It is no secret to those who have known me awhile that I love to decorate easter eggs! Each year I research fun, creative methods to try and it brings me more joy than it would to the average person. Back in the day {okay fine, like six years ago}, we hosted Easter dinner at our cute house in Denver with friends each year and the day was one of my favorites. It’s probably where all of my hype for decorating eggs came from in the first place. I love creating fun place settings for people when they come over for special occasions {see here} and it was always extra fun setting out the eggs I decorated for everyone.

Now that kids are in the picture, my decorating is certainly not as creative, or detailed, but it’s just for the kids…right? I’m laughing out loud because Andy recently pulled the “Hey Thomas, dyeing eggs is so much fun, right? Good thing mama does this all for you, and not for herself” card. Fine, I’ll agree with him. I take it to a whole new level. But I really love doing it, and I take a lot of pride in my egg decorating.

This year we compromised on kid dyeing time, and mama dyeing time. Kid time consisted of Thomas dropping an egg in the jar, forgetting about it, and being overly excited when discovering it all again hours later. My time was much more calculated and involved lots of checking in on and caring for. Organized chaos in my head, but I pretty much ran around the kitchen like a mad scientist. Typical mom status…

Over the years, I’ve experimented with lots of different egg dying techniques. Tissue paper wrapping, wash tape decorating, and photos of my family decoupaged onto the eggs {told you, I take it to a whole new level}. But I keep coming back to this one. Natural dye made from fruits and vegetables. I love the colors that the natural dyes produce, and since Andy has made it clear he will never let me own chickens, it’s the closest thing I’m going to get to having those pretty looking eggs in our fridge. It does require a little prepping, but it’s easy to involve the kids and you don’t have to lose any sleep if they accidentally eat the ingredients. This year I added gold speckles (it’s edible, don’t worry) and I’m pretty much in love with how they turned out.

If you’re looking to try this method out, here’s what you need:

• Eggs
• 2 CUPS RED CABBAGE
• 1 CUP FROZEN BLUEBERRIES
• 1 BEET
• 2 CUPS RED ONION SKINS (you can just grab these from the bottom of the bins at your grocery store)
• TUMERIC (I didn’t use this year, but it gives a really pretty yellow color!)
• Mason Jars or Plastic Cups
• OPTIONAL: Edible Gold Sheen

Chop up each ingredient and mix with 2 cups of boiling water on the stove for 10-15minutes. Strain mixture into a cup, add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar and wait as long as you can. When you’re ready to start, drop eggs into the individual cups and leave for any desired amount of time. When you pull the eggs out, rinse with cold water to help the dye set on the eggs. If you decide to add the gold speckles: dip your paintbrush in edible gold paint, pull the bristles back with your thumb, and release! 

 As a professional egg decorator, I’ve learned a thing or two {c’mon, laugh with me}:

• Let the dyes sit for as long as you can before dipping eggs
• One egg at a time!
• Place the eggs in for different amounts of time to get varying shades
• Overnight eggs are the best for dark, vibrant colors!

And remember, your kids will inevitably want to eat the prettiest eggs, so be sure to put those out of reach until you’re really ready to part with them. Andy actually just walked in here while I was writing this and asked which eggs he was “allowed” to eat. I directed him to the plastic tupperware on the bottom shelf with all of the “dud” looking eggs. Definitely not to the pretty glass egg holder, where the eggs are organized by shades of color. I swear I’m not crazy. 🙂 

If you decide to dye your eggs this way, I’d love to see how they turn out! Tag me in your photos, @kaileymariedesigns, or send me a picture at kaileymariedesigns@gmail.com.