Slices of life, both written and photographed.

Friday, April 5, 2013

"Eggstraordinary" Eggs!


Of all the decorations for Easter, probably my favorite are hand-painted Polish  and Ukrainian eggs.

Once again, this Easter season, a dear girlfriend of mine, who is of Ukrainian heritage, brought me two new additions to my growing collection.

They are truly beautiful works of art and I am sooooo grateful. 

Here's a peek at them on a glass shelf inside the dining room hutch: 




Most of the Ukrainian designs are on eggs that are real, blown-out, making them very delicate (and breakable.)

The Polish eggs I have are made from wood and have very colorful designs.


Every year when carefully taken out of storage, they are placed in a crystal dish.


 This year, I tried putting them on a silver tray but it didn't last long. The crystal dish seemed more suited for the eggs so I switched them again.   


Tradition is hard to break!


 The Polish eggs make me think of my late maternal grandparents who were Polish immigrants to America.

They struggled so much to make a better life for their children, grandchildren and now, great-grandchildren.























I will be forever grateful to them.


At some yard sale, I also found some pastel eggs that have joined the decorations.  They are pretty, too.


Hand-painted items are special and I appreciate all the work that someone somewhere put into them.

WERE YOUR GRANDPARENTS IMMIGRANTS TO THE UNITED STATES?

17 comments:

Bookie said...

Your eggs are beautiful. A gal here grew up in Mennonite home in Kansas and she make these eggs too. I am going to send you a great egg tree picture when I can. Night for now...

diane.stetson said...

Yes they were but I only have seven Polish eggs in my collection..still they decorate my table each Easter. I keep them in a small Easter basket.

Merlesworld said...

What lovely eggs, great colours and designs and you have so many of them.
We just are in the process of tracing our family tree so I can tell you my grandparents were Australian but we came from Liverpool in England on one side, haven't done the other side yet.
Merle...........

Hindustanka said...

Hi, Susan!
What wonderful work you presented today! the eggs are so beautiful! I am Russian, and always glad to hear from people about close to my culture facts or crafts!

Suzan said...

You have a wonderful egg collection! You are very lucky to have this awesome collection. I know you are so very careful with the real eggs. Almost sad that their art work isn't on a wooden egg. Very special!!

Lady Linda said...

Susan...what treasures! I love them all! I was wondering about your heritage.
Both of my dad's parents were Germans living in Russia. My grandmother's side came to America in 1900 and my grandfather's side came in 1901. They came from the same region and settled in North Dakota. Then some of both families ended up in Yakima WA during the depression. My mother's side was made up of Irish and German families. My hubby's family came from Italy and Lithuania.Our children have a lot of different heritages to be proud of.

The Old Parsonage said...

Hi Susan

I LOVE your eggs! I have 2 but would love to collect more!

My great-grandparents were from England and Austria. I love family history.

Enjoy your weekend!
Leann

Susan said...

What beautiful treasures! I love the delicate, handcrafted painting, XOXO

Linda @ A La Carte said...

These eggs are works of art and you are so blessed to have these to enjoy! My Grandfather was born to immigrant parents from Norway.

Linda

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

I love those eggs! I don't know how you keep the real ones from breaking. I would definitely need to stick with the wood ones. :) Have a good day. Tammy

Nellie said...

Actually, I have been told that my great-great-grandparents immigrated from Ireland at some point in the 1800's. I really need to research that. Other grandparents were of Cherokee descent.

The eggs are lovely! I believe I would leave them out at other times than just for Easter.

Ruth Kelly said...

I keep my Polish eggs in a dish that looks just like yours in my grandmother's Mahogany china cabinet that way I can view them year round.

Decadent Housewife said...

Hello Susan,

I just found your blog a few moments ago. Your pysanky shown on another blog's sidebar caught my attention. My husband is of Ukrainian descent with a Polish surname. Am I ever glad I found you here - what a super blog you have.

Trish

Chatty Crone said...

You have so many beautiful eggs - how long did it take you to collect all those? And where do you have them in your home - I just would love to see your beautiful home. sandie

Barbara Neubeck said...

Hi Susan .... Your egg collection is ...MAGNIFICENT.....
The work taken to decorate them and that some are gifts only makes them more special.....
Hugs
Barb xx

Red Rose Alley said...

These Polish eggs are so unique and lovely. And guess what? I am part Polish on my father's side. What a nice collection to put out every year.
~Sheri

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Both Joe and I are from Polish decsent and i love your Pyshanky eggs!! Beautiful!!

Hugs.
Deb

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