Egg animal shakers

For a product that's so tied to a single holiday, plastic eggs are incredibly versatile. I've seen them made into tiny tea cups, covered in wool roving, used as Jello molds, and transformed into fireflies. I mixed two ideas together and turned a couple of eggs into hand percussion instruments that happen to look like cute spring animals. 

These sound just like the plastic egg shakers you can buy at music stores, but these are both cheaper and cuter. Win-win! 

To make one of these guys, first fill the rounder half of a plastic egg with dry rice. I used short-grain brown rice, as I had some already, and I think it makes a better sound -- somehow less "wispy" than long-grain white rice. 

Close the egg tightly, and tape over the center seam and the air holes on both ends. You don't want any water getting inside to mess with the rice. 

Now the fun, messy part: Papier mache! You can use the traditional water and flour mix, but I used my favorite stuff, powdered wallpaper adhesive. (Note: That link goes to Amazon, and I get a few cents if you buy the product after clicking.  This is the exact product I use.) It's super strong and, as a result, you don't have to have as many layers of paper. 

After you've covered the egg with a few overlapping layers of gooped-up newspaper, add any three-dimensional features. I cut ears, wings, and a beak from cereal box cardboard, and attached them using small strips of papier mache. The ears were a pain in the butt to keep in place, to be honest. Next time, I'd let the egg dry, then hot-glue on the cardboard ears, and then cover them with papier mache. 

Let the paper dry completely. For me, during clammy, wet weather, this took almost 24 hours. Now, paint! I covered both bunny and chick with white acrylic craft paint first, and after that dried, added a coat of color. Once that paint is dry, add some facial features with a marker. Done!

Once dry, these guys are sturdy. Shake them to the rhythm of your favorite song. Their sound adds a kind of jazzy, Latin flavor. It's fun!
​xo