Eggs aren't the only thing you can dye for Easter! If eggs are in short supply or you just need a little variety in your Easter traditions, you've got so many options. From wearable art to gorgeous decor, we promise you'll be dying to try these egg alternatives this year.
Easter-Colored Carnations
Combine science and art with this fun flower-dying project. It's super easy and makes a great Easter activity with kids.
- Buy lots of white carnations.
- Mix a few drops of food coloring with water in several jars or glass containers.
- Put one or more carnations in each container and leave overnight. In the morning, the flowers will have sucked up the colored water.
Tie-Dyed Clothing
Instead of dying eggs, make wearable art this year! Pick up a tie-dye kit and create your own Easter looks. We love the idea of dying anything white, including socks, t-shirts, and even shoes. It's even fun to do dresses or button-down shirts to wear for the holiday.
Keep in mind, tie-dying is messy. Wear old clothes and protect your work area, especially when doing this project with kids. Even better, take the fun outside.
Napkins for Easter Dinner
Easter dinner is a big deal, and it's fun to set a pretty table for it. It's even cooler if you dye the napkins yourself. Start with plain white cotton napkins that you've pre-washed. You can tie-dye them or use Rit fabric dye to create an ombre or shaded effect. Just hold parts of the napkin in the dye for longer than others to vary the tone.
Related: 10 Ways to Manage When Eggs Are Scarce & Egg-Stra Expensive
Wooden Eggs Instead of Real Eggs
You don't have to use real eggs to make Easter eggs. We love the idea of doing the Ukrainian art of Pysanka, which involves writing on the egg with wax before dying it. Start with unfinished wood eggs and use white crayon or candle wax to create your designs. Then, soak the eggs in Rit dye or wood stain until they reach the color you want. What's great about this egg-dying alternative is that you can keep the eggs for years to come.
Dyed Easter Cookies
Take your cookie game to the next level by painting on food dye. This is a fun (and delicious) Easter craft that's really easy to do. Simply buy or make sugar cookies and frost them with white icing. When the icing is dry, dip a paint brush in the food dye and create your masterpiece.
Custom Dyed Pet Bandana
Tie-dyed clothing isn't just for people. Give your pet a whole new Easter look (or lots of looks) by making custom pet bandanas. You can start with any plain white cotton fabric. Just tie-dye it in pastel shades for the prettiest pooch on the block.
Dyed Easter Basket
This year, instead of eggs, why not dye the whole basket? You can use any wicker basket. You'll also need Rit dye, water, something to mix it in, and foam brushes.
- Simply mix up some Rit dye in your favorite color (or a bunch of colors). You'll want a ratio of about three parts water to one part dye.
- Use the foam brush to apply the dye to the wicker. Let it soak in.
- To make sure your Easter basket stays vibrant, it's good to spray it with a dye fixative.
- Let the basket dry overnight, and wait for the Easter Bunny!
Easter-Colored Wine Corks
If you're like us, you don't like throwing away wine corks. They're so perfect for craft projects! This year, break out your stash of wine corks and dye them different colors with food coloring. You can display them in a glass bowl or string them together to make fun Easter garlands (or even a cork-beaded curtain).
Tote Bags for Easter Goodies
There's nothing wrong with the classic Easter basket, but it's fun to make something you can use year-round. Grab some plain white cotton tote bags and go to town with the fabric dye or a tie-dye kit. You can even use these for grocery shopping.
When you're dying fabric, you should always pre-wash it. This gets rid of any starch or other coatings on the fabric and lets it accept the dye better.
Temporarily Dyed Hair
Get the ultimate Easter look this year with something totally unexpected: dye your hair instead of eggs. You can use temporary, washable hair dye to create all kinds of cool pastel looks that will be perfect for the holiday. Choose a dye that will wash out so you can experiment without worry.
Have an Egg-Stra Good Time
No matter which of these egg-dying alternatives you choose, you're bound to have an egg-stra good time. You may even want to combine more than one of these projects and make a whole day of dying things for Easter.
