Creative Ways to Dye Easter Eggs

Use an ordinary product to decorate an entire batch of marbelized Easter eggs. It's easier than it looks! Use natural food coloring or dye to create a design on a bed of plain shaving cream, then roll hard-boiled eggs over the surface to transfer the colors. Let the eggs dry, then gently clean to remove any excess shaving cream. 

Editor's Tip: If you're planning to eat the decorated eggs, substitute a packaged whipped cream for the shaving cream. 

Create distinctive egg designs by cutting your own patterns from colorful tissue paper. Try decorative edges, floral looks, or basic zigzags. Brush a thin coat of decoupage medium onto an egg. Position the tissue paper cutouts and gently pat into place, starting in the center of a design and working your way out.

Editor's Tip: It's easiest to start by applying one bigger piece to the center of the egg, then using smaller sections to fill in.

These freshly-picked Easter eggs are the cutest creations in the patch! To make, simply dye eggs solid colors and add details with permanent marker. Add paper leaves and stems in a variety of shapes and colors. 

Rubber cement + gold paint = the most dramatic Easter eggs in the basket. Pour a little rubber cement into a paper bowl and dab a natural sea sponge in the rubber cement to coat. Pat the sponge on a hard-boiled egg, then set egg aside for 10 minutes. Dip the sponged egg into a prepared dye bath until it reaches desired shade. (Hint: Prepare dye bath with boiling water for best results.) Remove from dye bath and pat dry with a paper towel. While egg is still warm, gently rub off the rubber cement with your finger.

To create gold flecks, lightly press the sponge into gold acrylic craft paint. Working in sections, carefully dab paint onto half of the egg; allow to dry for 20 minutes before repeating process on the other side.

Inexpensive watercolor paints make for a delightful day of coloring Easter eggs. For marvelous marbled Easter eggs, use a round brush or the eraser end of a pencil. Create a two-tone effect by adding water to the original color and stamping on a second round of dots.

You'll need to raid your sewing basket to make this Easter basket beauty. Start by cutting a piece of flat lace trim that's just long enough to encircle an egg and place it on a newspaper-lined surface. Apply a coat of acrylic craft paint to the lace with a mini sponge applicator. Working quickly, transfer the lace, paint side up, onto a stack of paper towels and roll the egg lightly over the trim. Set the lace-patterned egg aside to dry completely.

If you have a few sheets of tissue paper and a glue stick, you can create these festive, confetti-dotted eggs. To make, stack several layers of brightly colored craft tissue paper, then punch dots through the layers with a hole punch. Spread dots on a flat surface, separating them with your fingers. Working in sections, rub a glue stick on a dyed egg, then roll the egg in the dots. Or swipe your finger with the glue stick and use it to dab dots onto the egg.

Easter eggs never looked so fierce. To get the glamorous look, trim the edges of a metallic temporary jewelry tattoo. Remove film and place tattoo facedown on a dyed hard-boiled egg. Pat the back of the tattoo with a damp (not wet!) paper towel. Wait a few seconds, then peel off the paper backing. Gently press down on any loose edges, sealing them to the egg's surface. Allow egg to dry completely.

Nature inspired both the egg colors and embellishments in this pretty group. Beets, purple cabbage, and turmeric combine with white vinegar to create rich yellows, blues, and pinks. After drying, decorate the eggs with natural objects, such as petals, leaves, and flowers, using a thin layer of matte-finish decoupage medium.

Upscale your Easter eggs with the help of a simple kitchen staple: stick margarine! In a glass measuring cup, make a dye solution by mixing 1 cup cool water with 20 drops food coloring and 2 teaspoons white vinegar. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 1 tablespoon margarine and stir it into the dye solution. With tongs, quickly dunk an egg in and out of the solution three times, then submerge the egg for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove egg and let dry completely. Gently rub away any remaining margarine with a paper towel.

For a fresh take on coloring Easter eggs, go all natural! These Easter egg dye recipes are food- or plant-based and create beautifully subdued shades. Simmer beets, blueberries, or other natural ingredients in a cup of water with a dash of vinegar to create the colors. Leave eggs soaking in the dye in the refrigerator overnight for the richest colors; just a few minutes will work for subtler results.

Classy Easter place settings, accomplished! To make these monogrammed Easter eggs, choose a font from your computer and enlarge the desired letter to at least 150 points. Bold the letter and print it out. Cut, leaving about an inch of white space around the letter. On the back of the paper, apply dots of glue around the white space. Place paper letter-side up on top of a piece of origami paper (patterned-side up). With fine-tip scissors, cut out the letter, including any interior sections. Remove top layer of paper, revealing the origami letter underneath. Apply glue to back of origami letter and attach to egg. Repeat for all desired initials. Shred additional origami paper and fluff into a "nest" on each guest's plate; place monogrammed egg on top.

Tie eggs tightly with string, then plunge into colorful dye baths. Let eggs dry before removing the string to reveal white lines. To make stripes that are a lighter shade of your desired color, dye eggs first, then add the string and dye again.

We love the way golds and silvers add a sophisticated touch to even the simplest of decorations. To make this Easter egg design, turn to metallic-hue paint pens after dyeing your eggs. Simply draw whatever suits you -- try polka dots, stripes, or a dip-dyed effect.

To make these swirled Easter eggs, simply pick a few complementary colors and get started! Drizzle an egg with rubber cement, let dry, then dip in dye. When dry, gently peel off the rubber cement. Repeat two (or even three!) times with additional colors.

