Yesterday I spent naptime dying Easter eggs. No, not because I don’t know when Easter is this year. I’ve seen so many methods on Pinterest I wanted to try them out and size them up next to the classic brands like Paas. And when I went to purchase my typical Paas dye, probably the only dye I’ve ever used, I saw a few others and purchased them as well. The more the merrier, right?
Here’s what I’m talking about…
Crazy, right? I blame you, Pinterest. And secondly, I blame everyone I follow who pinned another method for decorating eggs. Really, though, it was fun and I could easily go on some diet that requires the consumption of hard boiled eggs next week.
Let’s see how they stacked up…
Polka Dot Eggs
Kool-Aid Eggs
Cost and Materials: This method is very inexpensive, the pakcets of Kool-Aid are just 20 cents each and no vinegar is required.
You could use any number of colors but this is what I got from (L-R) Strawberry, Grape and Black Cherry. I left them in about 7 minutes to achieve this level of color. My kitchen smelled so good while I was dying these and I’ll take the fruity smell of Kool-Aid over the smell of vinegar anytime.
Inspiration: Hey! Jenn Renee
Dudley’s
Cost and Materials: Dye-Kit with cups, crayon, 5 colors and dipper $1.97 at Wal-Mart. You also have to add vinegar to this kit.
I really only bought this kit for the cups but I was pleasantly surprised at the results that came from it. The egg colors were much more vibrant than the other brands I was using and the cups were a bonus.
Paas
Cost and Materials: Dye-Kit comes with crayon, dipper, and plenty of other fun things like stickers and wrappers, along with 6 colors and 3 bonus neon colors. Cost $1.47
This has always been my go-to brand. You see it everywhere and most stores normally have a huge display of the kits. The colors weren’t quite as good as the Dudley’s kit and it doesn’t come with cups. However, you get tons of extras that kids would love to use to decorate their own eggs and make them more personalized.
Marbled
Cost and Materials: Dye, oil and vinegar. Would cost around $2.00
For these I used the Paas and Dudley’s dye to make things a little easier. I first dyed the eggs in the Paas dye and then added a little oil (less than a teaspoon) to each of the Dudley’s dye cups. After the eggs have a base color quickly dip them into the oil dye to create marbled affect. The more you dip it the more the second color will show up.
A few other tips:
- I cooked my eggs in the oven rather than boiling them on the stove. Just place eggs directly on the rack (put something underneath, just in case) and bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes. I was a little skeptical but I had Allen test it out and he promises it tastes just like a hard boiled egg.
- To make the colors in traditional dyes like Paas and Dudley’s more vibrant add a little more vinegar.
- To get the dye off of your hands when you are finished use dry dishwashing detergent. By the end my hands were a mess so I asked Allen to Google a solution and that’s what he came back with. I quickly broke open a dishwasher tab and scrubbed my hands, the dye came right off. And it actually exfoliated them nicely too.
So how will I decorate my eggs next weekend?
Oh and in case you were wondering I wasn’t paid or compensated by any of the companies or products in this post, all opinions are solely mine.
Crystal Renee says
I like the dots! Those eggs look GREAT!! I might do it too!!
The Buchanan Family says
I love the dots. we have the candy apple and a plain paas kit to do. Thanks for the tips!
Cajun Cowgirl says
The glue dots win? They are beautiful!
I get stuck in “tradition.” We always did it like this at my house so….
We’ll see. I think I might have bought a box of dye already so I’ll have to check.
Looks like you had fun in the process!
{annie_loo} says
Glue dots are sooooo cute! I do like the Dudleys too…I need to get on it. I haven’t even THOUGHT about dying easter eggs! OH SHEESH! Better run to Wally World! Thanks for the comparison!
Amber says
Thank you so much for this post! We are planning on doing eggs soon. I must admit the dots was really cute!
Ally Garner says
The Dudley’s & Candy Apple eggs are my favorite although I know I won’t go to all that trouble to paint a sheen with my nephews this weekend. They’re still the prettiest ones, imo though! Love this post – thanks for the tips!
Ashley W says
LOVE THIS!! Saves me from doing the research!! Where did you get the grass?? That is precious for the pictures! AR would have a fit over the polka dot eggs! We will of course have to dye eggs but we might try the polka dots as well!
Katy says
Love the polka dots! Thanks so much for sharing.. I will definitely be making those as well. I haven’t seen that. I am new to your blog and I already love it. We have a lot of similarities.. I live in Alabama, have a daughter and teach kindergarten in shelby county.. not sure where you teach but we have some mutual friends on fb. Small world.. I am actually taking a year off from teaching this year and you know the girl who is doing my leave of absence, Heather Posey. Crazy!! So glad I found your blog.. look forward to keeping up with you and your precious family!
Heather says
The Dudley’s are definitely more vibrant and caught my eye at first glance. I love the glue dot idea! I have several boxes from back when I had time to actually scrapbook. I also have some flocking…I wonder if that would work as well as the glitter? Hmmm…