Sugar Panorama Easter Eggs

I finished all my sewing projects before Spring Break officially started this year, so I spent the day yesterday making panorama sugar eggs. I made them back in 2000 for everyone in my family. I was visiting my Mom on Saturday and she had her's out on the table. They still look good 10 years later.

I knew when I did them, that I had found the instructions online, but I didn't remember where. So I just followed a recipe that looked good. Well after I molded the eggs I found the actual recipe that I used back in 2000. So the eggs this year are just sugar and water. I just added 2 tablespoons of water for each cup of sugar that I used. So far they seem to be holding up. The original recipe that I used on the first batch of eggs 10 years ago is as follows:

1 lg. egg white
3 c. granulated sugar
1 c. powdered sugar
Food coloring

You mix all the ingredients with your hands and when it's all combined and you have your desired color, the sugar should keep it's shape when squeezed.

I like to wear gloves because sometimes the food color will stain your skin and I also don't like the sugar crystals under my fingernails. Next you pack the sugar firmly into the halves of your egg mold. I didn't buy any special mold for these. The small eggs are the standard plastic easter eggs which gives you an egg in cross section, the larg eggs had easter temporary tattoos in them and they're also in cross section, and my favorite mold because it's the only longitudinal section is the medium size that had a toy car in it. I got them all in the seasonal Easter section at WalMart. They were really inexpensive and I can re-use them.

I cut the rim off a small, dessert-sized paper plate and set it on top of the egg half and inverted the whole thing. Then I put the paper plate with the egg on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and slid the egg half onto the wax paper.

Let the eggs dry for right around 2 hours. When you pick them up the outside will have started to harden, but the sugar on the inside will be soft enough to scoop out. I use either a pointed grapefruit spoon or an ice tea spoon to get the sugar out of the middle. You want to make sure you leave about a 1/4-1/2 inch think wall all around. Then I use a really sharp little paring knife to shape the opening. I lost about half as many eggs as I molded this time. I'm pretty sure it was because of the recipe I used. I definitely don't remember that many crumbling when I made them with the recipe that used egg white. Once you have them shaped, they need to dry overnight and be completely hardened before you start decorating.

Some panorama eggs have little figurines inside. My dad took me searching all over the place the first time I made these to find tiny bunnies and easter related figurines. This time I decided to just download some easter clip art. I printed them on photo paper, then glued them to cardstock.

I made up some royal icing following this recipe:

3 egg whites, room temperature
1 lb. powdered sugar
3/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Then I started decorating. I started with piping "grass" into the bottom with a start tip. I added the picture I had cut out for each egg. I "glued" the two egg halves together with color-coordinated icing. I covered the seamline with icing and decorated the edge of the panorama opening. Then I piped in leaves and flowers.

This egg is my favorite for our first Easter as Mr. & Mrs. Bacon:

You Belong in the Zoo!

Along with thousands of other people, we went to the Zoo yesterday. Well, that's how it seemed from the parking lot. I've never had to search for parking at the Zoo! We drove in circles for a while until we found someone leaving and I was sure the place would be packed! But, once we got inside, it wasn't too bad! The Polar Bear Plunge had just opened two days earlier and I'm pretty sure they were all there to see that. Plus the Zoo is so big, people spread out and it all works out.

Michael took his new 1D and got AMAZING photos. The flamingos pic is my favorite.

The weather was perfect and we really had a great time. As we were walking toward the exit, two keepers drove up in an electric cart full of macaws. We couldn't see them, but we could hear them. They were locked up in a group of cages that looked like they were attached to some kind of lift. They stopped the cart right in the middle of the street and started lowering support legs for the cart. When people started flocking and asking questions, they said "we're going to fly the birds". They raised the cages about 20 feet in the air and we could hear the birds jumping around and getting more excited. Then they pulled out a Fender PA system and expained that everyday they fly 9 macaws. They release the birds and they go for a flight across the park back to their aviary and go to bed. How cool! We did a quick countdown as the birds were squawking and getting more and more excited. Then they release the door on the front of the cages and 9 huge beautiful macaws came soaring out and flew right through the middle of the park! It was so exciting and beautiful. We just happened to be there at the right time!

I hadn't been to the Zoo in a couple years and Michael had never been to our Zoo. We really had fun together and plan on going back soon.

Easter Sewing!

I finished up my Easter sewing this morning!

Yes, my sewing mojo has returned!

I made Michael an Easter shirt with his usual Simplicity 4975. Usually I make his shirts long-sleeve, but I made short sleeves for the first time on his Christmas shirt and they look great on him! Also, they cut my sewing time WAY back! So, I did the same for his Easter shirt.

I added more pictures of my dress to the pattern review for Simplicity 2642. I Frankensteined two different patterns together to make my dress. I changed the bodice and used view A of New Look 6809. It turned out great! I love the sleeve detail and the button closure on the neckline.

I'm feeling really good about Spring Break, now that I made so much sewing progress. Michael and I are going to The World Famous San Diego Zoo today, and then I have a relaxing week off work. :) I'm looking forward to making/coloring Easter eggs and then sewing with Kimbra and Ellie!

Happy Spring!

No mo' mojo

I've lost it.

My sewing mojo has left me.

I can't seem to make anything good right now.

It really needs to return in time to do some Easter sewing.