Friday, April 15, 2011

Egg~Stravaganza



Not egg-zactly your typical Easter egg!

My mother started me off on the

journey of these exquisite works of art.



I display my group of

eggs~traordinary treasures every Easter.

At first when there were just a few,

they nestled in miniature baskets or nests.



Mother gave me my first hand painted egg from her friend, Peggy, in 1980. China painting was a popular hobby at the time, and her friend painted on china eggs.



Each spring, Mother would send me one of Peggy's exquisite eggs. Eventually my basket expanded to include other eggs created by local artists and a few that were mass produced.



I've not added any new eggs in many years, but every Easter, without fail, the exquisite hand-painted eggs from years past take center stage here at HFTS.



The two eggs in front were painted by Peggy. Delicate pink roses, a pair of sweet blue birds ~ each of Peggy's paintings reflected her love of nature.



You can see the little bunny among the Texas bluebonnets is dated 1980. It was the first of these eggs that Mother gave to me. The egg to the right with the big eyed owl was painted by the grandmother of one of my students. It dates from the late 1970s.



These tiny quail eggs were for sale at a local florist in 1984 and were painted by Joni, a local artist. Joni later had a line of greeting cards that featured her art.



In the 1990s, a friend here in town began painting eggs and sold them at local boutiques. Nancy's eggs are the ones featured in the mosaic at the opening of this post. Her bundle of radishes that encircles the egg above was one of her early designs.



Nancy painted on wooden eggs, and you can see how her designs changed over time.



Nancy painted these eggs until 2000,

but unfortunately has since given up this hobby.



This trio of blue and white eggs are

from China and were also from the 1980s.



Spring 2001 you'll find the eggs have found a soft spot on a burlap covered tray. Come back next week to meet the bunnies that keep them company.




I recently discovered a very talented blogger who has painted many eggs through the years. Click here to meet Priscilla @ Letters From the Northwest.




Priscilla has several posts showcasing the different designs she has painted on eggs. The mosaic above is just a tiny sampling of Priscilla's talent and the assortment of designs that she has painted through the years. Visit Letters From the Northwest and scroll down through her archives. You'll be amazed!
Click the links below to join others
sharing this week at the following parties.



Sarah
Sarah

The summer we married, my husband was in graduate school, and I was employed as a teacher. We took a portion of our savings that summer and purchased a sailboat. We christened our Catalina 22, “Hyacinths For The Soul” after Saadi’s poem. Our "Hyacinths" provided years of pleasure.

48 comments:

  1. Happy Pink Saturday!

    This is Egg fabulousness! Love them!


    ~ Gabriela ~

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  2. All of your ceramic eggs are just fabulous! My favorite is the one with the sweet blue birds. Oh be still my heart!!

    Love,
    Susan and Bentley
    xxoo

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  3. Thank you for such kind words describing my eggs. It has been a pleasure to see those you have collected through the years.

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  4. Your eggs (and Pricillas) are all so so so pretty!! I think my favorite of all is the one with two little bluebirds!

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  5. Oh my...what an incredible collection! I LOVE the blue and white eggs and the tiny little quail eggs! These are fabulous.
    xo,
    Sena

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  6. I love your egg collection, Sarah. We have a collection too...Christine

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  7. Your egg collection is phenomenal! My favorite is the one with the little bluebirds on it. Too, too cute! This post has made my day!

    xoxoxo,
    Ricki Jill

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  8. Gorgeous eggs Sarah! Little works of art with so much detail-enjoy:@)

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  9. Such beautiful eggs! I love how you display your collection.

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  10. Sarah,
    What a lovely collection of eggs you have. As I read your post I thought I'd choose a favorite and tell you which one I liked best. I can't pick a favorite...I adore them all! I'll be back to see those bunnies! Yes, indeed...I was checking them out as I read!
    Fondly,
    Pat

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  11. Those are gorgeous! I love the little birdies, so cute!
    One of my teacher friends used to pysanky. I never had the patience.

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  12. What beautiful eggs you have. Peggy was a true artist and her paintings are remarkable. So were the other artists. These are the best eggs I have ever seen. You ae so lucky to have such a wonderful collection. I cant stop looking at them..

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  13. Oh my goodness, Sarah! What beautiful treasures you have amassed over the years! I can't help but wonder how you pack & store & REMEMBER all of it every year. LOL

    They are just exquisite!

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  14. Sarah, What a fabulous collection you have! I especially love the little painted blue bird egg. So very sweet. Thanks for joining my party and have a wonderful weekend.
    xo,
    Sherry

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  15. You have a beautiful egg collection. They are so pretty I would be tempted to leave them out all year. The little bunny is just precious.

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  16. Sarah, I remember this beautiful collection! It's wonderful to see it again. So many beautifully painted eggs in your collection. I'd never be able to pick a favorite among all of those beauties. Priscilla's eggs are really pretty too. I hope to get time to go check those out soon. Thank you for linking up. Have a great weekend. laurie

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  17. Wow, what a beautiful collection of china painted eggs. I have a few china painted pieces but I have never seen eggs like that!! Very pretty...
    Suzyq

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  18. Once again, we are gathering to enjoy that yummy color....PINK....it is the most delicious color I know.... have a safe and pleasant week end...God Bless You...that center piece is so lovely
    Kandy

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  19. Very creative..Thank you for sharing...HPS!

