Continuing from where I left yesterday...

1. Wash all eggs well and dry off with a paper towel.

2. Carefully, (and I suggest only adults do this) poke a small hole in each end of the raw egg.

3. Over a bowl, hold the egg and blow into one of the holes you just made. The raw yolk should slowly come out from the other hole. Sometimes this can be easy and sometimes it can be hard.

4. Once the egg is empty gently rinse it off again and towel dry. Place the raw eggshells in a safe place where they cannot get broken. I suggest placing them in the egg carton they originally came from.

Keeping Things Clean -
Now that your eggs are ready, you need to set up a station where you can decorate them. Here are some starter tips for you to get ready to hop into your decorating mode.

- Think about setting up your table outside, if weather permits. That way the kids and adults can be as messy as they want to be.

- Cover the table with plenty of newspaper so cleaning will be less work than it needs to be.

- Remember to hold on to all the empty egg cartons so when it comes time to place the painted eggs somewhere to dry you can use these. Just rip off the top of the carton and flip the bottom of the carton that actually holds the eggs in its place. More than likely some of the dye will drip from the bottom of the painted egg onto the carton so just use caution when picking them up.

- Make sure all eggs are completely dry before handling them.

Now for the fun part..... Decorating!

Anyone can find Easter egg decorating kits at party stores, kid’s toy stores and even grocery stores but if you want to save some money, below is an easy recipe to make Old Fashioned Egg Dye for your Easter eggs.

Old Fashion Egg Dye Ingredients

1/2 C. boiling water
1 tsp. vinegar
Food coloring

Directions

• Combine boiling water, vinegar and the specified number of drops of food color to achieve desired colors. Dip hard cooked eggs in dye for about 5 minutes or until desired color.
• For variety, try dipping the top half in one color and the bottom half in another; or leaving the egg in the dye for different lengths of time, creating different shades of a particular color. Use a slotted spoon or tongs to add or remove eggs from dye.

Following are some color combinations to create a vivid palette of colors for your Easter eggs:

Lime - 24 yellow, 4 green
Purple - 15 blue, 5 red
Cantaloupe - 24 yellow, 2 red
Jade - 17 green, 3 blue
Plum - 10 red, 4 blue
Spearmint - 12 green, 6 yellow, 2 blue
Raspberry - 14 red, 6 blue
Maize - 24 yellow, 1 red
Watermelon - 25 red, 2 blue
Teal - 15 green, 5 blue
Grape - 17 blue, 3 red
Fuchsia - 18 red, 2 blue
Orange Sunset - 17 yellow, 3 red
Jungle Green - 14 green, 6 yellow

Have a wonderful Easter and keep your eyes out for the Easter Bunny!

Labels: How to Decorate The Perfect Easter Egg - II