Creative Ways to Decorate Easter Eggs

Oil Marbled Easter Eggs

Supplies Needed:

• Glass bowls
• Measuring cup
• Measuring spoons
• Hot water
• White vinegar
• Food coloring
• Spoon
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Paper towels
• Warm water
• Vegetable oil

Directions:

• Create First Dye Color

In a glass bowl mix one cup of hot water, one teaspoon of white vinegar, and 5-10 drops of food coloring. The dye in this bowl will be the base color of your egg, so we recommend using a lighter shade of dye. Use a spoon to place a hard-boiled egg into each bowl, making sure the egg is completely submerged in the liquid. Let the egg sit in the dye for just one minute—this ensures you’ll have a shade light enough to show to the marbleized pattern. Remove and place the colored egg on a paper towel to dry. The dyed eggs will need to be completely dry before you dip them again.

• Prepare Oil Mixture

While the dyed eggs dry, prepare the oil mixture that will give your eggs a marbled look. Since the oil mixture adds a second color to the dyed egg, it will need to be quite a bit more saturated. In a new bowl add approximately 20 drops of food coloring to one cup of warm water and mix. Add one tablespoon of vegetable oil and use a spoon to gently mix.

• Create Marbled Easter Eggs

When the eggs are dry, use a spoon to add one colored egg to the vegetable oil mix. Gently roll the egg around in the dye bath and remove when you notice a marbled effect. Keep in mind that if you leave the egg in the mixture too long, it will turn a solid color.

• Dry & Display

After removing the egg, lightly blot excess water and oil from the egg using a paper towel and let dry completely before displaying. Try varying the color combinations and oil swirls to create a pretty display of dyed Easter eggs.

Tattoo Easter Eggs

Supplies Needed:

• Boiled eggs
• Temporary tattoo or stickers
• A wet washcloth

Directions:

• Before you get started, make sure that your eggs are dried completely.  This will ensure that the tattoo will remain intact.  Take the clear plastic cover off of the tattoo and place the tattoo face down on top of the egg.
• Make sure the tattoo is placed where you want it on the egg before you add any water.  Once you have it placed, dab a damp washcloth on top of the paper.  Don’t saturate it too much, but do make sure the tattoo is removed in its entirety from the paper label.

Galaxy Easter Eggs

Supplies Needed:

• Dyeable plastic eggs
• Martha Stewart Acrylic Paints (color list below)
• Paintbrush
• Sponges (just hack a regular old kitchen sponge into smaller pieces)
• Stiff brush (a toothbrush works well)

Directions: 

• First you’ll need black eggs to make galaxy eggs. Use chalk paint to get a matte black beneath the galaxy design Depending on your quality of black paint, your eggs will need 2 or 3 coats of black paint, dried between each coat before you can proceed.

• Now that we’ve got black eggs as a space base, you’ll need the following colors: blue, teal, purple, pink, black, white and yellow gold. Cut up a sponge or use sponge brushes to apply the color.

• Starting with a black egg, first you’ll make a base layer of blue paint using a paintbrush. You want this to be a large-ish shape that is super interesting. Feel free to do one big shape and one smaller one nearby, to cover just the top of the egg, to make an “X” shape.
• While the blue is STILL WET daub on some teal on top of the blue paint, mostly within the blue shape but sometimes straying beyond the lines. Set this egg aside and allow the blue and teal paint to dry.
• Now sponge on some purple paint again using the previous layers as a guide and allow to dry.
• Next, apply some pink. Since this is the most visible of all of the layers, be sure it’s an interesting or eye-catching shape. While the paint is still wet, take a clean area of your sponge and dab to remove some of the paint. This will give some nice dimension and will help the previous colors peek through! Allow your paint to dry.
• Now apply daubs of gold paint around your design. This color can be a little more avant-garde… go off the design completely, make shapes over top of the existing shape, do whatever you think looks nice. Allow the gold paint to dry.
• Now we’re on to our last sponge application of paint, the black paint. For this layer, you want just the slightest bit of paint on the sponge. You just want a hint of paint with each dab.Now apply small areas of the black paint on top of your current design. This adds something really neat to the design for a little extra pop and helps to bring all of the layers together.
• Now in a small bowl put a tiny dollop of paint and a few drops of water. Mix them together well and using a stiff brush, like an old toothbrush, run your thumb across the bristles flicking the paint onto the egg.

