Easter egg decorating, for some, can be an art. I love the idea of doing something a bit beyond the run-of-the-mill dye kit, but I don’t want to spend a fortune or hours to achieve my DIY decorative Easter eggs. In our family, egg dying is a tradition my kids, my mom and I do together on Easter. So it’s important that the techniques I choose are easy enough for the kids, simple enough that we can still prepare Easter dinner and cheap enough that they won’t break the bank.
How to dye Easter eggs
You could go out and buy an Easter egg decorating kit, but there’s no need. Start with a basic egg-dying recipe using food coloring. You can repurpose leftover butter or whipped-topping tubs to hold the dye for eggs. (Not only is that an earth-friendly choice, but you don’t need to worry about staining your regular bowls.)
If you don’t remember your elementary-school color wheels, use this handy chart or check out this list to learn how to create a rainbow of colors beyond the few in your food coloring pack.
Alternatively, you can use natural ingredients to create DIY Easter egg dye. Fruit and onion skins are among the everyday kitchen ingredients you can use to make natural egg dye. Coffee, turmeric and beets are among the other natural products that you can use to dye Easter eggs.
Photo: momwifebusylife.com
Easter egg decorating ideas
You can find plenty of DIY ideas for decorating Easter egg shells and making photo-worthy eggs without resorting to an Easter egg decorating kit. We love these ideas for beautiful Easter eggs that utilize items and ingredients you likely have at home already.
Creative Easter egg dying techniques
Some fun egg dying ideas don’t actually involve dye or directly dying the eggs. You can dye eggs with wet tissue paper, allowing the colors to seep from the paper onto your eggs. You can create beautiful mottled colored Easter eggs using whipped cream, or give them crazy colorful designs with crayon shavings (a useful purpose for all those broken crayons your kids no longer use). You can also use washable markers and a plastic bag to transfer color to your Easter eggs to give them a unique no-dye look. Scraps of silk fabric (from old ties, scarves, etc.) create these masterpieces.
Striped Easter eggs
Stripes are easy Easter egg designs even kids can make. Use either rubber bands or electrical tape to create geometric, multi-color designs.
Decoupage Easter eggs
Using craft glue or decoupage techniques, you can make beautiful designs on eggs with paper napkins or fabric scraps. If using two-ply napkins, separate the top layer with the design from the bottom white layer.
Photo: The Inspiration Edit
Animal eggs
Little kids will love the cute chicks and rabbits you can make out of your dyed Easter eggs. The adorable Easter egg critters make great centerpieces for an Easter brunch or dinner, or adornments for your Easter basket.
All-natural Easter egg decorating
Armenian tradition has a beautiful method for dying and decorating Easter eggs using all-natural ingredients. All you need are onion skins, leafy herbs (parsley, cilantro and dill make pretty patterns) and a pair of nylons. (Yes, this is yet another use for your old pantyhose!)
Tie-dye Easter eggs
These tie-dye eggs are done right in the sink — talk about ease of cleanup! All you need are the eggs, paper towels, food coloring and a spray bottle of water. Oh, and maybe some rubber gloves and a smock so you don’t get stains everywhere.
If you liked this article, you may also enjoy:
- 5 ways to use leftover Easter ham
- Frugal ways to save on Easter
- Grow your own Easter basket
- How to celebrate Easter at home with family
- What to do with leftover Easter eggs
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