Easter is almost here. You’ve bought a new dress, shined your shoes and ironed the tablecloth. Holidays are all about traditions, and there is no bigger Easter tradition than dyeing hardboiled eggs. While you could pick up one of the egg dyeing kits at your grocery store, we’re guessing you’re reading this article because you’re looking for something different. Whether you’re looking for ways to dye your eggs naturally or how to avoid the permanent stains that often result, we’ve got you covered. Even if you’re an artist looking for nontraditional ways to dye Easter eggs or a mom wanting a fun project for her kids, we’re confident at least one of these ideas will be right up your alley.
If you were just serving hardboiled eggs plain, you could stop at this point. No need to wait. But these are Easter eggs. They’re destined for something special.
Now that you’ve boiled and cooled your eggs, it’s time to let the real fun begin.
When naturally dyeing Easter eggs, there are two primary ways to go: use spices or use fruits and veggies. Which you choose, and how you use them, will depend on what kind of color you want to create.
First, let’s talk about how to make egg dye using everyday spices you’ll find in your cabinet.
Recommended ingredients: turmeric, curry powder, paprika, cinnamon, chili powder, dill seed, celery seed, cumin, distilled water, eggs, white distilled vinegar
To create dyes with cooking spices, you’ll need to know which spices will yield which colors. Here’s the breakdown.
Once you’ve chosen which colors you want to make, it’s time to get to work.
Note: Natural dyes will keep for up to one week in the refrigerator. Also, allowing the egg to soak in the dye for 30 minutes or more will result in a richer color. If you’re patient enough, leave the eggs in the dye overnight and see the bold, rich colors that result.
Fruits and vegetables can also be a great way to dye Easter eggs naturally.
Recommended ingredients: Eggs, canned beet juice, canned cherries, blueberries, mulberries and raspberries, red and yellow onions, plums, grape juice, red cabbage, carrots, lemons and oranges, coffee, tea, red wine, spinach, distilled white vinegar
Even though we’ve included a list of recommended ingredients, this process requires a lot of exploration and creativity. Each color can come from several sources, so you can decide which ingredients to purchase and how much of each to use. But, once you get started, you’ll realize you can pretty much achieve any color you want with the right food.
The great thing about this method is that you can really get creative. Play around with how much of an ingredient you boil, how long you boil it and even combine colors to create other colors. The sky is the limit, and you can feel good about using chemical-free ingredients around your family. Naturally dyeing Easter eggs is not only fun and creative, but it can leave you with peace of mind if you’re planning to eat the eggs after the fact.
Once you’ve made your dye colors, it’s time to get creative. You could just dip your eggs into your dyes for gorgeous solid colors, or you can incorporate other materials into your decorating to create patterns and variations in color that will leave you with stunning one-of-a-kind eggs.
Note: While many of these options are kid-friendly — and have been marked with an asterisk — there are also some you’ll want to save for a grownups-only decorating party. And, for most of these suggestions, we recommend using gloves to prevent your fingers from getting stained during the dyeing process.
Recommended ingredients: Eggs, string, slotted spoon, various dyes
Recommended ingredients: Eggs, rubber cement and brush, slotted spoon, various dyes
Recommended ingredients: Eggs, slotted spoon, various dyes
Recommended ingredients: Dye, shaving cream or packaged whipped cream if you are planning on eating the eggs later
Recommended ingredients: Egg dye, margarine, kitchen tongs
Recommended ingredients: Eggs, dye, slotted spoon, wide rubber bands — the ones you get on broccoli at the grocery store are great for this
Recommended ingredients: Eggs, various dyes, gloves, slotted spoon
Recommended ingredients: Eggs, white cloth napkins, slotted spoon, various silk ties — we recommend purchasing some at the thrift store, as you won’t be able to reuse them after this
Recommended ingredients: Eggs, various dye colors, coffee filters, spray bottle, water, vinegar, plastic bags, rubber bands/string
Note: The dye will most likely bleed through to the egg itself, so don’t be surprised if the inside of the egg ends up colored too.
Recommended ingredients: Eggs, clear-drying glue, glitter, cooking oil
Recommended Ingredients: Eggs, letter stickers, various dyes
Recommended Ingredients: Eggs, various paints and dyes, vinegar, baking soda, water
Want to create beautiful eggs without the mess of dyes? We’ve got you covered. There are so many different ways to get creative without messy dyes. And we’ve added an asterisk next to the ones that are especially kid-friendly. The other great thing about these methods is that there aren’t nearly as many steps involved, so if you’re looking for quick ways to decorate Easter eggs, we think you’ll find a few ideas here. We also think some of these ideas would be a great way to get your Easter guests involved — set up an egg-decorating station at your Easter celebration and let your guests decorate their own!
