Traditionally the egg has been a symbol of life. It was decorated and left whole. But that was back when we didn't have indoor heat, which can contribute to raw egg exploding - not a pleasant smell!

It is best to work on whole eggs because they won't float when you put them in the dye. However, that's not always possible. I'll talk about prepping the eggs later.

Any kind of egg can be used — shown here is a chicken, goose, and quail egg.

You will need beeswax. Do not try to take a short cut and use candle or paraffin — it will not adhere to the egg the way it needs to.

It is best to use pure beeswax, that will help stop the kistka from getting clogged with small particles.

Pure beeswax will be translucent when it goes on the egg. The benefit to that is you can see the colors under the wax. The drawback is that it can be difficult to see the wax lines.

One way to add color to beeswax is to melt it over a low heat and add a small piece of black crayon to it.

Kistkas have come a long way from the original handmade ones. But the concept is still the same — a very small funnel on a stick that can be safely held briefly over a flame.

The electric versions help keep the wax at an even heat.

Any kind of candle can be used. I prefer small candles because I find it easier to bring the kitska to the flame, if the flame is lower.

When taking the wax off at the end of the process, the best candle to use is a soy candle, which does not have soot.

Please take the time to purchase dyes that are made for pysanky. Food coloring will not work.

You will get better results using dyes that are created for this purpose. My favorite place to get dyes went out of business.

After trying a few different places, I found PysankyUSA.com. They have the supplies and a great selection of dyes. There are plenty of other places, but this one is my personal favorite.

There are several miscellaneous supplies you will want to gather up:

• An old toothbrush to do a wash back on certain color dyes.
• Lighter for the candle
• Spoon or egg dipper
• Rubber band (optional)
• Tape measure to make your lines perfectly measured out
• Bulb syringe to help empty the egg

NOT SHOWN: paper towels or tissues without lotion, pencil

When the egg is complete, you'll want to seal it with polyurethane in a can or spray.

To make a drying rack, neil three nails into a board in a triangular pattern and at an angle to create a place to put the egg while the polyurethane dries.

A lathe is not necessary, but can make it easier to draw even lines on an egg.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTION.