Dozen-It Look Dye-u-tee-ful!?

First of all, mad props to my mom for coming up with the catchy title of this post! #nailedit 

When my sisters and I were little, dyeing eggs was the highlight of the week leading up to Easter. We would get your typical store bought kit and dunk those eggs with the wire ladle until our fingertips matched the dye. We'd lay them on top of the little cardboard stands to dry, and then further decorate with stickers, glitter etc. Now that I have the boys, I get to relive those same memories but through their eyes.

These days there are so many ways to dye eggs. You can do the traditional PAAS kit, you can use veggie skins like yellow onions or red cabbage for color, how about tissue paper cutouts and mod podge, or you can try this method: shaving cream! 

This method is great for kids who really want to get their hands dirty ;)

So for this particular craft, you'll want to make sure that you cover your table linens with a grocery bag, or large garbage bag. The mixture of the shaving cream and food dye will dye your linens and no one wants marbled linen. Am I right? Or if the weather is nice enough, go for it outside on the concrete - super easy clean up too. 

Let me start by saying I tried this years ago when the boys were in preschool. I didn't think ahead to protect our hands, so we had multi-colored hands and fingers for a couple weeks! The disposable latex (or latex-free if you have an allergy to latex) gloves are a life saver for this project. I bought super cheap shaving cream circa 1979, a dozen eggs, and food dye.

First, fill a baking dish with about 1 1/2 inches of shaving cream. Next, place 2 drops dye of your choice, in random spots, on top of the shaving cream. Then take a toothpick or fork and drag through the shaving cream until you get the desired look. 

You'll want to place your egg in the shaving cream/dye mixture (*make sure your gloves are on!!) and gently roll it until fully covered. Then place your egg on a cookie rack to dry for a solid 20 mins or more. I placed wax paper on top of my cookie rack. Makes clean up that much more simple.

After the eggs have dried, take a paper towel (put those gloves back on) and gently wipe off the excess shaving cream. 

Place eggs in a basket with grass, raffia, or the stuffing of your choice and display your marbled eggs proudly! 

I think Peter Rabbit approves ;)

My boys had a great time doing this today and I'm positive your kiddos will as well! I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter with family and friends.

Creatively Yours,
NorCal Contessa