Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs (with Onion Skins & Cabbage)

How beautiful are these Easter eggs!?! Ever since I was a kid and read about dying eggs in onion skins in a nature-craft book, I’ve wanted to try it. I couldn’t believe how easy they were to make and how bright and colorful they turned out! The orange-brownish eggs were dyed in the onion skins, while the bluish ones were dyed using red cabbage. And no, you don’t need to buy a whole bunch of onions to get the skins. Just ask the nearest grocer at the store, and they’ll be happy to let you and the kids dig through the onion bin! You’ll find plenty there! It did not take long at all to dye the eggs in onion skins, while the ones dyed with red cabbage soaked over-night. Just takes a little patience!

DSC_0135

Materials needed:

  • white eggs
  • onion skins
  • red cabbage
  • medium-sized pot
  • water
  • small flowers, leaves, herbs
  • old pantyhose or knee highs
  • twist ties

DSC_0084

First, fill your pot up completely with onion skins. Then, fill with water, leaving a couple inches of space for the eggs.

DSC_0089

Do the same with the red cabbage, chopping the cabbage first.

DSC_0093

 

Next, put both pots on the stove and turn on high to boil. Let the water simmer for about 5 minutes, then turn the pots off. Let them sit and cool for 5 hours or overnight.

DSC_0095

DSC_0098

To prepare the eggs to dye, to get the beautiful nature prints on them, gather small leaves and flowers from your garden. We even used some weeds with interesting leaf shapes!

Cut your pantyhose or knee-highs in small sections. We used knee highs. I cut them in half and then with the top portion, I cut a slit up the side. With the bottom half, it was easy to just place the egg inside.

DSC_0107

Press a flower or leaf onto the egg and carefully wrap the pantyhose around it. Dipping the leaves in water first makes them stick to the eggs a bit easier.

DSC_0105

DSC_0102

DSC_0104

 

Twist the pantyhose in the back and secure with a twist tie.

DSC_0103

DSC_0110

 

Now to dye the eggs! Place your eggs into the pots, making sure they are completely submerged in the water.

DSC_0111

DSC_0115

Put the pots back onto the stove and bring them to a boil again. Turn down to low heat, and let the pots for 20-30 min.

After the water cools a bit, carefully remove the eggs soaking in the onion skins and dry them off a bit on a towel.

DSC_0118

Cut the pantyhose and the eggs will come out carefully. So cool!!!

DSC_0122

DSC_0119

DSC_0124

Place the pot with the red cabbage and eggs in your refrigerator and let them sit up to 24 hrs. Then do the same…removing them from the water and cutting the pantyhose off.

DSC_0129

To make your eggs shine, you can wet a paper towel with vegetable oil and gently rub it onto each egg. Such a naturally beautiful way to celebrate Spring, Easter, or Naw Ruz!!!

DSC_0140

Knuckle-Print Carrots

How cute are these KNUCKLE-PRINT CARROTS we made for Easter? They’re not only fun to make with your little ones, but they make sweet gifts for parents and grandparents too!

Materials needed:

  • paper
  • orange and green paint
  • little knuckles

Just a little note: Whenever doing projects like this, I like to have a sheet of paper to practice on first. Our practice paper is the big white one here, giving us lots of room to experiment with before making little Easter cards for the grandparents.

First, paint your kid’s knuckles orange. Have them stamp the paper with their knuckles. We found that it worked best if L was standing or on her knees doing this part, making sure she was well above the paper.

 

 

Next, I marked each carrot lightly with a pencil, so we knew which side would be best to put the “leaves” on.

Using your child’s thumb or index finger, have them make little leaves atop each carrot. I had to help L with this part…as you can see in the picture below, when left to do it alone, she was happy putting green dots all over her carrots! Ha!

 

 

 

So sweet! Happy Spring!

Egg Carton Flower Wreath

Can you believe this beautiful Spring wreath was made primarily out of egg cartons!?! I just love the outcome! I’ve wanted to make an EGG CARTON FLOWER WREATH for years! Last year we tried it, using tempera paints, but the colors weren’t nearly as vibrant. I highly suggest using acrylics for this project. Our EGG CARTON FLOWER WREATH hangs inside Our Beautifully Messy House, as we await the first blooms of spring flowers outside in our garden!

