10 Fun Easter Egg Decorating Ideas
Currently hatching: some newfound inspiration.
"I'm not a crafty person," Ree Drummond admits. And here's the thing: you don't have to be crafty to decorate Easter eggs! All you need to know are the basics and some fun inspiration to get started.
First, there are three main ways to prepare Easter eggs: hard-boiling, blowing out, and dyeing. Boiling involves submerging the eggs in a large pot of water, bringing to a boil then turning off the heat and letting them sit for 10 minutes before draining, then letting them cool.
Egg blowing involves a little more finesse: You make a pinhole in the top of the egg and a slightly larger hole in the bottom, and use a needle to break up the yolk before blowing into the pinhole to push the insides into a bowl; then, rinse the egg and let dry. (You'll want to plug the holes with a dab of hot glue before dyeing.)
Dyeing is the one we all learned as kids growing up! So you know the drill: Soak each egg, fully submerged, in a mix of 1/2 cup hot water, 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar, and 2 tablespoons liquid dye for about 30 minutes, then dry completely. (Alternatively, raid the fridge and pantry for natural dyeing ingredients or opt for egg painting!)
And that's it! Start with hard-boiled or blown-out eggs, then follow the step-by-step instructions below to decorate each one. They're fun to make with your kiddos at home, but they're also perfect for springtime crafternoons, Sunday school parties, or any gathering of friends and family. Just remember, these eggs aren’t edible—they're just for show! They're so pretty, though, you wouldn't want to eat them anyway.
Hop to it! Easter is on its way:
Lavender Eggs
Combine dye with a simple floral detail. If you’re hosting folks over for a sit-down meal, these make a cute personalized place-setting or gift.
• White eggs
• Dye and vinegar
• Hot glue
• Cotton butcher’s twine
• Dried lavender sprigs
• White paint pen
1. Dye the eggs; let dry. Squeeze a small dot of hot
glue on the middle of each egg
and use it to secure the twine as
you wrap it around; finish with a
bow on the opposite side.
3. Stick three lavender sprigs
under the bow.
4. Write names with paint pen.
Splatter-Paint Eggs
Kitchenware can inspire all kinds of designs! If you love the look of spatterware, go to town on these eggs with flecks of paint and wild abandon.
• White eggs
• Blue acrylic paint
• Old shoebox or other
cardboard box
• Small paintbrush
1. Thin the paint with a few
splashes of water.
2. Place the eggs in the box
and use a paintbrush to flick
paint onto them, creating a
spatterware effect.
Feather Eggs
Look what hatched: a natural beauty! Mix and match feathers in whatever colors or patterns your heart desires.
• White eggs
• Extra-small feathers
• Decoupage glue
• Paintbrush
1. Choose your favorite feathers
from the bunch.
2. Apply a small dab of
decoupage glue with a paintbrush
to the center of each egg.
3. Place a feather on the glue
and gently press to secure.
Polka Dot Eggs
Is there a print or pattern more fitting for springtime than polka dots? Didn’t think so. These eggs dabbed with puff paint to create an all-over pop of texture.
• White eggs
• Dye and vinegar
• Puff paint (to match dye)
1. Dye the eggs; let dry.
2. Dab small dots of puff
paint on each egg.
Gingham Easter Eggs
Correction: gingham might be spring’s most classic pattern! Here, strips of tissue paper are laid neatly to create a grid-like design.
• White eggs
• Scissors
• Colored tissue paper
• Paintbrush
• Decoupage glue
1. Cut tissue paper into
1/4-inch strips.
2. Use a paintbrush to apply
decoupage glue in stripes to
each egg. Place the tissue paper
strips on top, first vertically and
then horizontally to make a grid.
Gold Leaf Eggs
Ah, what a soft, luxurious-looking finish! Working with gold leaf is best saved for a special occasion like Easter Sunday.
• White eggs
• Decoupage glue
• Paintbrushes
• Gold leaf
1. Thin the decoupage glue with
a little water.
2. Use a small paintbrush to
apply glue to each egg in spots.
3. Place gold leaf on the glue
spots and gently brush off any
excess using a dry paintbrush.
Chalk-Stripe Eggs
This decorating idea strikes the balance somewhere between modern-looking and handmade. And it’s easy for kids of any age (or non-crafty folks out there) to do!
• White eggs
• Dye and vinegar
• Paintbrush
• Matte chalk-finish acrylic craft paint
1. Dye the eggs; let dry.
2. Use a fine-tipped
paintbrush to apply chalk
stripes around the egg.
Quilt Pattern Eggs
Talk about homespun charm! Look for inspiration in your favorite textiles: curtains, a wall rug, tea towels, or Grandma’s heirloom quilt you remember so fondly.
• White eggs
• Dye and vinegar
• Scissors
• Washi tape
1. Dye the eggs to be the base
of your “quilt.” Let dry.
2. Use scissors to cut small
squares, triangles and stripes
out of washi tape.
3. Stick the washi tape to each
egg in a classic quilt pattern.
Zipper Eggs
Zip to it! If you have a hand for detail, you can work with puff paint to “draw” all kinds of designs across an eggshell’s surface.
• White eggs
• Dye and vinegar
• White puff paint
1. Dye the eggs; let dry.
2. Dab small dots of puff
paint in two lines down the
center of each egg, flicking
each dot outward to create
a zipper-like design.
Leaf Print Eggs
Spring has sprung, so why not look for earthly inspiration? Save lucky clovers, flowers, and ferns for this botanical-inspired project.
• White eggs
• Small leaves or flowers
• Cheesecloth or pantyhose
• Dye and vinegar
1. Place a small leaf or flower
on each egg and carefully
wrap it with cheesecloth or
pantyhose to secure.
2. Submerge the cheesecloth-
covered egg in the dye mixture.
3. Remove the cloth and leaf
to reveal the design.
Alexandra Churchill is the Deputy Editor at The Pioneer Woman, overseeing the site's strategy in topics of food and cooking, home and life, beauty and style, crafts, and holidays.
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