The secret to ultra-trendy Easter eggs? A regular-ol' bottle cap. Place the cap inside a wide, flat-bottomed 8- to 10-ounce glass, and set your egg on top. Make a dye solution by adding 1 teaspoon white vinegar and 40 drops food coloring to 1/2 cup boiling water. Pour the solution along the inside of the glass until a quarter of the egg is submerged, and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. Next, carefully add clear warm water, again pouring it along the inside of the glass, until the egg is covered halfway. Allow it to sit for 3 minutes. Add water for one or two more stripes, waiting 2 minutes after each addition. Remove the egg with tongs and dry completely.

For beautiful blades of grass, cut origami paper in graduated sizes and shades of green. Starting with the biggest cutout, add white glue to the back and mold the paper onto the bottom of an egg. Repeat with medium-size and small cutouts, staggering placement of the blades. Top with a craft-punched butterfly, and elevate the elegant designs atop egg cups and candlesticks.

These so cute (and so creative!) Easter egg chicks are surprisingly easy to make. Dye eggs canary yellow, let dry, and glue a quill feather to the top. Cut out a beak from orange paper and glue it on. Use a marker to make two dots for eyes. Place your feathered friend in a piece of cracked eggshell set in a nest of raffia.

Transform colorful dyed Easter eggs into fun monsters with a few simple craft supplies. All you'll need is construction paper, markers, chenille stems, and googly eyes. 

Wrapping an Easter egg in textured fabric before dyeing creates an intricate pattern that looks like hand-painting. To get the look, use fabrics such as lace, cheesecloth, or netting. Wrap a square of your chosen fabric tightly around the egg, twist to close, and secure with a rubber band. Dunk the egg in food-safe dye, using the fabric tail as a handle.

Easter Egg Tip: For best results, use a new piece of cheesecloth for each egg. Other fabrics can be used multiple times.

Fashion cute and creative crawlers out of pastel origami paper and adhere them to dyed Easter eggs. A coating of decoupage medium keeps these kid-favorite creatures in place. For small details, like eyes, use a miniature hole punch.

Create a collage of showstopping patterns by cutting out small pieces of washi tape. Press the tape onto eggs in geometric patterns, making sure to remove any air bubbles, before dipping into dye. Remove a few tape pieces before dying the eggs a second time. The result? Ombre eggs as pretty as a painting.

Create a dimensional design with your Easter eggs. Simply decorate your dyed eggs using colored puffy-paint pens in complementary colors. You can easily create flowers, geometric patterns, and other fun designs.

You'll never guess the secret ingredient in this easy egg-dyeing method...so we'll just tell you. It's food coloring! To give your eggs fun color and texture, moisten a paper towel slightly with vinegar, then wrap it around an egg, making sure the paper towel layers aren't too thick. Gently press the tips of food-coloring tubes onto the paper towel, using no more than three colors at a time. Let the covered egg sit for a few minutes, then remove the paper towel to reveal your groovy creation.

Give Easter eggs a gorgeous garden-inspired finish with dimensional floral scrapbook stickers. After pressing the pretty blooms onto dyed eggs, display the dressed-up decorations in silver egg cups.

Create a collection of underwater creatures! These fun dyed Easter eggs are embellished with felt features and marker faces. Attach cut felt pieces to the dyed eggs with glue. Try whipping several including turtles, crabs, and octopuses. 

Add sparkle to your holiday with this easy way of decorating Easter eggs! To make this Easter egg idea, simply mix glue with glitter that matches your dyed egg, and paint on with a small paintbrush. The glue will dry clear, leaving just the glitter visible.

You don't have to be an artist to produce these eye-catching Easter eggs. All you need is some rubber cement and your favorite shade of dye. Color your eggs and let dry. Blot with rubber cement, and dip them into a second coat of color. Once dry, gently rub off the rubber cement and repeat until you achieve your desired appearance.

Editor's Note: Rubber cement is not food-safe, and these eggs should not be consumed.

For this modern take on Easter egg decorating, you'll have to get a little messy. Once your dyed eggs have dried, dip a paintbrush in black paint. Hover the brush over the center of the egg and tap the handle to splatter the paint. Play around with the technique -- the harder you tap the brush, the bigger the splatter marks.

Add fun Easter designs to your dyed eggs using paint. Wait until your eggs are completely dry, then paint a bunny on your egg with white crafts paint. Once the paint is dry, add a bit of definition to the shape with pink glitter paint and a permanent marker.

Decorating Easter eggs has never been easier. Create a bold look with graphic stripes on dyed eggs with rubber bands. Wrap eggs with wide rubber bands (the ones often found on broccoli at the supermarket) before dunking them in dye. Wash rubber bands well between uses to avoid transferring dye.

To create these fun and funky Easter egg designs, dye your eggs using an egg-dyeing kit; let dry completely. Firmly adhere white stickers around each egg, pressing out any air bubbles.

For a pretty two-tone egg embellishment, add a band of lacy fabric to match the color of your dyed egg. Cut the fabric to fit the egg (you'll need about 3 to 4 inches, depending on the size of your egg), and secure each end with hot glue.

Anyone can easily re-create this egg design with a bit of paint and a few brushes. Once your dyed eggs have dried completely, dip a thin-tip paintbrush in one color of paint and add a few dots. Let dry for a few minutes, then rinse and pat dry your brush to add a different color of paint. Play around with brush size and paint color to create a stylish egg design.

If you're dreaming of a tropical vacation, this Easter egg design is for you. Match colorful starfish to brightly dyed Easter eggs, securing them with hot glue.

Easter Egg Tip: To give your eggs a beachy texture, brush on a thin layer of decoupage medium and sprinkle with sand before adding your starfish.

After dyeing Easter eggs, embellish them with a quick and stylish band. Cut a 1/2-inch-wide strip of patterned paper long enough to wrap around the middle of the egg. Adhere the ends using white glue, and attach an adhesive paper flower to the band for an extra dose of spring charm.