DIY: Easter Egg Dyes from Nature

Oh yes, there are many ways to create colorful Easter eggs without running to the store.  The best way is to check the readily available materials from your kitchen and your garden.

The best and simplest way to dye eggs is by using onion skin.

The onion skin produce a mottled, brownish pattern on the eggs; creating an individual work of art. Onions always lose its outermost shell layers. Just this thin film is needed for dyeing. Red onion skins produce a slightly redder hue than the brown ones, of course.

For dyeing eggs using onion skin you need the following:
eggs (white or brown), onion skins, tea towels and aluminum foil, or thin pieces of cotton.

Preparation:

Using the thin, dry outer layers of the onion; soak them briefly in water. Moisten the eggs with a little water for best results, too.

Prepare a moistened kitchen towel (or a cotton cloth) per egg, and spread it out on a plate. Put large pieces of the soaked onion on top and then the egg. Afterwards, wrap the onion skin pieces around the egg, covering the whole egg.

Wrap the kitchen towel around the egg, before wrapping it with foil to avoid the eggs falling apart during cooking. Punch a few holes in the aluminum foil so that the eggs would be cooked better.
Put the eggs in a pot with water and bring it to boil. Turn the eggs during cooking to help create a uniform hue. Cook the eggs for 10-15 minutes.

To intensify the color of the eggs, keep them in the cold water longer before unwrapping them.
Leave the eggs to dry. If you want shiny eggs, rub them with butter or vegetable oil.

You could also use fruit teas and colorful flowers from the garden to create your natural dyes. The procedure is simple: mix the water and tea/pieces of flowers into the pot, add the eggs and boil for about 10-15 minutes.

To create a bit of shapes: cut out your chosen design and paste it securely on the egg. Or just tie strings around the egg to make lines.

In our home, Easter egg making is traditionally done by my husband and the girls. My husband suggested that I head the egg team this year, but the girls vetoed the idea. I gave them this suggestion, a natural way to color the eggs. They almost vetoed it, too (I guess they wanted me out of the way); but they tried it in the end. And had more fun, if I may say so :-)