15 Easter Egg Decorating Ideas That Go Beyond Dyeing
Leave dye behind and use one of these clever techniques instead.
You may be bored with dyeing eggs every Easter, or maybe you don't prefer to submerge your eggs in colored dye. From pressed flowers to temporary tattoos, we're sharing our top 15 Easter egg decorating ideas that don't require dye. But before you get started, check out our fool-proof way to hard-boil eggs.
Metallic Foil
Foiled Easter Eggs
Decorate Easter eggs with foil for a trendy, metallic touch to your Easter decor.
Make It: Add a Foil Accent to Eggs
Permanent Marker
Make It: Decorate Eggs With Permanent Marker
Washi Tape
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Use a standard roll of washi tape in the color or pattern of your choice, and begin cutting small pieces at a diagonal. Adhere the pieces to form a mosaic effect. You can also use strips of washi tape and overlap them vertically at the top and bottom.
Pressed Flowers
Put those pressed flowers to good use. Wash eggs gently with soap and water, then brush with vinegar. While your eggs are still wet from the vinegar, stick pressed flowers, leaves and other natural objects to the shells. The flatter the plants lie against the shell, the better they will work.
Rhinestones
Rhinestone Easter Eggs
Add rhinestones and thumbtacks in random patterns to create unique Easter eggs.
First, if you want, paint your eggs with craft paint and let dry. Next, place stick-on rhinestones in various colors and sizes to create the pattern of your choice.
Baker's Twine
Use baker's twine to add a trendy look to your eggs. To make, dab a fast-grab tacky glue to the bottom of a paper mache egg and coil the string around. To switch colors, trim the first color and glue the end of the second color. For a seamless finish, coil the string around the top, trim and dab on some more glue.
Glittered Stickers
Adhere glue dots and glue strips to plain or painted hard-boiled eggs. Fill a sandwich bag with glitter, place the egg inside and shake to coat glue dots or strips. Rinse the excess glitter from the egg under cold water.
Temporary Tattoos
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Using pre-bought rub-on transfers or temporary tattoo paper, then cover eggs in edgy graphics or words of your choice. To get the look pictured, cut out various rub-on transfers and overlap on the eggs. It's OK if certain images don't transfer perfectly; it will provide a more distressed look.
Glitter
Abigail Barnes
To cover your Easter eggs in a layer of glitter, simply coat the entire surface of painted or unpainted eggs with all-purpose white glue. Place the eggs in a bowl of glitter and spoon glitter over wet glue until fully covered. Let dry.
Floral Centerpiece
Hatch a Teeny-Tiny Vase
Pierce the top of a raw egg with a pin, then gently poke the hole with your finger to widen it. Empty the whites and yolk, and rinse the shell with water. Fill with delicate flowers like sweet pea and mimosa. Put a single shell in an eggcup or arrange a dozen in a carton. Eggcup: Try Etsy for a variety of styles.
Photo by: Alison Gootee
Alison Gootee
Our friends at HGTV Magazine share an easy way to transform your eggs into a festive centerpiece. To get the look, pierce the top of a raw egg with a pin, then gently poke the hole with your finger to widen it. Empty the whites and yolk, and rinse the shell with water. Fill with delicate flowers like sweet pea and mimosa. Put a single shell in an eggcup or arrange a dozen in a carton.
Tie Dye
Lay out a paper towel and spray with white vinegar. Then, place several drops of food coloring (two to three colors) all over the paper towel. Place the egg in the middle, gather the edges of the paper towel, hold tightly and spray with vinegar until the paper towel is wet. Secure the top of the paper towel with a rubber band. Allow the colors to soak into the egg for at least two hours. When ready, remove the paper towel to reveal your beautiful, color-infused egg.
Twine
Brian Patrick Flynn
First, dab a fast-grab tacky glue to the bottom of a paper mache egg and coil the twine around, gluing often as you go. Coil the twine around the top, trim and dab on some more glue.
Baby Chicks
First, paint eggs with craft glue and let dry. Once dry, use a permanent marker to draw on eyes, a beak and wings.
Confetti
Confetti Egg
Jillian Harris shows how you can use a small hole punch to make confetti from colored paper (bright Post-it Notes work well). Cover the egg with crafts glue using a foam brush. Sprinkle on confetti to cover it.
Photo by: Marko Metzinger
Marko Metzinger
Our friends at HGTV Magazine have an easy dye- and paint-free way to decorate eggs. Use a small hole punch to make confetti from colored paper (bright sticky notes work well, too). Cover the egg with craft glue using a foam brush, and sprinkle on confetti to cover it.
