Sat Apr 16, 2011 7:44 pm
#46853
Well I carved one of this year's foam pumpkins (from Michaels craft stores). As reported above, they are indeed different from what was offered last year.
The eggs come in different sizes, I bought the largest I could. As you can see from this comparison shot, the new egg (yellow) is a bit smaller than last year's egg (purple). This year's egg is about 8.5" tall. That leaves about 7" x 5" of space on the front for a design.
The shell is thinner too, and I had a much easier time carving my egg this year. The majority of the shell is 1/8" thick. None of the foam gave me any trouble with the heated Versa Tool blade. Also the colored paint on the outside reacted fairly well to the heated blade (last year I had peeling issues). So I'm happy to see these improvements this Easter season.
There is a seam that runs all the way around, from top to bottom. It's well hidden from the outside. Also there are a few support bars inside that are 1/4" thick. Here's what the inside looks like. (I cut the hole in the bottom for lighting purposes)
When carving the foam pumpkins from Michaels, many don't like the dreaded dark shadow line that appears around the perimeter of the 'kin, caused by the band of supporting foam inside. I've been known to sand this excess foam down for more uniform light glow. But the support bands on the inside of this Easter egg seem to make a pretty specific image when lit from inside. Intentional? So much for marketing these eggs as non-denominational craft pieces. Heh.
Overall, I'm much happier with these eggs this year, and I got a pretty cool chick out of the deal.
The eggs come in different sizes, I bought the largest I could. As you can see from this comparison shot, the new egg (yellow) is a bit smaller than last year's egg (purple). This year's egg is about 8.5" tall. That leaves about 7" x 5" of space on the front for a design.
The shell is thinner too, and I had a much easier time carving my egg this year. The majority of the shell is 1/8" thick. None of the foam gave me any trouble with the heated Versa Tool blade. Also the colored paint on the outside reacted fairly well to the heated blade (last year I had peeling issues). So I'm happy to see these improvements this Easter season.
There is a seam that runs all the way around, from top to bottom. It's well hidden from the outside. Also there are a few support bars inside that are 1/4" thick. Here's what the inside looks like. (I cut the hole in the bottom for lighting purposes)
When carving the foam pumpkins from Michaels, many don't like the dreaded dark shadow line that appears around the perimeter of the 'kin, caused by the band of supporting foam inside. I've been known to sand this excess foam down for more uniform light glow. But the support bands on the inside of this Easter egg seem to make a pretty specific image when lit from inside. Intentional? So much for marketing these eggs as non-denominational craft pieces. Heh.
Overall, I'm much happier with these eggs this year, and I got a pretty cool chick out of the deal.