You’ve seen your kids with them, but how about putting them on your Easter eggs? Press the tattoo onto the surface of the egg with a damp sponge for up to 30 seconds and allow it to air-dry for just a few minutes.
Forget about paint altogether and grab a few fine-point permanent markers. Start doodling away, creating scallops, scroll designs and anything else you can imagine. You can go for a modern black-and-white design or throw in some color for a bright tribute to spring.
Note: While you can also do this with eggs you’ve colored, the white background of an undyed egg provides an excellent canvas for beautiful, detailed artwork.
Recommended ingredients: Eggs, tissue paper, Modge Podge, paintbrush
Cut out various shapes of tissue paper — bigger pieces if you’re doing this with little kids. Brush Modge Podge onto the surface of the egg, press the tissue paper onto the egg and then brush more Modge Podge on top of that. Repeat until you’ve covered the egg and then allow to dry.
If you have kids who are too little to handle the Modge Podge, or you don’t want to deal with the mess, you can do a variation on this called “Tissue Paper Eggs.” Just use scissors or a hole punch to create small shapes and polka dots out of the tissue paper. Then, use a glue stick to glue the cutouts to the surface of the egg.
Note: If you aren’t using Modge Podge, you can also use origami paper instead of tissue paper. We don’t recommend origami paper for children, but it’s great for adults looking for a creative alternative. Once you cut out your shapes and designs, use a small paintbrush to brush glue onto the back of the paper shapes and press gently onto the egg.
There are so many colors and types of glitter you can choose from, so get creative! Spread a thin layer of glue onto the surface of the egg and roll it in the glitter. You can cover the whole egg or apply the glue in polka dots or other designs. If you really want to get fancy, adding sequins on top of the glitter can add a final embellishment that makes them pop! Or, if you want to add a little sparkle to your traditionally dyed eggs, mix a coordinating shade of glitter with glue and then paint it onto the surface of your dyed egg. The glue will dry clear and leave you with a sparkly, festive egg.
Have all those remnants in your scrap fabric bag? They just might go great on your Easter eggs. Cut them out in the right lengths for the egg and use a découpage medium to glue them onto the egg.
You’ll want to skip the cheap children’s stickers and opt for 3-D scrapbooking stickers here — something springy like flowers or birds. Press them gently onto the surface of the eggs. They really pop off the eggs and look gorgeous displayed in egg cups.
Dyeing eggs is obviously the more “traditional” approach to decorating Easter eggs, but if you’re looking to spice things up this Easter, you just might be looking for fun ways to color your Easter eggs without using dyes. We’ve got you covered with these great ideas for non-traditional methods of decorating Easter eggs. The cool thing about these ideas is that they also work great on wooden craft eggs. That means you can make them gorgeous once and reuse them in years to come.
Grab a few brushes and some washable tempera paint, and let the whole family get into the fun of decorating eggs. Flat paintbrushes work especially well for this. Make sure you place them upright to dry so you won’t smudge the paint.
Grab several of your favorite shades and get to work! The great thing about fingernail polish is that the paint gives your eggs a shine you wouldn’t get with other paint types. We recommend doing two layers to make sure the color is rich and even. After you’ve got a dried base layer in place, you can use other colors to create springtime designs and pictures on the surface of the egg.
Traditional watercolors make a great option for painting eggs. Use a rounded brush or even the eraser end of a pencil to create polka dots and various other designs on the surface of the egg. Get creative, have fun and be prepared for breathtakingly beautiful eggs.
Cut a larger sponge into strips. Choose one to two paint colors per egg. Dip the sponge in the first color and dab it once or twice onto a scrap piece of paper to wipe off any excess paint. Then, dab your egg in whatever pattern or coverage you want. Repeat this process with a second color, if desired.
Cut a small strip of lace out of a larger piece, then carefully use a paintbrush to coat the lace with acrylic craft paint. Transfer the lace, paint side up, onto a layer of paper towels. Then carefully roll the egg across the piece of lace.
Get creative drawing on shapes, designs such as polka dots and stripes and anything else that will add a little shine to your eggs.
The ’90s are back with this decorating idea. Grab springtime colors and get to work using puffy paint to draw designs on your eggs. Make flowers, polka dots and geometric patterns that add color and texture to your eggs.
Go for an ultra-modern look with this method. Using a paintbrush and black paint, hold the brush over the center of the egg and tap the handle of the paintbrush to make the paint splatter. Lighter taps will make smaller lines and designs. The harder you tap, the bigger the lines. Play around with technique to achieve your desired results.
