Happy Easter

Easter was only a few days away and Roshan asked me if am planning on doing anything for Easter.  I have been pondering over the very same question, wondering what I can carve for Easter.  Normally, Easter reminds you of – an Easter basket, Easter eggs, an Easter Bunny, jelly beans, grass, carrots, a cross and the renaissance of Jesus.

I tried adding few of the above to my carving.  Whenever I think of carving, the first fruit that comes to my mind is watermelon.  Although I have used watermelon in most of my carvings, this fruits has a smooth exterior rind with green and yellow colors combined with a red or yellow interior flesh that allows for easier carving and looks very colorful.

After washing and towel drying the watermelon, I transferred the image of the renaissance of Jesus and the letters ? Happy Easter.  After transferring the image, then I carefully scraped the skin to resemble the original image.

Following are the materials I used to make the Easter basket.

1 honeydew melon
Red, blue and sunset orange food colors
Transferable Images
1 cup thinly sliced lettuce
2 chenille stems
1 pastel colored ribbon
 
For the eggs:

6 hard boiled eggs
1 egg coloring kit
Decorative stickers
 
After washing and towel drying the honeydew melon, I placed the knife about 2? from the center and sliced the melon completely through. Using the melon ball,  I scooped the pulp from the bottom part and reserved it for later use.

Using a washable non toxic marker, I traced the flowers around the top and bottom of the honeydew melon.  Using a craft knife I scraped away the top layer of the skin, inside the flower shapes.
 
I mixed equal amounts of food color and water (3-5 drops of each is plenty).  Using a cotton swab, I applied the red color to the top flowers and sunset orange and blue to the bottom flower shapes, alternating colors.
 
Using 6 hard boiled eggs; I followed the instructions on the egg coloring kit and then placed a few stickers to make the eggs more colorful and attractive.  I did this before working on the honeydew melon and watermelon.

I soaked thinly sliced lettuce in green food color to resemble grass.  In the mean time, using two chenille stems (you get them in any craft store), I shaped it to form a handle to be placed on the honeydew melon.  Using the colorful pink and blue polka dot ribbon, I wrapped the chenille stems.  I inserted both ends of the chenille stems into the honeydew melon to form a handle and a bow in the center of the handle.
 
I then filled the melon basket with green lettuce (grass) and placed the decorated eggs on the top.
 
It took a lot of time and patience to make the above, however, the spirit of Easter and the great passion in art together with encouraging and supportive readers makes everything possible.

Thanks to my twin nieces ? Gail and Gwayne for helping me decorate the eggs.

From my family to you and yours, wishing you all a Very Happy and Blessed Easter!

Author: Queenie Mendonca- USA