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Whether you are planning an elegant Easter dinner party, or you have a family tradition of decorating Easter eggs with the kiddos, sometimes  you just want something a little different than the same-o, same-o store-bought egg color kits. With a little creativity and a splash of color, you can make your Easter eggs into works of art!

Let’s start with the basic dye recipe: 

  • 1/2 cup boiling water
  • 1 tsp white vinegar
  • 20 drops of food coloring (at least!)

Prepare the eggs: 

  • Place eggs in large saucepan.
  • Cover in lukewarm water.
  • Add 2 tsp white vinegar.
  • Add a pinch of salt.
  • Place an burner and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and let stand in hot water for 15-18 minutes (extra large eggs need a little more time).
  • Drain hot water and replace with cold water and ice. Let sit for 5 minutes.
  • Dry eggs complete before decorating.

Instant Pot hard-boiled eggs:

For those of you who love your Instant Pot, you can make perfect hard-boiled eggs that peel easily, using the 5-5-5 method.

  • Place wire trivet in the bottom of the pot insert and place eggs on trivet.
  • Add one cup of water to the pot.
  • Using the manual setting, set to 5 minutes.
  • Natural release for 5 minutes.
  • Remove insert (use oven mitts!), and place in sink. Cover eggs with cold water and ice for 5 minutes.

Now let’s decorate!

Stripes

Create stripes on your eggs by using tape (vary the widths for more variety) or rubber bands. Place the tape or rubber bands in the design you like, then place in prepared color cup. The longer you leave the eggs in the color, the more vibrant the color will be. Be patient! Let the egg sit in the color for 5-15 minutes. Remove from dye and allow to dry. Remove tape or rubber bands to reveal the stripe pattern.

You can stop there, and just leave the white strips where your tape was applied. Or you can do a second (and third) round by putting more tape in a different patterns and place in different colors.

Polka Dots

Create the polka dot effect with round stickers. You can start with a base color, then add the stickers before doing a second color, or place the stickers on a white egg and leave the voids white.

You don’t have to limit yourself to round stickers. Hearts, bunnies…the shapes are limitless!

Alternative method: You can also create polka dots on white eggs. Using double-sided clear sticker dots found at the craft store, you can place the stickers on white eggs, then roll in craft glitter or colored sugar crystals (best for younger kids). Or you can color the egg first, then apply the sticker dots and use a contrasting color of glitter or sugar.

Shaving Cream Eggs

This method uses shaving cream to create a marbled effect. Watch the video below for the steps. Some suggest that you may not want to eat the eggs that are decorated this way, but as long as the eggs are only in the shaving cream for a few minutes, it should be ok. If you are concerned about edibility, you can substitute whipped cream for the shaving cream for a similar effect.

 

Marbling

This is a great way to use up those scraps of crayons that always seem to be under foot. Boil your eggs as normal, then pop in the oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes. Once the eggs are nice and hot, carefully remove using a hot mitt, and place on a tray. Sprinkle crayon shavings over the eggs and allow them to melt, using a variety of colors. Alternatively, you can just touch a piece of crayon to the egg and let the color dribble all around the egg.

All Natural Eggs

If you like a more natural look, or just prefer a vegan alternative, you can actually dye eggs using color from vibrant vegetables and flowers. For this technique, you will actually add the color material into the water while you are boiling the eggs. You can use color materials such as beets, carrots, onion skins, blueberries, raspberries, and a variety of other options. To read more about this technique, check out this website.

Find more details on these techniques and additional ideas here. 

Springtime in Northern Virginia is a great time of year for enjoying all the the DC metro area has to offer. It’s also a great time to sell your home or purchase your dream home! Whether you are looking to buy or sell a home in Northern Virginia, we are always here to help with all your real estate needs! If you are unsure of your home’s value or if you are thinking about buying or selling, contact Jason at 703-298-7037 or Jason@JasonAndBonnie.com.