Beautiful Tie-Dyed Easter Eggs

Earlier this week my daughter Abby asked me, “Mama, when are we going to decorate for Easter?” To be honest this question caught me off guard since it’s not a holiday we make a fuss about. In our house we celebrate the Equinox. We feast, we ceremony and we germinate seeds to honour Mother Earth, changing of the seasons and the sunlight.

My kids are growing up in a culturally-mixed home so we make blended traditions uniquely our own. Which means as our kids get older, we start to incorporate some of their ideas into each holiday. This includes embracing the Easter décor that my daughter suggested.

Art, mess and creativity are things we love digging into so tie-dye eggs was the best fit for us. Last week, I used up some local craft store coupons and made a trip to the dollar store to make our thrifty purchases. Though there are so many ways to dye eggs, it was Abby who chose the tie-dye effect we’re about to share with you here today!

What You'll Need:

• hardboiled eggs
• paper towels
• extra large craft tray or old cookie sheet
• disposable rubber gloves
• food coloring
• paintbrushes
• vinegar + water
• spray bottle
• rubberbands
• plastic baggies

Note: We used paintbrushes because we had a mix of regular and gel food colouring. However, both Abby and I agree that we prefer the (cheaper) drop style liquid food colouring. It’s easier and more fun to watch as each drop saturates and ebbs out on the paper towel.

You'll Also Love: Hard-Boiled Chicks And Bunnies

How It's Made:

1. Bring a big pot of water to boil and (carefully) lower the eggs in, a few at a time. Depending on the age of your child and their experience in the kitchen, they can be included in this first step! Cool the boiled eggs in an ice bath and set the timer for eight minutes.
2. Next, prep your workspace: we covered the table, chairs and work area with plastic table cloths from the dollar store. It's also a good idea to keep a couple of wet, slightly soaped-up dish cloths nearby just in case.
3. Fill up the spray bottle with ½ water and ½ vinegar, then separate ½ sheets of paper towels.
4. Place a couple paper towel sheets on to the cookie tray without overlapping.
5. This is a good time to put on your gloves. They might be a bit big on little fingers and hands but worth it! Use a paintbrush to drop the colours of food dye at random on each strip of paper towel. You can cover the entire paper towel with colour, or you can leave spaces in between. Try experimenting!
6. Next spray the paper towels with the vinegar water.
7. Wrap one egg per dyed sheet and hold with an elastic band then plop them into a clear plastic baggie. Tie each baggie around the egg with another elastic band. These were drippy so be warned!
8. Leave overnight.

We did this as an evening activity and left them overnight. The end result is vivid and gorgeous as you can see. The lead artisan is pleased as punch, although she is rather horrified that they won’t last forever. But we are looking forward to making our next batch for Easter breakfast!