This particular method of decorating eggs is best with wooden craft eggs instead of hardboiled ones. But, if you insist on being ultra-traditional and using real eggs, we recommend not eating them later. For this project, you’ll want to buy metallic spray paint. Then, head to a well-ventilated area and spray the eggs until they are evenly coated. Allow them to dry. After the spray paint is dry, grab a paint marker or a Bistro Chalk Marker and draw lines, shapes and various designs.
Note: Using a Bistro Chalk Marker is perfect for this project because it is easy to wipe off and reapply if you make a mistake.
Take your crayons and carefully shave off small pieces of the wax. Then, with your hot egg resting on a paper towel or paper plate, sprinkle the crayon shavings all over the egg. Allow to melt and then cool.
Note: For this one to work, your eggs must be warm. You can do this as soon as they are done boiling or, if you can’t do it then, reheat the eggs before you try this.
This process is especially great if you’re using wooden eggs, because you’ll want to hang onto these for next year! Spray or paint eggs with chalkboard paint and allow to dry. Then decorate with colored chalk.
Recommended ingredients: Eggs, powdered tempera paint, baking soda, vinegar, various small containers, tongs
This one is a little more involved, but the results are well worth the effort. Pour in enough baking soda to cover the bottom of a small container, then add approximately a tablespoon of the powdered tempera paint. Mix these two ingredients together, then place the egg on top of the powder. Pour a small amount of vinegar into the container and watch it react with the baking soda. It will fizzle and bubble up for a little while, then, as it starts to come down, you’ll have a colored egg with gorgeous speckles and imperfections all over it. Allow it to dry.
Note: Powdered tempera paint is not safe to consume, so please be careful if you plan to eat your hardboiled eggs later. If you peel off the shell and see any color has bled through, do not eat the egg.
You’ll want to use plastic Easter eggs for this project. Hot glue the end of the baker’s twine to the tip of your egg. Apply Modge Podge partway down the egg and then begin tightly wrapping the twine around the egg. When you get about two-thirds of the way down the egg — to the point where it starts to taper again — cut the twine, glue the end down, then start again from the other end of the egg, eventually ending when the two sides meet. Adjust as needed to fill in gaps. Repeat with other colors.
Recommended ingredients: Nonpareils in various pastel or springtime shades, eggs, tacky glue, paintbrush
Pour the sprinkles into a bowl big enough to roll an egg around in. Squeeze some tacky glue out onto a paper plate. Next, use the paintbrush to gently brush a layer of glue all over the shell of the egg. Once the shell is covered in glue, roll around in the sprinkles until the egg is covered. Allow to dry completely.
We love all these ideas for making beautiful Easter eggs. But no matter which methods you choose to try, there are a few things to remember.
Everyone loves the idea of having beautifully decorated hardboiled eggs at Easter. The problem is, what are you going to do with a few dozen hardboiled eggs after your guests have oohed and aahhed over them? If you’re like us, the idea of wasting perfectly good eggs is terrible. So, don’t waste them. Eat them. Check out these delicious ideas for repurposing those beauties.
The great thing about eggs is that they’re nutritious and versatile. And you can incorporate them into so many great dishes for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
But, if all else fails and the eggs go bad before you get to them, you still have options. You can host egg races or an egg hunt. Even if you have to throw them away after the fun, at least they served more than one purpose during the Easter season. And, if you opted for some of the ideas that work well with wooden or plastic eggs, you can just pack them away and reuse them next year. How’s that for versatile?
Although widely associated with the Christian celebration of Easter, dyeing hardboiled eggs predates any modern religious practice. In many cultures around the world, eggs are a symbol of new life, fertility and rebirth. Long before eggs were an Easter tradition, they were linked with pagan celebrations of the spring equinox. Whatever you’re celebrating, we think there’s nothing more cheerful than a basket full of brightly colored eggs. And the best part is, it’s simple, inexpensive and fun for people of all ages.
It’s no secret Sauder’s is crazy about eggs. We wouldn’t have dedicated three generations of our family to producing high-quality eggs if we weren’t. What began as a Depression-era door-to-door egg business has become one of the country’s top processors and marketers of fresh eggs. But even as we’ve expanded, we haven’t forgotten what brought us to this point: our family.
The great thing about eggs is you can use them for more than just eating. During this springtime season, eggs provide families the opportunity to gather around their tables and get creative together. Whether you’re making dyes out of fruits and vegetables, painting with watercolors or placing a sticker on your egg, you’re making lifelong memories. And experiences like that that can knit a family together for generations to come.
We hope this extensive list of egg decorating projects will give you plenty to try this holiday season. And we hope you will make many beautiful eggs to grace your Easter table. However you decorate them and however you use them, we’d love for our eggs to be the ones you choose. Visit the “Store Locator” on our website to find out where you can purchase our products. If you want to know more about us, visit our online resource center and make sure to sign up for our email newsletter.
This post was last modified on December 13, 2022
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