Pysanky Ukranian Easter Egg Decorating

Last night I went to Pergolina, a fabulous  gift store in Toluca lake, owned by a fabulous woman named Paulana. As a tribute to his mother, Peter  Gurski is teaching this old Ukranian egg decoration technique. For the price of the class, we got an egg dye kit, with a stylus, bee's wax,packets of dye eggs, and Peter's patient, I mean patient, expertise. We didn't have to use our dye, because  he already  had dyes mixed. 

To start out,  we used raw eggs. We cleaned them with vinegar. Boiled eggs won't dye well, so raw eggs are used. After the design is done, you simply spray it with clear coat, and voila, it last forever, unless you drop it. Next step, we got  a stylus  A hollow point nib, hot and plunged it into the bee's wax. The wax is drawn up into the stylus,then heated again with a candle flame, then drawn onto the egg.

After you get the desired outlines, you dye it the first color. Then you draw, again, with the wax adding more of your design. So, it's redraw, re-dip, and so on, until the last dip color which is usually the darkest is applied. Every time you draw with the wax, it  protects the last color you dipped, so in the end, all of the colors you protected are visible when the wax is wiped off. Any questions?  

My eggs look like first timers. It's really hard to keep the lines straight, but I think as presents, the mom's will enjoy them.

Peter. He's a peach!!!

some great samples

Paulana and Peter, and one of the students.

Refreshments to add to the creativity.

tools

dyes.

an inspirational chart.

somestudent's finished  eggs, great aren't they?

My egg for my mom

My other egg for my Mom-in-law

other side

reverse

cute little Easter baskets made by my friend Sheryl.