Unique Egg Decorating Ideas

The Easter Bunny is coming! Easter is this Sunday, April 8.

For kids – and some grown-ups – artfully crafting hardboiled eggs is a rite of spring. But let’s be honest: that dollar-store dye kit is hardly an artistic palette.

If you haven’t done Easter eggs yet (or even if you have), there’s still time! And if you really want to impress Mr. Bunny this year, put away the wax crayon and the stinky dye tablets. Let your Easter eggs try some of these fashions on for size:

Naturally dyed eggs – You may be able to use this method without leaving the house, provided you’ve got some eggs and a fully stocked pantry. The kids will have fun concocting dye formulations, mixing colors and experimenting with texture.

"Tie"-dyed eggs – Using 100 percent (check the label) silk ties, which you can find at a thrift store, or maybe buried in the back of Dad’s closet, you can make a beautiful, colorful egg wrap which will hopefully transfer the tie’s pattern onto your egg. Boil with vinegar, and try to contain your excitement while you wait for the egg to cool before unwrapping to check out the dye job.

Dinosaur eggs – Simply hard boil your eggs, roll ‘em around a bit to give the shell a good, even cracking, then let them soak in cold water with dye in the fridge overnight. The trick is to allow the dye to penetrate the cracks and leave the egg, once peeled, with a cracked, veiny design. This woman used food coloring gel to dye the eggs, but liquid food coloring would probably work just as well, although you might have to experiment a bit with concentrations.

Rubber cement eggs – Drizzle your eggs with lines of rubber cement, and allow it to completely dry. Soak your eggs in dye, let them dry again, and peel off the rubber cement. The dye won’t penetrate the rubber cement, leaving a unique pattern in relief once the rubber cement is peeled off. The blogger warns that these eggs are not safe to eat.

Scribble eggs – This method will really test your creativity, because you are the designer! Using watercolor paints and watercolor pencils or colored pencils, and doodle the day away. Draw a pattern, write poetry, or just close your eyes and scribble – the sky’s the limit! Keep in mind this method isn’t permanent dye – the color can wash off – but that also makes it washable from little hands and little clothing.

Please note: In all cases, these Easter egg dyeing methods require the eggs to be hardboiled first.

We want to see your eggs! Share your pics in our egg photo gallery!