The Beautiful Game meets up with Easter eggs

Artisan and crafter Rose-Marie Prokopchuk displays her unique Easter eggs on Sunday at St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church Besides her traditional pysanky decorated eggs Prokopchuk paints her eggs to look like sports balls. Teresa MALLAM/Free Press

A crafts project that got fumbled, led Rose-Marie Prokopchuk into a new venture.

On Saturday, her unique Easter eggs found favour with visitors to Saturday’s annual Easter bazaar at St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Along with traditionally decorated Ukrainian Easter eggs (Pysanky) the senior included her latest venture into creativity – eggs decorated to look like soccer balls, footballs and baseballs.

Inspired by her six grandchildren who all take part in sports, Prokopchuk said her original idea was to use the “sports” themed eggs to decorate a hanging wind chime. But it never seemed to come together.

“I just never got around to it,” she said Saturday. “So I thought I’d turn them into Easter eggs and people seem to like them.”

Now 71, she’s been a parishioner at St. George’s for 60 years and helps out wherever she can with the annual Easter fundraiser for the church. Her most popular item is Easter gift baskets made up with little toys, candies and foil-wrapped chocolates and others which include colourful candles and gifts.

Saturday, along with her traditional Ukrainian black and red embroidered white blouse, she wore a pair of handcrafted drop earrings – just a sampling of the jewelry the artisan also makes.

“For me, it’s just a hobby,” she said. “It helps keep me busy.”

Prokopchuk was a cook before she retired.

So today, at home, she enjoys the Easter holiday and cooking and baking all the traditional Ukrainian foods which she serves it to her family when they visit. One of her favourite things to prepare is Baba’s Paska, an Easter bread, as well as ham and boiled eggs.

“I also make horse radish and beet relish and cottage cheese,” she said. “On Easter Sunday, I always bring my cooking and baking to the church to have it blessed before we eat it.”