13 Creative Ways to Dye and Decorate Easter Eggs

Some of my most fun Easter memories are of decorating Easter eggs. My family does it every year, usually with a store bought kit, but sometimes we spice it up with other cool ideas. Here are thirteen of my favorite decorating ideas for you to enjoy this Easter.

1. Marbled Eggs – wrap fresh eggs in onion skin, insert the egg (with skin) into pantyhose and tie the ends so the egg can’t escape. Place eggs in deep saucepan. Add cold water to about 1″ or more above the eggs. Heat until water is boiling, then remove from heat. Cover and let stand about 24 minutes. Immediately cool eggs in cold water in a bowl to prevent further cooking. Remove the pantyhose – eggs are marbled.

2. Tie Dyed Easter Eggs – tie dye hard-boiled eggs with food coloring, vinegar, and a colander following these easy instructions.

3. Ribbons – use double-sided tape to decorate eggs with strips of rickrack or ribbon (attached lengthwise). This looks really good on eggs that have already been dyed.

4. Crayons – after boiling your eggs let them cool for a few minutes. While the eggs are still warm hold an egg with a paper towel and use a crayon to color it. The heat of the egg will melt the wax, making fun designs.

5. Mosaic Eggs – completely cover blown egg shells with tiny dots of pasta or rice by putting tiny beads of glue on the shell (not on the pasta or rice). After the glue has dried color egg by putting a dot of paint on the pasta and rice.

6. Rubber Bands – wrap your egg with a few rubber bands before dyeing it. To get a few different shads, take the egg out of the dye, remove one of the bands, and put it in a different color dye.

7. Lace Eggs – decorate ceramic eggs with a lovely lace pattern using a doily.

8. Sponged Eggs – paint a hardboiled egg with acrylic craft paint and a brush. After the egg is dry sponge white paint on the egg to create a fun pattern.

9. Disco egg – dye a blown egg. Dilute craft glue with equal parts water and glue and cover the egg. Roll it in superfine glitter and let it dry.

10. Stamped Eggs – use canceled postage stamps and glue to decorate your eggs. If the stamps are stuck to the envelope, soak them in warm water for 15 minutes and peel them off. Just make sure they’re completely dry before you glue them to the egg.

11. Easter Bunny – cut two egg cups from a paper egg carton and paint them white. Cut pieces of craft foam for feet, ears, and teeth. Glue the feet to one cup, and the ears, teeth and some googly eyes to the other cup. When the glue is dry put the egg in the bottom and cover with the top cup. Follow the link to see how to make a chick.

12. Stickers – if you don’t want the mess of dying the eggs, just use markers and stickers to make your own patterns and swirls.

13. Silk-Tie Eggs – this is my favorite idea, my family has been doing it for a few years now and its a blast! It uses silk from old ties or shirts to die the eggs. If you don’t have old ties to cut up, try thrift stores and yard sales, the crazier the pattern the better!

Blown Eggs Some of these ideas use blown eggs. To blow out an egg, begin by using the tip of a sharp utility knife to pierce both ends of the egg; turn the knife in one of the holes to widen it slightly. Then, poke a straightened paper clip through the larger hole to pierce and “stir” the yolk. Hold the egg, larger hole down, over a bowl, and then blow the contents out with a rubber ear syringe (available at drugstores). marthastewart.com

Hard-boiled Eggs One of many ways to hard-boil eggs: Put eggs in a large pot, in a single layer and cover with COLD water. Turn on the heat under the eggs and as soon as they come to a full boil, remove them from the heat and let them sit in the hot water for about 15-20 minutes.