Instructions
- Step 1: Hard-boil the eggs Put eggs in a saucepan, add water until they’re covered, and gently bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes. Remove from the heat completely and add very cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Step 2: Cover up Put newspapers over your table or workspace so you don’t get dye on it, and change into something you won’t mind getting stained. Decorating Easter eggs can get messy!
- Step 3: Ready the dye Fill some large paper cups halfway with hot water. Then add a teaspoon of vinegar and the dye tablets, which will dissolve. Don’t have dye tablets? Add one teaspoon of food coloring into each cup of water and vinegar.
- TIP: Try natural dyes. In a pan, arrange the eggs in a single layer and cover them with water. For red, add fresh beets; blue, canned blueberries; yellow, ground turmeric; green, fresh spinach. Bring to a boil, then simmer 15 minutes.
- Step 4: Make your mark Write or draw something on the egg with a white wax crayon before putting it into the cup. The wax resists the dye, so once the egg is colored, you’ll clearly see what you wrote.
- Step 5: Add stripes Put electrical tape around the egg, or simply put a rubber band—or several—around it before placing in the cups. When it’s dyed, remove the tape or rubber bands and you’ll have fun stripes!
- Step 6: Make patterns Add some stickers or brush some rubber cement onto the egg before you place it in the dye. When you remove the egg, simply peel off the stickers or hardened rubber cement and you’ll get interesting, creative patterns.
- Step 7: Dye it Place an egg into each cup. Leave it in for five to 20 minutes or as long as it takes to achieve your desired look. The longer it soaks, the darker it will be.
- TIP: Add a teaspoon or so of vegetable oil into some of the cups of dye. The oil prevents the dye from sticking to certain spots on the egg, so when you remove it you get interesting designs and patterns.
- Step 8: Remove Using an egg dipper, slotted spoon, or tongs, take the eggs out of the cups and place them in an empty egg carton to dry.
- Step 9: Enjoy Hide your eggs for an egg hunt, put them in baskets, or simply peel your new creations and enjoy!
- FACT: Dyeing Easter eggs started as a pagan ritual symbolizing fertility.
You Will Need
- Eggs
- A saucepan
- Newspapers
- Old clothes
- Large paper cups
- Vinegar
- Dye tablets or food coloring
- Wax crayon
- Tape or rubber bands
- Stickers or rubber cement
- An egg dipper
- slotted spoon
- or tongs
- Empty egg cartons
- Fruits and vegetables for natural dyes
- Vegetable oil
