We started on Friday, sketching out designs in pencil and defining where we wanted the white to go with the first layer of beeswax on the eggs. Beeswax is melted with a candle and applied with a special tool called a kistka (included in kit along with wax, dye, instructions and patterns).
The key to Ukranian eggs is the order the dye is applied in. You start with yellow, then cover anything you want to stay yellow with more wax. Then green (or blue over the yellow, depending on kit) is applied with a cotton swab. More wax covers this. Then the egg goes through various other colors depending on which kit you are using, generally the darker the color, the later it will be applied. When you have finished the darkest color, you heat the egg near a candle and use a soft cloth to wipe away the melted wax, revealing your design!
Note: Some of these eggs were copied from patterns in the instructions and some were original designs; our family is generally more earth-based/pagan oriented so some designs reflect this.
