After seeing some BEAUTIFUL speckled Easter eggs on the cover of this month’s Martha Stewart Living, I decided to try them out with the boys yesterday. While I love the way the project is described in the magazine, the boys and I are most definitely not Martha Stewart, so we decided to simplify the process to make it more kid-friendly!
Supplies for Speckled Easter Eggs
- Here’s what you will need to make your own speckled Easter Eggs:
- 1-2 dozen white eggs (I used jumbo eggs for a larger decorating area)
- White vinegar
- Food coloring
- Assorted dried beans (whichever kind you prefer)
- Popcorn kernels
- Rice
- Paper cups (one for each color)
- Newspaper
- Rubber gloves
- Foam board (1/2 inch thick)
- Push pins
- Pencil
- Ruler
Step by Step Instructions
To hard boil the eggs, place them in a large pot and cover them with about an inch of water. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. As soon as the water starts to boil, remove the pot from the heat and cover it. Allow the eggs to sit for 8-10 minutes before carefully removing them from the pot.
You need to decide whether or not you want to start with white or dyed Easter eggs. If you choose to dye them first, allow plenty of time for drying before you move onto speckling them or the colors will bleed together and look blurry instead of speckled. The pin board works great for drying after the initial dyeing process too!
To make the pin board, just use a pencil and ruler to create a grid with one inch squares on your foam board. Place a push pin at the intersections of the lines (see picture below).
Spread newspaper over your work surface, since we all know that kids and food dye can be a dangerous combination! I also suggest that everyone wear rubber gloves to prevent staining your skin.
When you’re ready to start, decide how many colors of speckles you want to use. Choose the appropriate number of cups and fill each cup half way with the dried beans, rice and popcorn (each in a separate cup). Add 10-15 drops of food coloring and stir the beans around to coat them all evenly. If you want to mix colors, just use the same number of drops but split between different colors. For example you might try 9 drops of red and 6 drops of blue to get a purple color.
Take your egg and gently place it in the cup of colored beans and roll it around to speckle all sides. You can also gently shake the cup, just be careful not to shake it too hard or you will crack the eggshell. Carefully remove the egg when you’re done and place it on the pin board to dry.
I love the way they turned out, and the boys had a lot of fun choosing the color combinations for the eggs and shaking them around in the cup!
Leave a Reply