Here's how the tea-stained eggshells look once planted. In this post from the end of March, I showed you the tea-stained hollow eggshells I was making. I used 2 ordinary tea bags in 2 cups of hot water to brew a dark stain in a 1-quart canning jar. As I used eggs, I broke the shell at the pointed end only and sort of shook the contents out. I then washed the eggshells and set to dry. When I had 2 eggshells cleaned out, I immersed them completely in the tea, for a few hours to overnight (depending on how forgetful I was). Then I'd remove the stained shells and set in an empty carton upside down to dry. In between staining eggshells (while waiting for more to stain), I kept the tea covered in the fridge. Thankfully, nobody thought to drink it. I really should label things. All my eggshells have now been stained and dried. They're just waiting for the violets.
When I was in the backyard today, I noticed that the violets were beginning to bloom. I have violets in the front yard, as well, which are in a shady spot. I'm hoping the front yard violets won't bloom for another 10 days or so. The backyard violets always beat the front yard violets in bloom time. Anyway, this is exactly how I imagined the eggs. (Now that hardly ever happens -- something turning out how I imagine.)
I carefully dug up this tiny plant, then placed it into the hollow shell, poking in a bit of soil with my little finger, as needed. After planting, I dribbled in a little water. I'll watch how this one does and then plant up the 6 that I need for our Easter table, one at each place setting. I think they'll look pretty in a rustic sort of way.
