How to Tie-Dye Easter Eggs

When I was a kid, coloring Easter eggs consisted of putting an egg in a glass of colored water and taking it back out. You’d end up with a solid color, unless you got really fancy and tied a rubber band around it — then you could do two colors!

MORE: Decorated Easter potatoes are a fun, cost-effective alternative to dyed eggs

But that was before the internet made all of my solid color eggs look ridiculous and boring. Today, if your Easter eggs aren’t marbled or metallic, you might as well just pack them up and go home.

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If you do want to try jazzing up your Easter eggs, tie-dye is a relatively easy technique for entry-level crafters. This groovy how-to comes from the blog The Incredible Egg and is reprinted here with permission.

Tie-dyeing your Easter eggs is definitely more extensive than just dropping some eggs in a cup of food coloring, but the results are pretty spectacular! I guarantee that the Easter bunny will be impressed.

How to Tie-Dye Easter Eggs

What You Need:

• Hard-boiled eggs
• Paper napkins/paper towels
• Rubber bands
• Rubber gloves
• Food coloring
• Spray bottle
• Vinegar
• Clothespins (optional)

Directions:

1. Wrap the egg in either a paper towel or paper napkin. You want to be sure to wrap the egg as smoothly as possible, without creating too many folds.

2. Secure the paper napkin by wrapping a rubber band tightly at the top.

3. Fill a spray bottle with 2/3 water and 1/3 vinegar and spray the entire surface of the egg to make it damp.

4. After putting on your protective gloves (trust us, you don’t want your hands to get dyed), use the food coloring to directly blot small drops of color onto the egg. Keep in mind, the color will spread as it touches the wet surface, so less is best. You can always go back to add more!

5. After letting the dye soak into your eggs, be sure to give them a little squeeze (so the dye soaks into the shell) and let them set on a covered surface. Wait for about 30 minutes before unwrapping the eggs. The paper towels and napkins will have the most amazing designs — almost as good as the eggs themselves!

MORE: DIY disco ball eggs will add sparkle to your Easter celebrations

If you’re really feeling adventurous with your egg-dyeing this Easter and want more crafty options, The Incredible Egg also has a how-to for color-blocked eggs which look so chic. Or you can go ultra glam with glitter eggs — though these ones aren’t for eating.

What’s your preferred method for dyeing Easter eggs?