Decorating Easter Eggs

My mom was always so funny when it came to Easter eggs.  She would buy 6-8 dozen eggs for my siblings and me to decorate as part of our church Easter egg hunt festivities. She would boil the eggs and set them out on the table where we would be excitedly waiting. One of our made-up silly rules was that if anyone broke an egg they had to eat it right then and there. This meant 5 out of 6 of us would suddenly unite to enforce the rule laughing with anticipation. There were also moments of mutual admiration when someone's egg was so beautiful you wanted to copy their pattern which was the ultimate compliment.  

Oh, the memories! These days there are egg-dying kits with stencils, stickers, and all sorts of crafty elements to help kids decorate the most beautiful eggs. I'm still a fan of drawing patterns with crayons before dipping them in dye. I guess that makes me old school. In order to decorate eggs, you need to boil them properly. The hope is to boil eggs without the unsightly greenish-bluish ring around the yolk. First, place them gently in a single layer inside a pot.  Fill the pot with cold water one inch above the eggs. Add a tablespoon of salt and bring the water to a rapid boil. Once it reaches a rapid boil reduce the heat immediately to a low simmer for 10 minutes. Remove eggs to a large bowl filled with ice water and allow the eggs to cool completely before storing them in the refrigerator.

Preparing the eggs a couple of days before decorating and eating them will help the shell peel easier. To dye eggs, fill as many cups as you have food coloring with very hot water. Make sure you have enough water in each cup to cover the eggs without the cup overflowing with an egg completely submerged. Add ¼ teaspoon of food coloring to each cup along with a tablespoon of white vinegar. Stir each cup. Spoon the eggs into the dye and let it rest there for at least 1 minute. The longer it sits, the more intense the color will be. Remove eggs with a spoon and set them in the egg carton to dry. Dyed eggs should be stored in the refrigerator.

Here are some other creative and resourceful ways to dye and decorate Easter eggs with your kids.

This gorgeous visual tutorial by Emily Weaver Brown Photography shows you how to dye eggs naturally using herbs, spices, and vegetables. Her photos show you have to achieve these beautifully dyed eggs.

Kool-Eggs! Dye your eggs using different flavors of Kool-Aid as shown by Hey! Jen Renee. I can only imagine how sweet and fruity they must smell.

Here's a great way to put recycling to good use. If you have stickers, ribbon, scrapbook paper scraps, and any other cute crafting leftovers, Hostess with the Mostess shows you how to make these Bright and Crafty Eggs.