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  20. Good morning Sarah What a beautiful collection of eggs you have. I love the wooden ones, they all make for a pretty display, I would want to keep them out all year round.

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  21. Your Easter eggs are beautiful!!!
    I love them all !!
    Jenn

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  22. Your post is sooooo beautiful. I love your egg collection. Wow! Happy PS!

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  23. oh, what a wonderful collection!

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  24. These are so lovely!
    I love Nancy's eggs... would be hard to pick just one. I also love the cameo painted eggs at the bottom.
    So unusual!
    Great post!
    xox
    Alison

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  25. Wow! These are amazing! When I was a teen I was to "grown up" to dye eggs so I would always "create" an egg or two for my mom. I know how challenging these are. :)

    You have an awesome collection! :)

    ~Liz

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  26. A wonderful collection of painted eggs! Yours are very exquisite! I like the ways you have displayed them! I enjoyed seeing all of them!

    Katherine

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  27. Wow, these are all so gorgeous!

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  28. Happy Pink Saturday,

    My first visit...

    I enjoyed your HP egg collection. You have a very nice Easter display.

    Please stop by too.
    Graciously,
    monah

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  29. What a beautiful collection Sarah! I especially love those sweet bluebirds~ they're egg-ceptional :-)

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  30. Oh dear, those eggs are divine! I love the ones with the silhouettes and of course, all the chicks and bunnies. THE BUNNIES on the silver tray are DYNAMITE! teeeeheeee! Oh Sara, thank you for coming to take a dip in the warm waters of Navagio Beach! What a place, huh? I must go there before I get TOO OLD! LOVE TO YOU, Anita

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  31. Oh my! Your collection is truly enviable!

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  32. Those are incredible! What a fantastic collection of eggs!!!

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  33. Your egg collection is gorgeous...I love all of the different sweet designs on them...with each one being so very unique :)
    Happy SS!

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  34. Sarah..I loved your eggs from many years-I am an "Eggficionado" also..I have saved my sugar Panoramic eggs from 30 years ago and I have quite a collection..I used to eat them as a child and then wonder why I spent so much time at the dentist. I ordered eggs from The White House this year-they just came in the mail-pretty cute.
    I will never forget that wonderful picnic lunch you made for Laurie and me!
    Happy Easter..Susie Walker/Conway, AR

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  35. Such a fabulous egg collection you have, Sarah.... my favorite is the white and black one with gold detailing...I like the way you continue to add to your mother's beautiful collection... thanks for stopping by the other day and for your lovely comment. I love the name of your blog a lot...I'm so glad you found me. Have a lovely weekend!!
    http://withadashofcolor.blogspot.com/

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  36. Miss Sarah,

    Wow that is an impressive egg collection! Just beautiful..hard to pick a favorite for sure! I love the Easter tray on your table!! Hope you and your family have a blessed Easter!!!

    Miss Bloomers

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  37. I don't know that I have ever seen such an extensive collection of china painted eggs. They are just beautiful! The artists have to put a lot of attention into such tiny detail. I don't know how they do it! It's so nice that you have so many treasured gifts from your Mom that are keepsakes! Can't wait to see the bunnies!!!

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  38. Each egg is a work of art. You have a very lovely, sentimental collection - the best kind. I love that you showed them off. Thanks so much.

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  39. You have a spectacular collection. I love how so many of them were painted by special people that you knew. I do think you need to add some pysanky eggs though. They are often in darker colours or even black, so you will have to chose carefully to find ones that suit your lovely mostly pastel collection.

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  40. What a beautiful collection Sarah~ they are all so pretty! Love that sweet little owl one- my sister would absolutely adore it! Thanks for sharing this at my party! :)

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  41. I love the rabbit on the very first photo with the pink and blue checkered stand. reminds me of Virgina and a Lady worked for out there...she did lots of checkered stands with her folk art.
    Happy week before Easter!

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  42. Sarah,
    These are beautiful! You have a wonderful collection. Thanks for linking this up!~
    Sherry

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  43. What a lovely collection you have! They are truly beautiful. I think anyone who can paint on an egg is a pretty amazing artist! It's hard enough to paint on a flat surface!
    Thanks for visiting my blog again. Your blog is very cheerful and inspiring!

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  44. Sarah, Your Easter egg collection is fabulous and each a beautiful work of art. You must enjoy getting them ready for Easter each year and remembering when you got each one. I really like how you have them displayed on the silver tray with the large bunnies and beads.
    I'm sorry I'm late commenting, but I've been in the garden for the last couple of days trying to get finished before it gets blazing hot.
    Wishing you and your family a blessed Easter.
    Hugs,
    ~ Babs

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  45. So sorry to be so late coming to visit. You have a amazing egg collection. Wow, if we put your eggs with my egg cups!Thanks so much for beig a part of Seasonal Sundays.

    - The Tablescaper

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  46. Sarah, sorry I am also late, still catching up from a mini getaway to the beach. I just had to comment on this post. Your egg collection is charming, and is an art collection. I love the way you have displayed them. Thanks for sharing your collection in this post. Now I'm off to visit Priscilla.....(I just don't get much done at the beach)

    Easter Blessings Sarah

    ~Emily
    The French Hutch

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  47. Your egg collection is just amazing, Sarah..Beautiful

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