Eggs To Dye For

Egg dying is a big deal in our house. Mike and I love to dye eggs. We'd probably do it even if we didn't have kids. We always use whisks to hold the eggs. This year I put an apron on each kids. In past years we've taped newspaper or even thrown a tarp over the table. This year I just scooted over the tablecloth and let it ride. Probably a poor choice. We never buy egg dying kits. We use food coloring, most boxes have instructions. It's pretty much the same vinegar and boiling water and a few drops of color. We always use coffee mugs. Those stupid plastic cups they sell in the kits always tip over.

A few years ago we discovered food markers at Joann's. They're great for Easter eggs. They're just food coloring in marker form. Riley's using on in the picture. We used crayons to make the dye resist sometimes. This year we did a few where we dipped the egg in a lighter color first. Then cut shapes out of tape, stuck them to the eggs, washed them in water and vinegar and then dipped them in a darker color.

We've done some lightly cracked because they make a neat design (and very festive egg salad). A few years back we discovered a technique where you add a little dish soap to the dye and blow bubbles with a straw. It make a cool speckley effect like a dinosaur egg. This year we couldn't seem to get that to work. We did try a new technique where you roll the egg in dye and olive oil for a marbled effect. We also make splatters by dripping a bit of food coloring onto an egg and then blowing on it.