Project

Dyed Wooden Easter Eggs

Spring has indeed, sprung! Celebrate Easter—and the end of a long winter—with easy, exuberant ideas that are sure to delight your rabbits both big and small.

Photography: Johnny Miller

Source: Martha Stewart

Introduction

Don’t miss out: Get Martha’s Guide to Easter Eggs—it’s the exclusive resource for tutorials, tips, and decorating ideas.

Don't be shell-shocked—these eggs are actually made of wood, and the pattern is its natural grain. Even more striking is the new-fashioned palette: warm, vibrant, and truly unexpected for Easter. Display them on a tray, wrap a few in twine, and slip in a fresh bud (they work nicely as individual place settings, too). Or suspend them from expansive flowering branches—these are quince. And here's an extra Good Thing: Make an Egg Drying Rack to prevent the dyed eggs' color from pooling and drying in an uneven fashion.

(Also pictured: Ochre Sable chair, in Quince, ochre.net. Vintage table, dienstanddotter.com. Swedish wooden bird, from $5.50, scandinavian-south.com)

For more ideas, scroll through our entire collection of Easter Eggs.

materials

Liquid fabric dye in various colors (Pictured: Rit Dye liquid fabric dye in Petal Pink, Tangerine, Taupe, Golden Yellow, Denim Blue, and Purple, $4.50 each, michaels.com)

Wooden eggs, in various sizes (Pictured: Woodworks Ltd. wooden robin eggs, 15/16 inch, $5 for 25, craftparts.com BestPysanky unfinished wooden egg ornaments, 2.75 inches, $10.25 for 12, bestpysanky.com)

Spoon

Bowl

Pushpin, thin waxed twine, and clear glue (optional)

steps

Dissolve liquid dye in 1 cup boiling water. To get our coral color, use 1 teaspoon Petal Pink, teaspoon Tangerine, and 1/4 teaspoon Taupe. To get our yellow, use teaspoon Golden Yellow and 1/4 teaspoon Taupe. To get our blue, use 1 teaspoon Denim Blue and 1/4 teaspoon Purple. To get our pink, use 1 teaspoon Petal Pink and teaspoon Taupe. To get our lilac, use 1/4 teaspoon Purple.
Add eggs to dye, moving constantly with a spoon so dye is absorbed evenly, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towels and let dry.
Optional: To make hanging ornaments, use pushpin to poke holes in tops of eggs. Cut twine to desired length, fold in half, and pinch tight. Dip folded tip in glue, and press into pinhole. Let dry, then knot ends of twine together.