grapes (lavender & dark blue eggs)

Herbs, Leaves, or Flowers for imprinting

Drying wrack or cutting board

Instructions:

1. Prepare the dyes of your choice:

Cut up the cabbage into chunks. Rinse the blueberries and pick the grapes from the grape stem. Add the dye matter, (red cabbage, blueberries, grapes, etc) each type individually, to a pot of water and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and simmer, covered, for approximately 15 to 30 minutes. Then, use a slotted spoon to strain out extra pieces of the dye matter so you liquid is all that remains. Let it cool to room temperature and pour into mugs or small bowls. (Optional: Add 1 tbs of vinegar per cup of strained liquid. Occasionally, this will result in more vibrant-colored eggs)

2. Cut your cheese-cloth (or nylons) into 6”x6” squares. Set aside.

3. Select your botanical, herb, leafy, or floral imprint clippings. I used Cilantro, Rosemary, Fern-leaf, Thyme, & Italian Ruscus. Clip small egg-sized springs to use as an imprint. Set aside.

4. One at a time, select one sprig and carefully hold it firmly against the egg. Tightly begin wrapping one of your cheese-cloth squares over it, twisting all the ends together to hug the egg firmly. (You can also use a pair of nylons). Secure the cheese-cloth tightly with a piece of string or a rubber band.

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Botanical Imprints – A Farm-to-Table Easter Tablescape with Bare Root Flora

Easter has long been one of my most favorite holidays. I love the renewal it brings and the season it heralds—spring! Things are coming back to life and everything is fresh and green. And so, in the coming weeks before Easter, I attempted to create something new, meaningful, and organic for my Easter table. I was inspired by the tones of every-day, color-rich foods, fruits, and herbs and aimed to start a new tradition of dying eggs naturally, while also creating something not only pretty for our table, but something entirely edible. The process was altogether enlightening, therapeutic, and beautiful…and though it was simple, it required lots of patience. This project forced me to be a bit more creative, artistic, and appreciative of the process…in such a way that had me giddy with pride at how some of these tiny eggs actually turned out!

When it came to setting the table for Easter, I enlisted the help of my impeccably talented friend, Robyn with Bare Root Flora. She loved the idea of having a Farm-to-Table Easter Tablescape. Using the eggs I’d dyed with fruits and botanical imprints as inspiration, she created something new, fresh, organic, and life-like, by weaving together a living runner of logs, blooming branches, and beautiful spring flowers that sprang forward from our table the way spring bursts to life through winter. She began by creating a base of skinny logs and then wove blooming branches of hyancinth, anemone, tulip, whimsical clematis vines and greenery along the length of the runner. She kept the flowers fresh so we could enjoy them all day, by tucking each stem into plastic water tubes and hiding them within the branches and leaves. And she finished off our centerpiece by placing grapes, clippings, and some other dye elements I’d using into the tablescape to bring it all together. Ah, I just adore her.

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