Dyed Wooden Egg Ornaments ~ An Easter Craft Tutorial

It's never too early to dye eggs! Join us in creating a cheerful set of dyed wooden egg ornaments to enjoy year after year. Embellished with velvet flowers and leaves plus Dresden foils and die-cut scraps, these layered beauties can be customized to compliment just about any bunny's decor. The idea: simple. The results: stunning. Let's get started!

Supplies:

Wooden Eggs

Velvet Leaves, Velvet Flower Pieces

Narrow Dresden Borders

Dresden Stars, Flowers, Chicks, Bunnies, Bows

Scraps with Small Easter Images and/or Flowers

1/8" Velvet Ribbon

Clear Drying Craft Glue like Alleen's

Scissors

Dye (we used Rit All-Purpose Liquid dye in Golden Yellow, Teal, Purple, and Denim Blue)

Small Cups or Jars (empty jam jars work great), Hot Water, Cool Water, Small Bowl

Paper Towels, Popsicle Sticks or Skewers, Gloves

Step 1: Prepare Dye

Heat water to 140 degrees. Prepare dye baths in small cups. For saturated color add 1 teaspoon dye to 1 cup water; for a less-pigmented look add 1/4 teaspoon to 1 cup water. Stir with a popsicle stick and set aside. Add clear water to a small bowl.

Step 2: Dye Eggs

Wearing gloves, add one wooden egg to the dye. Keep it moving with a popsicle stick or skewer for even color. Keep in dye for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on dye color and desired result. Remove from dye and rinse in the clear water bath. Gently shake off excess water then let dry on paper towels. Repeat for other eggs. Let eggs dry completely (we let ours dry 8-12 hours).

Step 3: Add Dresden Borders

Glue a narrow Dresden border along the entire edge of the egg. It takes about 6-5/8" of trim to go all the way around the egg. Make sure border is positioned closely against the edge by using a Q-tip to smooth a thin bead of glue before applying border. Let dry.

Gold and silver borders look beautiful with any color egg while colorful borders let you create a cohesive color scheme or add an accent that stands out. A few of our favorite border + egg combos are shown above right.

Step 4: Embellish with Scraps, Dresdens, Flowers and Leaves

A simple embellishment looks just as good as a complex one. Let's explore both.

A simple style, above left, includes just a scrap and a Dresden: Glue a bunny scrap to egg, then glue small Dresden bow just below the scrap with a slight overlap for layered interest. Let dry.

A complex style, above right and below, includes a scrap, various Dresden pieces and velvet flowers: Glue Dresden flourish and medallion to egg. Glue Dresden flower over flourish and glue butterfly scrap over medallion. Glue velvet flowers in a cluster of 3 near top of egg leaving hole free for hanger and glue one velvet flower over Dresden flower. Glue tiny Dresden flowers at centers of velvet flowers. Let dry.

Step 5: Add A Ribbon Hanger

Cut a 9-1/2" long piece of velvet ribbon. Thread through hole, bring ends together, tie a knot and trim ends as needed.

Variations:

From simple to elaborate, here are a dozen eggs to inspire and guide you with links to specific supplies used. Some are heavy on the layering, some are simple while others are elaborate, and some have a distinct color theme; but all can easily be customized by mixing up colors and embellishments.

From left to right:

Teal Bunny Egg -- Egg LCW-005 + Dresden medallion DFW749 in aqua + bow DFW7077 in antique gold + 6 velvet flowers VB100-AQ in aqua + 6 tiny flowers DFW278 in antique gold + bunny scrap from sheet S7292 + 1/8" velvet ribbon for hanger in soft aqua + Dresden border DFW0 in antique gold along edge of egg.

Yellow Bunny Egg -- Egg LCW-005 + bunny scrap from sheet S7174 + Dresden bow DFW7077 in antique gold + 1/8" velvet ribbon for hanger in medium blue + Dresden border DFW0 in antique gold along edge of egg.

Purple Chick Egg -- Egg LCW-005 + chick scrap from sheet S7222 + 1 tiny Dresden flower DFW278 in antique gold + bow DFW7077 in antique gold + 1 velvet flower VB114-W in white + 1/8" velvet ribbon for hanger in light yellow + Dresden border DFW0 in antique gold along edge of egg.

