Of course! Decorating Easter eggshells (the hollowed-out ones) is a fantastic and creative craft. Since they’re fragile but permanent, you can get really artistic with them. Here is a collection of ideas, from simple and kid-friendly to intricate and elegant.

First, The Essential Prep: How to Hollow Eggs

You’ll need hollow eggs for most of these ideas. Here’s the quick method:

1. Poke holes: Using a sharp pin or needle, poke a small hole in the top (narrow end) and a slightly larger hole in the bottom of a raw egg.

2. Widen the hole: Gently wiggle the needle to make the bottom hole about 1/4 inch wide.

3. Blow out contents: Hold the egg over a bowl. Put your mouth to the top hole and blow firmly until the egg contents come out the bottom hole into the bowl. (Use those eggs for scrambling!)

4. Rinse and dry: Rinse the empty shell under cool running water, shaking it gently to clean the inside. Let it dry completely.

Decorating Ideas by Theme & Technique

1. For Kids & Quick Projects

• Drippy Glue Eggs: Use white school glue to draw patterns (dots, zigzags, hearts) on the egg. Immediately sprinkle with colored salt (make your own by mixing salt with liquid food coloring and letting it dry) or glitter. Shake off the excess once the glue is dry.

• Washi Tape Eggs: This is mess-free! Use beautiful washi tapes to create stripes, geometric shapes, or just cover the egg in a cool pattern. Perfect for little hands.

• Sticker Resist: Place small stickers (stars, dots, letters) on the egg. Paint over the entire egg with watercolor or thin acrylic paint. Once dry, carefully peel off the stickers to reveal the clean white shell underneath.

• Funny Faces: Use a permanent marker to draw silly faces. Glue on small googly eyes for a 3D effect. You can also glue on yarn for hair.

2. Natural & Botanical

• Leaf & Flower Imprints: Collect small, flat leaves and flowers (like clover or pansy petals). Brush a thin layer of white glue or Mod Podge onto the shell. Gently press the leaf or petal onto the glue. Once it’s secured, carefully paint over the entire egg (including the leaf) with a contrasting color of thin acrylic paint. Let it dry completely and then gently peel off the leaf to reveal a beautiful botanical print.

• Dyed with Natural Dyes: For a soft, earthy look, dye your eggs with ingredients from your kitchen.

  • Yellow/Orange: Turmeric

  • Pink/Red: Beet juice

  • Blue/Purple: Red cabbage

  • Brown: Coffee or black tea

• Twine Wrapped: Coat the egg in a thin layer of Mod Podge or craft glue and carefully wrap jute twine or colorful embroidery floss around it.

3. Elegant & Artistic

• Decoupage: Cut out tiny patterns from napkins (use the top, patterned layer only), tissue paper, or magazine pages. Use a brush to apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to the egg, place the paper on top, and then seal it with another layer of Mod Podge on top. This creates a beautiful, seamless look.

• Metallic Accents: Paint the egg a solid, dark color like navy, black, or deep purple. Once dry, use a gold or silver leafing pen (or a fine brush with metallic paint) to draw intricate patterns, constellations, or Art Deco designs.

• Ombre Dip: Mix a small cup of dye. Dip the bottom 3/4 of the egg and hold for 30 seconds. Lift it slightly, so only the bottom half is in for another 30 sec. Lift again so only the tip is in. This creates a beautiful gradient effect.

• Porcelain/Crackled: Paint the egg with a base color and let it dry. Then, brush on a layer of “crackle” medium. Once tacky, paint a top coat in a contrasting color. As it dries, it will crackle, revealing the base color underneath. Seal with a clear varnish.

4. Themed & Whimsical

• Galaxy Eggs: Paint the entire egg black. Once dry, use a small piece of sponge to dab on deep blues, purples, and a little magenta. Finally, use a fine brush or a toothbrush to spatter tiny white dots for stars.

• Animal Eggs: Turn your egg into a little animal!

  • Bunny: Glue on pink felt for the inside of ears, white paper for the outside. Draw a face.

  • Ladybug: Paint red with black dots.

  • Chick: Paint yellow, add orange paper beak and feet, and glue on feathers.

• “Geode” Eggs: This is a stunning advanced project. Carefully crack a section of the eggshell (but keep it attached). Paint the inside of the crack and the area around it with glue. Generously cover with crushed aluminum foil, iridescent glass beads, or chunky glitter in amethyst, quartz, or geode colors.

Pro Tips for Success:

• Work with a stand: An egg carton, a lump of Play-Doh, or a store-bought egg holder makes decorating much easier.

• Seal it: If you’ve used paint, glitter, or anything that might chip, a light spray of clear acrylic sealer will protect your masterpiece.

• Embrace the fragility: If an egg cracks, don’t despair! You can turn it into a “cracked geode” design or use the pieces for mosaic art.