Raiding the Nest...DIY Dragon Egg

Dragons have always been kind of a fascination for me. A beautiful majestic mythical creature, even though a totally bad idea. If anybody has ever watched  the movie Reign of Fire, you know what I'm talking about.
So seeing that I can't have a real Dragon, here's the next best thing.

"My version" of a Dragon's egg, seriously the options for this odd conversation piece are endless. And you can make it look as realistic or as unrealistic as you want.
It's a very easy craft to make, if you can use scissors and squeeze a glue gun you're good to go.

I started with a leftover ten inch plastic Easter egg that I had rolling around. You can glue your egg shut which I did, or you could leave it so that you can pull it apart and maybe use it for storage. But you do run the risk of damaging your scales every time you open or close it, so it's really up to you.

I used cardboard from a few pasta boxes. Or you could use card stock, any thin cardboard will work.
You can cut a strip of scales or you can do the scales individually. I went the more time-consuming route which was to cut them individually.
I made them a triangular shape with semi rounded tips about one inch long. You could really make them any shape and size you want because it's a Dragon's egg, so use your imagination!
I started gluing at the top (the smaller part of the egg) and I layered from there so that the scales points are facing up when it's sitting on its base, and again face your scales whichever way you want.

 
Once you have your first layer down, stagger your next layer and glue it below the previous with some overlap. I used a hot glue to begin the project and then halfway through I ran out of glue sticks so I finished up with some Aleene's Turbo Tacky glue, which dries pretty fast but it's still not as quick.
After every layer is applied and the glue has fully dried. I did a base coat of acrylic matte black paint and then a coat of acrylic matte green with a little bit of yellow, and then I brushed some copper and gold metallic paint on to the tips of the scales. I find that the metallics help to protect the finish. If you don't want to use metallic, I would probably do a clear coat spray to help keep the paint protected. 

And then all you need is a base, you could make one from cardboard, or find something that you already have around the house. I just used a lid from a jar. It doesn't need to be large, just wide enough to keep the egg stable.

I will leave a list and links to all the products that I used. And remember if anybody makes this project send me a picture, I would love to see the results! And don't let the kids use it as a football. 😃

Happy Crafting,

Hela