Our family dyes Easter eggs on Holy Saturday, AFTER the Easter Vigil Mass! In case you don’t know, that’s late! Easter Vigil Mass starts at 8 and lasts for at least 2 hours! (It’s a VERY SPECIAL once-a-year celebration of Christ’s resurrection!) That means we’re usually dying eggs sometime after 10 pm. Why? Because that’s when an over-committing procrastinator like me always got to it when the kids were young. After all, it had to be done BEFORE the Easter Bunny came! Now, even though the kids are 25 and 22, only one kid is here  for the holy days, and I don’t procrastinate nearly as badly as I used to, it’s a tradition.

If, like me, you don’t — or didn’t — get to dying eggs until today, here are some Easter egg-dying  ideas for you. But, before you try any of them, hard-boil your eggs! I forgot to do that one year! And make sure your eggs are completely dry before you start designing. While your eggs are cooking and drying, pull out your Stampin’ Up! supplies and get the creative juices flowing!

Did you know that you can use Stampin’ Up! reinkers to dye your eggs?

The eggs turn out beautifully! The colors don’t bleed through the egg shells. I’m told that they’re safe to eat..while the inks are not labelled food-safe, they are definitely labelled non-toxic. Others have told me they suffered no dire consequences from eating them!

Here’s how to do it:

1. Put about 1/2 cup boiling hot water in a mug or cup
2. Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar
3. Add 8-10 drops of your favorite color Stampin’ Up! Reinker (vibrant colors look best)
4. Put your egg in and let sit for 3 minutes. Remove from water. Allow to dry.
5. Keep refrigerated if you plan to eat the eggs.

Did you know that you can you can use VersaMark to do a dye-resist technique on your Easter eggs?

Before dying your Easter eggs with the Reinkers, use your choice of Stampin’ Up! rubber stamps and VersaMark to stamp images on the eggs. Then, dye them.  The images you stamped in VersaMark will show up white! This is the same technique we did with crayons when we were kids! Remember? The wax in the crayon resisted the color. VersaMark gives the same effect but you’ll have nice crisp images.

Did you know that you can use Classic Ink and your rubber stamps to stamp directly onto your eggs?

You can leave the eggs white and use Classic Ink to stamp in your choice of colors, or color your eggs a light color and then stamp in a darker shade. Either way the eggs will be beautiful!

Did you know that you can let the kids use Stampin’ Write Markers to create their own one-of-a-kind Easter eggs?

Just give them the Stampin’ Write Markers and let their imaginations run wild and free! Remind them that they’ve got a fat tip and a skinny tip — they’ll have fun figuring out how to use both!

Did you know that you can use scraps of Stampin’ Up! Designer Fabric and decoupage glue to create permanently beautiful eggs?

Look for my eggs, made with Stampin’ Up! fabric, on Monday.
Remember…we won’t decorate eggs until late tonight!

Grab up some of those brown paper eggs at the craft store…they’ve probably already been put on sale. (But, don’t buy anything else there! Come to me for all of your other crafting needs! Pretty please!) Tear your favorite Stampin’ Up! Designer Fabric combo into 1″ strips or use scraps, if you have them. Coat the egg with the decoupage glue.  Wrap the egg with the torn strips of fabric. Add a coat of decoupage glue over the fabric. To make these eggs insanely cute, add a sprinkle of Dazzling Diamonds while the decoupage glue is still wet.  Allow to dry. As my daughter likes to say, “Prettiful!”

Happy Easter, Everybody!

Take photos of YOUR Easter Eggs and send them to me! I’d love to show off your creations here! Send to kathy@stampforsanity.com.