Dyeing Easter Eggs By Marbleizing Them

Marbleizing eggs was an idea I got from an article in Martha Stewart's Living Magazine a few years ago. Dyeing eggs this way creates an unique look to each egg. Not to mention, it is a lot of fun and messy. 

Here is what you need:

• food coloring (I use McCormick's)
• vinegar
• water
• cups to put the dye in
• shallow pie plates or pans to put the dye in
• empty egg cartons
• olive oil
• big spoon
• hard boiled eggs

First thing to do is to prepare the dye by following the directions on the food coloring box. I prepare the dye in cups and in the shallow dishes. The marbleizing will work best if you put lighter colors in the cups to dye the eggs in first, then use darker colors in the shallow dishes in which to do the marbleizing with. If you want to create all kinds of different shade this chart from McCormick is a good tool to have on hand. To the prepared dye in the shallow dishes, add 1 Tbsp of olive oil and swirl.

Now that you have everything prepared, start dropping the eggs in the lighter dyes in the cups first. If you are working with little kids, a whisk is a great tool to use to help them dye the eggs. Place the egg in the middle of the whisk and dip into the dye. Older kids can work with big spoons. (When we were dyeing these eggs, we also were using the rubber band method.)

When the egg is the shade you want it to be, remove it from the dye and place in an empty egg carton to dry a little before moving on to the marbleizing step. 

Once the egg has a chance to dry a little, it is time to roll it in the oily dye. Use a fork to swirl the oil around, then roll the egg in the oily dye. Place it once again in an empty egg carton to dry. 

Before placing the eggs in a basket or a bowl, use an old rag to wipe them down. Another thing about dyeing eggs this way is that the colors get richer with time. 

 
This is a simply fun interesting way to dye eggs! Give it a try and let me know what you think!