Posted by Rachel Westall on 10 February 2026
EGG-CEPTIONAL Faberge-style artwork created by a Barnsley care home resident is set for an Easter auction to help fund a seaside trip for fellow residents. Margaret Smith, aged 88, has lived at Deangate Care Home, Towngate, Mapplewell, since March 2024 and still lights up when shown her scrapbook of decorated eggs - a craft she spent decades of her life mastering.
Many were sold at prestigious shows across the UK, including the Royal Welsh Show, the Great Yorkshire Show, Chatsworth Country Fair and Burleigh Horse Trials. Now, Margaret's daughter and her family have donated several of the eggs to the care home to auction on Facebook to raise money for the residents' fund – which pays for outings and activities for the elderly residents.
Catherine said: "Mum was very talented and, like many crafters, proud of the items she produced. She was a member of the Egg Crafters Guild of Great Britain and she regularly attended seminars to keep up with the latest trends and even picked up ideas from members based in America, where at the time the craft was very popular.
"Mum has lived at Deangate Care Home for almost two years now and we thought it would be nice to donate several of the eggs, which have been kept in a cabinet at home.
"We're sure someone might like a decorated egg as a gift for Easter instead of a chocolate one and the funds will go towards giving Margaret and others at the home a fantastic outing to the seaside."
Margaret's interest in egg decorating began in 1969, when she spotted a beautiful example in a shop window, priced at £16 - twice her husband's weekly wage at the time. Although she had long admired ornamental eggs, she had never owned one herself, so in 1979 she enrolled in an egg decorating class at the then Barnsley Mining and Technical College.
Her eggs were made from real goose, rhea and ostrich eggs sourced from domestic farms. Each one was carefully cut, cleaned, painted, lined with velvet or silk and decorated with rhinestones, pearls and coloured stones. Some were even dyed using onion skins to create a marbled finish.
Her favourite piece – a goose egg entirely covered in rhinestones – took more than 30 hours to complete and was never offered for sale.
Margaret gave talks and demonstrations on the process to Women's Institutes, schools, charity groups and community organisations, and later taught egg decorating through Barnsley Council's Adult Education Service.
She was also regularly invited by Barnsley Mayors to exhibit at the Barnsley Art and Craft Exhibition, made personalised eggs for councillors in the 1980s, and had several newspaper articles written about her and her craft.
Residents at Deangate Care Home have been shown a selection of Margaret's eggs ahead of the auction and were amazed by their intricacy.
The planned auction will go live on the Deangate Care Home Facebook page during their Valentine's Day party, on Friday 13th February, with the winning bidders invited to collect their pieces directly from Margaret.
Funds raised will go towards an additional seaside trip for residents this year. Deangate Care Home already has plans to visit Yorkshire Wildlife Park, but recent resident meetings revealed a strong wish to "see the sea".
Rachael Addy, activities coordinator at Deangate Care Home, said: "I hope the eggs find a wonderful home. They should be preserved for posterity. "The eggs are full of precious memories for Margaret's family and the detail and hard work shine through every time you look at them. "Today, when we were looking at them, Margaret commented on the pearl detail as she ran her fingers around the edge. "We're so grateful to Catherine and her family for donating them and for allowing everyone to see how talented her mother is."
