This week the long-eared-cotton-tail-gods have smiled upon me and have shown me a better way to decorate Easter eggs without dyeing them using those Alka Seltzer-like tablets. You know, the ones the kids fight about, the pink one that turns out to be the red one, and the blue one is cracked in the package and is now all over your fingers.
No more! All you need is a little $4 package of food color and vinegar, but that’s not even the best part. Not only do you not have to buy that egg dye kit every year, but if you buy the set of McCormick food color (we love the NEON!) they give you mixing color recipes right on the back of the box. You can make green apple, apricot, dusty rose etc. and they kids love making their own colors. Don’t put those dyes too far out of reach as I have a doozy of a fun project for them next week!
Fun New Ways to Decorate Easter Eggs:
- Using food color for dye and let the kids create new colors.
- Create an easy work surface for kids with a box or foam and pins.
- Make polka-dots: Use the eraser side of a pencil and the backside of a small paint brush for perfect little circles.
- Add 3D decorations: Cut out butterflies and dragonflies from colored paper and glue them to the eggs
- Place them on pretty egg holders: Use empty paper towel rolls, felt and trim to make them whimsical.
Materials:
- Hard boiled eggs—cooled
- 4 pack box of liquid food color
- White vinegar
- Plastic cups
- Acrylic craft paint
- Small paint brush
- Pencil with an unused eraser
- Ppaper plate
- Glitter
- Glue
Step One: DYE YOUR EGGS—Fill plastic cups with warm water and two tablespoons or so with vinegar. Add about 7 drops of color and mix well. Using a spoon test the color of the eggs after five minutes. Dry on you pin-board.
Step Two: PAINT YOUR EGGS—Pour a small amount of paint onto a paper plate. The paint must be smooth, old chunky paint does not work. Working with your egg on the pin-board dip the end of your pencil into the paint and twirl a bit. Have your child do a test polka-dot on the plate. When she gets the hang of it have her make some dots working in a 1, 2, 3 triangle shape. While the front of the eggs dry have him make butterflies and egg holders then paint the backs. For the grass—using green, paint wispy grass from the bottom of the egg up. For the glitter—simply put bit of glue on a paper plate and dip the end of your paint brush into the glue and dab on the egg. Over a sheet of paper sprinkle glitter on the egg and dust off any extra.
Making the pin-board:
- A piece of foam core, a cardboard box or a sheet of Styrofoam
- Straight pins
Stick the four pins in a square shape about 1″ apart and each square about 2″-3″ apart
Making the butterflies and bugs:
- Colored paper
- A pencil
- Scissors
- Glue or duct tape
Cut out a small 3″ square of paper and fold it in half. Either draw out half of a butterfly with a pencil or free hand cut the half butterfly shape from paper. Unfold and glue or using a small piece of duct tape attach to egg.
Making the egg holders:
- An empty paper towel roll
- Scissors
- Felt
- Fabric trim such as ric-rack, ribbon, seam binding,
- Glue or hot glue
Cut a piece of the cardboard roll about 2″ long. Now cut it so it is no longer a circle but the letter “C”. Glue it back together so it overlaps about 1″. Cut a strip of felt the length and width of the roll and glue in place. Now decorate it with whatever trim you like. For the grass, cut the felt wider than the roll and then shred the felt downward by cutting as many strips as you can.
Felt available at I’ve Got a Notion, and Jo-Ann’s Fabrics and Crafts
Trim available at I’ve Got a Notion, Parcel, Rock, Paper, Scissors and Jo-Ann’s Fabrics and Crafts
Questions? Just Ask Holly in comments
You could also use crayons to make beautifully marbled Easter eggs.