Blue Chick Egg -- Egg LCW-005 + chick scrap from sheet S7222 + 1 tiny Dresden flower DFW278 in antique gold + bow DFW7077 in antique gold + 1 velvet flower VB114-W in white + 1/8" velvet ribbon for hanger in apricot orange + Dresden border DFW0 in antique gold along edge of egg.

Purple Chick Egg -- Egg LCW-005 + Dresden chick DF8520 in light green + bow DFW7077 in antique gold + 2 green velvet leaves NLC129-MX + 1 velvet flower VB115-Y in yellow + 1 tiny Dresden flower DFW278 in antique gold + 1/8" velvet ribbon for hanger in light yellow + Dresden border DFW0 in antique gold along edge of egg.

Yellow Chick Egg -- Egg LCW-004 + Dresden chick DF8520 in silver + bow DFW7077 in antique gold + 2 coral velvet leaves NLC129-MX + 1 velvet flower VB115-Y in yellow + 1 tiny Dresden flower DFW278 in antique gold + 1/8" velvet ribbon for hanger in apricot orange + Dresden border DFW0 in antique gold along edge of egg.

Blue Bunny Egg -- Egg LCW-004 + Dresden medallion DFW749 in light blue + bunny DF8253 in light purple + bow DFW7077 in silver + 2 purple velvet leaves NLC129-MX + Dresden flower DF7104 in gold + 1 velvet flower VB105-LBL in light blue + 1 tiny Dresden flower DFW278 in steel blue + 1/8" velvet ribbon for hanger in cornflower + Dresden border DFW214 in light purple along edge of egg.

Purple Bunny Egg -- Egg LCW-004 + bunny scrap from sheet S7292 + bow DFW7077 in antique gold + 2 magenta velvet leaves NLC129-MX + Dresden flower DF7104 in gold + 1 velvet flower VB114-W in white + 1 tiny Dresden flower DFW278 in antique gold + 1/8" velvet ribbon for hanger in soft peach + Dresden border DFW214 in light purple along edge of egg.

Yellow Butterfly Egg -- Egg LCW-005 + Dresden medallion DFW749 in antique gold + flourish DF300 in light purple + Dresden flower DF7104 in gold + butterfly scrap from sheet S7444 + 4 velvet flowers VB111-PKB in peacock blue + 4 tiny Dresden flowers DFW278 in antique gold + 1/8" velvet ribbon for hanger in ultramarine + Dresden border DFW0 in antique gold along edge of egg.

Teal Floral Egg -- Egg LCW-004 + flower scrap from sheet S7345 + 3 velvet flowers VB115-Y in yellow + 3 tiny Dresden flowers DFW278 in antique gold + 1/8" velvet ribbon for hanger in bright yellow + Dresden border DFW214 in light green along edge of egg.

Blue Floral Egg -- Egg LCW-005 + flower scrap from sheet S7345 + 1 velvet flower VB114-W in white + 1 tiny Dresden flower DFW278 in antique gold + 1 purple velvet leaf NLC129-MX + 1/8" velvet ribbon for hanger in soft aqua + Dresden border DFW214 in light purple along edge of egg.

Yellow Floral Egg -- Egg LCW-005 + flower scrap from sheet S7345 + 2 velvet flowers VB114-W in white + 2 tiny Dresden flowers DFW278 in antique gold + Dresden bunny DF8253 in light purple + bow DFW7077 in antique gold + 1/8" velvet ribbon for hanger in spring green + Dresden border DFW214 in light green along edge of egg.

Tips:

-- Layering is the key to added interest: it creates dimension that draws the eye in.

-- Keep to a specific color theme like the aqua bunny egg, very top left, for an elegant tonal look. Or mix colors like the yellow floral egg, above far right, for a complex and complimentary result.

-- We embellished one side of our eggs but don't hesitate to do both front and back for a little extra detail.

-- Try your layout before glueing anything down. Small pieces can be adjusted with a toothpick to perfect positioning.

-- Dyeing the eggs has a lot of benefits: even coverage with no blocking of details, quick and customizable colors, visible "wood" characteristics like grain and slight variations. We used colors straight from the bottle, but don't be afraid to mix . The Rit Dye website is a fantastic resource for color ideas complete with mixing formulas to achieve gorgeous hues.

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