This year, skip the kits and create Easter Eggs that look like little works of art. Because egg shells are porous, you’ll need to dye eggs that you want to eat with food-grade materials. If the eggs will be for decoration only, you can blow out the eggs first (how to here) or use purchased plastic eggs made for crafts.

We created our eggs the first go-round with craft eggs purchased from Michael’s and found that they didn’t hold dye well. You’ll need way deeper dye and more drying time for the craft eggs. They will also need a coat of varnish or Mod Podge to protect them once dry. Real eggs worked much better to retain color but are way more fragile. Everything that follows except the marbled eggs made with shaving cream can be done on real eggs.

For the craft eggs, we pulled out some extra supplies that we had from other projects and experimented a bit. Once we did the base dye and coated them with Mod Podge, we dabbed mica powder for a bit of sparkle on some of the eggs. Do your own experimenting and see what you have around the house that can be used. You can draw designs on the eggs with metallic pens, use gold or silver leaf, or even roll your creations in glitter.

Be forewarned, all of these projects with the exception of the temporary tattoos are SUPER messy. Cover all of your surfaces, have everyone wear plastic gloves, and have paper towels and a trash can handy.

MARBLED EGGS

Choose shaving cream if you’re using blown-out eggs, whipped cream or Cool Whip if you want to eat your eggs.

DIRECTIONS:

Supplies:

– prepped eggs (hard-boiled or blown out)

– shaving cream or whipped cream

– toothpick or thin stick

– food coloring

1. Fill your baking sheet with about one inch of shaving or whipped cream smoothing it out with a rubber spatula. You can do the same with whipped cream or just use a tub of Cool Whip.

2. Drip food coloring onto the cream. The more you use, the brighter your eggs will be.

3. Use a toothpick to swirl your food coloring.

4. Wearing rubber gloves, pick up an egg and roll it in the cream, coating completely. You will have gobs of cream stuck to your egg–that’s fine, don’t disturb it, the designs are underneath. The dye on the eggs should be very dark.

5. Place the egg gently onto a paper towel and let it dry for at least 30 minutes.

6. After the wait time, rinse the remaining cream off to reveal your colorful marbled pattern.

NATURAL DYED EGGS

You can turn vegetables, fruits, and spices into kid-approved, eco-friendly dyes. The process is the same as what you’ve done with other dyes — boil your eggs and let them chill. But this time, once your eggs are ready, you’ll use homemade dyes. The result is a natural-looking egg with variations in color. Note: this method did not work well with plastic craft eggs.

DIRECTIONS:

Supplies:

– prepped eggs (hard-boiled or blown out)

– vinegar

– natural additives for dye

1. Combine 1 qt water and 2 Tbsp white vinegar in a medium pot.

2. Bring it to a boil and add your dye ingredients for the egg color of your choice (listed below). Lower the heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Let cool. Strain the dye to remove any food fragments.

4. Add the eggs to the strained dye and let soak for at least 30 minutes. When it reaches the desired color, remove the egg with tongs and pat it dry with paper towels.

Color Key:

Red/Dark Pink Eggs: Add 4 cups chopped beets.

Orange Eggs: Add 4 cups yellow onion skins. For a brighter orange, let the eggs sit in the dye overnight.

Yellow: Add 3 Tbsp turmeric.

Light Blue: Add 3 cups chopped red or purple cabbage.

Dark Blue: Add 4 cups blueberries.

Deep Red: Add skins from 6 red onions.

Green: Add spinach leaves.

Purple: Pour about a cup of red wine into a jar. Add an egg and let soak until you are happy with the color.

Burnt Orange: Boil water in a tea kettle. Pour water into a jar with 3 black tea bags and let steep for 30 minutes. Let the water cool at room temperature. Add an egg and let soak until you are happy with the color.

DECAL EASTER EGGS

Decorate your eggs with temporary tattoos for super easy eggs that look like they took much longer to create. You can use either undyed eggs or start with lightly dyed eggs.

DIRECTIONS:

Supplies:

– prepped eggs (hard boiled or blown out)

– small temporary tattoos

– scissors

1. Carefully cut around your tattoos. The smaller the design, the easier it will be to place it on the egg without wrinkles.

2. Place the tattoo on the egg, using a damp sponge on the back to wet the tattoo.

3. Remove the paper backing and allow to dry.

TIE DYE EASTER EGGS

These eggs — some with one color, two colors, or multiple are easy to make and so pretty.

DIRECTIONS:

Supplies:

– prepped eggs (hard-boiled or blown out)

– coffee filters

– twist tie or rubber band

1. Wearing rubber gloves, wrap an egg with a crumpled coffee filter and use a twist tie or wrap with rubber bands to secure the filter (use two filters in opposite directions if one doesn’t fit all the way around the egg).

2. Drop a few drops of food coloring randomly on the outside of the filter and let it soak for a minute or two.

3. Repeat with as many colors as you’d like.

4. Using a spray bottle wet the entire coffee filter and squeeze the filter gently to make sure it fits snugly around the egg.

5. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before unwrapping and rinsing.