Tie Dye Easter Eggs

Materials Needed:

• Hard Boiled Eggs
• Food Colouring
• Paper Towel
• Water Spray Bottle
• Tiny Elastics or Twist Ties
• Table Fan

Instructions:

1. Tear apart the paper towels into small rectangles. Place a cool, dry egg in the middle of the paper towel.
2. Wrap the paper towel up and around the egg so it’s completely covered. Twist the top of the paper towel so it’s tight against the egg and secure it with a tiny hair elastic or a twist tie.
3. Wearing rubber gloves, gently squeeze drops of food colouring directly onto the paper towel wrapped egg (3 or 4 drops at a time), leaving some white space between each colour. Repeat until there are large food colouring dots around the whole egg.
4. Using a spray bottle, gently spray a small amount of water into the center of each food colouring dot. Keep spraying until the colours bleed and there is no more white space. The less water you spray, the brighter the colours on the egg will be.
5. Gently squeeze the wet paper towel wrapped egg over the sink to drain any excess water. Even if there’s no extra water, gently squeeze the egg to make sure the colour on the paper towel transfers to the egg.
6. Place the wet, paper towel wrapped eggs in a baking dish. Point a table fan at the eggs and allow them to dry for 3 to 4 hours. (Without a table fan, you’ll have to wait overnight for them to dry).
7. When the paper towels are completely dry, remove the elastics and unwrap each egg.

Notes

It’s best if you can make these the day you plan to serve them. If they MUST be refrigerated, place the eggs in an egg carton. Make sure you remove them from the fridge (and open the egg carton lid) at least 3 hours before you plan to serve them to give time for the condensation to dry.

Gold Foil Easter Eggs

Supplies:

• Foam block (mine was 12 x 6 inches)
• 48 toothpicks
• Dozen white eggs
• Set of food coloring
• White vinegar
• Heatproof jars (large and deep enough to dip eggs into)
• Metal spoon
• Leafing kit (found at the craft store in the framing section)

If you cannot find a leafing kit, you’ll also need:

• Metallic gold leaf
• Size (glue-like liquid for applying gold leaf)
• Leafing sealer (optional)
• Foam brush
• Masking tape for cleaning up metal leaf remnants

Directions:

1. Hard-boil a dozen white eggs, or empty each one out using an egg blower tool.
2. While the eggs are cooking, boil a small pot of water for the dye.
3. As you’re waiting for the eggs and pot of water to boil, construct a drying rack with a foam block and toothpicks. Space the toothpicks about an inch apart. Every 4 toothpicks balances 1 egg, so you will need a total of 48 toothpicks.
4. To each jar, add 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, and double the amount of food coloring drops indicated on the packaging Carefully scoop out a cup of just-boiled water from the small pot, and pour it into one of the jars. Fill the other jars the same way.
5. Carefully place a hard-boiled egg on a spoon, and gently lower it into jar. It helps to hold the jar at an angle as you’re dipping the egg in. The amount of time you leave the egg in the dye will vary depending on how deep and saturated you want the colors to be.
6. Scoop the egg out of the jar with your spoon, and gently lay it atop the drying rack.
7. When the eggs are completely dry, move on to the messy (but fun!) part of leafing. Gently tear a single sheet of gold leaf into quarters (it’s very thin), and set aside. Holding an egg so that 1 side is facing you, use a small brush to apply a thin layer of size in small, random strokes. Take care to not cover the entire egg; leave some areas size free so that you get a marbling effect. Make straight and circular strokes, and add some dot-like dabs. Holding the egg, let it dry for a few seconds.
8. The size is very sticky, so be careful to not get any on the hand that is applying it, because with this hand, you will then pick up a quartered sheet of metal leaf and lay it on the surface of the egg facing you. Rub down with either your free hand or with the foam brush. The excess metal will fall off, while the rest becomes part of the surface of the egg.
9. Gently rub the gold leaf to achieve a random but natural and smooth marbled pattern on the egg. Repeat this process on the other side of the egg. The leaf crumbles will create a mess that’s difficult to sweep or wipe, so use a piece of masking tape for easy cleanup.
10. If you emptied out your eggs and plan to keep them for a while, it’s a good idea to apply a sealant to prevent the gold metal from oxidizing. Otherwise, your eggs are ready to display or hide for an egg hunt!