Decorating Easter eggs was more than a fun holiday activity at our house, it was a full-on art project. When the kids were very little, it was as simple as using crayons and stickers to create their designs.
As they grew and needed less hands-on help, we gathered around cups of jewel-toned water made with store-bought dye kits or joined friends to make Ukrainian Easter eggs (shown below).
They’re grown now, but I can still see their faces, wide-eyed and ready to witness the transformation from egg to art.
This collection of ideas is appropriate for a wide range of ages and half of them remain edible.
Click on the numbered titles to learn more!
10 Amazing Ideas for Decorating Easter Eggs
1. Dyeing Eggs with Onion Skins
Onion skins create marbled, antique hues that look like glass when polished with a bit of oil.
These naturally decorated eggs are so beautiful you can use them as an elegant table centerpiece as well.
Dyeing Easter Eggs with Onion Skins
2. All-Natural Homemade Dye Using Vegetables & Spices
I love the idea of using homemade natural dyes because it makes it an art project and a science project!
This method by Real Food Real Deals is also ideal for anyone with sensitivities to artificial colorants and dyes.
Homemade Easter Egg Dye
3. Coloring Easter Eggs with Simple Markers
This super easy way to color eggs by It’s Always Autumn is especially neat and tidy when little hands are involved.
Nothing to spill or slosh and you’ve probably already got everything you need at home if your kids already use markers.
Coloring Easter eggs with markers.
4. Decorating Eggs with Watercolor Paint
These watercolor Easter eggs by A Pumpkin & A Princess are simple, allowing for any design your little artist can dream up!
A few simple steps and they’ll be coloring eggs with ease.
Painting Easter Eggs with Watercolor Paints
5. Designing Eggs with Craft Paint
Though any design is possible, these bold galaxy eggs by Dream a Little Bigger bring the WOW every time!
The step by step tutorial makes this a do-able project for anyone.
Galaxy Easter eggs using craft paint.
6. Decorating Easter Eggs with Temporary Tattoos
If you need to “just get it done”, Uncommon Designs shows you how to have stunning eggs in just 5 minutes.
Butterflies, puppies, smiley faces, dinosaurs … so many styles, so easy to do!
Temporary Tattoo Decorated Easter Eggs
7. Coloring Easter Eggs with Kool-Aid
Are you into wild stripes and ultra-easy clean up? Then this egg coloring technique by Freutcake will set you up.
It’s still advisable to wear an old shirt, but these are easy for any age.
Using Kool-Aid to color Easter eggs.
8. Dyeing Easter Eggs with Nail Polish
These gorgeous Indigo marbled eggs are eye-catching, decorating brilliance with this nail polish technique by Alice and Lois.
Their drying rack idea is genius too.
Indigo Marbled Easter Eggs Using Nail Polish
9. Decorating Easter Eggs with Washi Tape
Washi tape gives you the flexibility of embellishing already dyed eggs or using the tape all by itself to create your egg designs.
This tutorial by The Artful Parent shows 6 different ways to use washi tape
for any skill level.
Decorated Easter Eggs with Washi Tape.
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10. Ukrainian Eggs
My friend Mary hosted a week-long Ukrainian egg decorating party at her house every year. This was such a treat for me and the kids! The challenge of intricate, layered designs was inspiring.
It’s a bit more involved to set up with the dyes, beeswax, candles, and special kistka tools, but so worth the investment and effort.
Here’s a handy tutorial => Ukrainian Easter Egg Tutorial
The pysanky dyes are incredibly rich and vibrant—this hurricane vase filled with our beloved projects is always on display in our home.
Note: Don’t eat eggs decorated with pysanky egg dye and young children should be monitored very closely when using it.
mjskitchen says
April 23, 2019 at 8:09 pmWhat Fun! We didn’t have anything like this when I was a kid. Hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend.
Judy Purcell says
May 1, 2019 at 7:28 amI hope your Easter was wonderful too, MJ!
John / Kitchen Riffs says
April 16, 2019 at 4:37 pmI’m basically a kid, so these ideas definitely appeal to me. 🙂 Fun post — thanks.
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
April 13, 2019 at 12:17 pmWell you have the egg decorating covered with all these suggestions…really nice.
rsmacaalay says
April 23, 2011 at 8:23 pmI never knew there are diffent ways of dying an egg, I thought you just paint on it and presto!
droopina says
April 22, 2011 at 1:04 pmThe brand I used was a Romanian one, well known and used here.
Hehe, our eggs don’t get to sit out long. It’s our tradition to have family contests in which you have to crack as many eggs of the other family members as possible so in about 3 days all egg are gone 😀
And let me tell you another trick: don’t ever boil eggs longer than 10 min or their shells will crack and the dye will penetrate the egg; that’s the real problem. But with a little care you won’t have to worry; look at me, I’m still alive and kicking =))
I wish you and all your viewers a wonderful, peaceful and relaxing Easter!
droopina says
April 22, 2011 at 12:05 pmHi! Wow, this is really truly a wonderful surprise! Thank you very much for your kind words. It is indeed a joy to dye Easter eggs and I must say my 2 year old kid was thrilled when he saw the colored eggs 😀
As for the safety of the colors I ensure you that this procedure is perfectly safe and we have been using it for decades now; no one was harmed during the process :))
So thank you again for this lovely article and hope to “see” you soon!
Judy says
April 22, 2011 at 12:16 pmHi Droopina, it was a pleasure to feature your blog today, thanks for stopping by. I was wondering about the dye you use, I couldn’t tell what brand it was from the package to research it myself. Folks are becoming more aware of food dyes in their food these days and I wasn’t sure if boiling the eggs in the dye made any difference in being able to eat them–thanks for clearing that up. Personally, we have never eaten the eggs we dye at Easter because they sit out for so long ;). Hope you have a wonderful Easter!