How to Dye Easter Eggs

Dying Easter Eggs is a tradition for many households, and its always a treat to see how children choose to decorate the eggs. There are many techniques for dying Easter Eggs and here are some ways to make your eggs the most sought after in the big hunt.

Of course, to dye an egg, you must first boil it. So, for those of you that might be challenged in the kitchen, here's simple instructions to get the eggs ready. Lay your eggs in the bottom of a pot and try not to stack them on top of one another to prevent cracking. You might have to do several batches, but at least the eggs won't be broken and ruined. Fill the pot with water so that its one inch or so over the eggs. Put on high heat and bring to a boil. Let it boil for 12 minutes, then remove from heat and use a slatted spoon to immediately get the eggs out of the water. Plunge them directly into cold water and let set until they are cool enough for you to get them out with your hands. Dry them off and you're set.

Now, for the fun part. If you don't want to fool with messy dye, there is an option. Tissue paper will dye the eggs beautifully. Buy several bright colored tissue papers and cut in squares or any shape. Wet the eggs and lay the tissue paper in a pattern on the egg, and you can overlap the pieces. Then spritz the paper covered egg with water and lay in a bowl to dry completely. The paper will fall off, leaving the dye behind and creates a stained glass look. Great looking eggs with less mess.

Another option is to use the dye like you buy in your grocery stores, but add a little something extra. For example, you can marbleize the eggs by adding a tablespoon of vegetable oil to the dye. Or if you want to give your eggs a crackled look, wrap the egg in cheesecloth and dab dye onto eggs using various colors. Let it dry completely and remove the cheesecloth to reveal a "cracked" egg.