 

 

 

 

Materials needed:

  • 3 egg cartons
  • med-large cardboard piece
  • sharp scissors (fabric scissors)
  • acrylic paints
  • hot glue gun and glue

First, cut the egg cartons into flower shapes. Get creative! The pointy, divider sections can be used to make narrow flowers or daffodil trumpets and the lids of the egg cartons can be cut into leaves.

After all your flowers are cut, time to paint with your little ones! L and I painted side-by-side…when she was finished with a flower or bored with a color, I’d let her start on another one while I filled in any spots she may missed. After all the flowers were painted a solid color, I went back and painted on some details! Although the flowers look great in solid colors, the details really bring them to life…worth the extra 30 minutes of painting!

 

 

 

 

 

To make your wreath base, use some large mixing bowls to trace circles onto your cardboard and cut it out. I used two separate pieces of cardboard and just taped them together. Once your wreath base is cut out, give it a quick coat of green paint.

 

Next, using a hot glue gun, glue the leaves onto your wreath base randomly.

After the leaves are in place, glue the flowers on. Try to space the colors out, but don’t think too much about order. In nature, nothing is perfect and the imperfections themselves are beautiful!

 

 

 

 

Hang your wreath on a door, a wall or in your kitchen window! Enjoy!!!

 

20+ Non-Candy Easter Egg Surprises

Last year we put a few chocolates into L’s Easter eggs, but for the most part the Easter bunny left her with NON-CANDY EASTER EGG SURPRISES and she LOVED it! Inside the eggs were buttons, a spool of thread (to string the buttons into a necklace), a lil plastic turtle, and strips of paper with fun activities for the whole family to do.

 

Some of the “ACTIVITIES” included:

  • Hop like a bunny.
  • Jump like a frog.
  • Who can laugh the silliest?
  • Give daddy a hug.
  • Give a bunny kiss to mommy.
  • Walk backwards.
  • Clap and count to 10.
  • Peep like a chick.
  • Play ring-around-the-rosie.
  • Roll like an egg.

 

Yes, it was silly and ridiculous, but we had so much fun!!!

Other NON-CANDY EASTER EGG IDEAS:

  • Army men
  • Marbles
  • Puzzle pieces
  • Stickers
  • Crayons
  • A Prism
  • Coins
  • Beads
  • Play-dough (Recipe here.)
  • Fairy folk (DIY here.)
  • Shoelaces
  • Plastic figurines
  • Wooden Stamps
  • Jacks
  • Story Stones (DIY here.)
  • Buttons (and thread to make a necklace)
  • Mardi-Gras Beads
  • Miniature Tea Set
  • Rocks (like Jade, Obsidian, Pyrite, Quartz, etc.)
  • Dice
  • Erasers

 

 

 

You also might like these CRAZY COLORED EASTER EGGS

 

And this DIY SOCK BUNNY RABBIT! Enjoy!!!

Crazy Colored Easter Eggs

Last year was the first time we colored our Easter eggs in this fashion and oh my gosh, was it easy!!! These CRAZY COLORED EASTER EGGS are much cleaner and quicker to make than the traditional dyed Easter eggs! And aren’t they just beautiful???

 

 

Materials needed:

  • white eggs
  • pot with water
  • broken crayons
  • tin foil
  • large dish or pan
  • fork
  • tongs
  • glitter (optional)
  • towel for drying
  • parchment paper

First, put your eggs in the pot of water and on your stovetop to boil. I’ve always heard that 13 minutes is the magic number for perfectly cooked, hard-boiled eggs.

While your eggs cook, line your pan with tin foil. Also, prepare a place on your kitchen counter for your finished eggs…just a piece of parchment paper will do!

Make some crayon shavings, using a sharp knife. The more wild and beautiful your colors, the more wild and beautiful the eggs!

Sprinkle the crayon shavings on top of the tin foil and add glitter if you like too! You don’t need a whole lot of crayon shavings…less is really better to avoid big color mixtures turning the eggs into yucky shades of brown.

Once the eggs are cooked, use tongs to carefully move one egg at a time onto the towel to dry, and then into the pan of crayon shavings. Have your little one roll the egg around the shavings, pushing gently with the underside of a fork. Since the eggs are still very hot, the crayon shavings will melt immediately, painting the eggs!

 

 

 

 

After each egg is dyed, remove it with the tongs and lay it on the parchment paper to cool completely.  Repeat with the remaining eggs!

 

I just love our CRAZY COLORED EASTER EGGS!!! Beautiful!!! Enjoy!