Fun and Funky Easter Egg Decorations

School holidays start this week and with a week to fill in before Easter, these fun ideas will keep kids and grown-ups alike busy and happy until the Easter Bunny visits.

Dyeing eggs is a fun way to create family memories. But why not make those memories especially unique with some funky egg decorating techniques? Here are some ideas.

Striped Eggs

Here's a way to use up spare rubber bands and rubber bands that are thick and thin. For white stripes, put rubber bands on the eggs before dyeing. For coloured stripes, put the rubber bands on an egg that's already dyed in the colour you want the stripes. You can also do this before painting the eggs rather than dyeing them.

Snowy Eggs

For a really funky effect, break out the Epsom salts (available from supermarkets and chemists). What you are basically going to do is coat boiled eggs in PVA glue, and then roll them in Epsom salt. Here are some variations on this basic idea:

* Use un-dyed white eggs for a really snowball-like effect.

* Place Epsom salts in a jar; add a few drops of food colouring, cap the jar, and shake vigorously until the salt crystals are evenly coloured. Then roll coloured or white eggs in the coloured salt.

* Dye the eggs first, the roll in white or coloured salt.

Beaded Eggs

Coat boiled eggs in glue and roll them in tiny seed beads. You can do separate colours or a mix of colours. If you like, paint designs on the eggs with the glue and a small brush, then dip the eggs into the beads. The beads will only stick where you have the design. Seed beads come in a huge range of colours and are available at $2 type shops and craft shops. You can also hunt through the jewellery in Op Shops and take any beads you find off the strings or wires and use them for this craft.

Decoupage

Use cut-up magazines, old stamps, tissue paper, or any thin, pretty paper designs. Apply decoupage medium (or slightly watered-down PVA glue) to the egg where you want to paste the piece of paper; lay the piece of paper over the decoupage medium and then brush over it with more medium. You are working with a small surface so use small pieces of paper and they will fit around the curves of the egg easily.

Melted Wax

When eggs are just finished being boiled, they are obviously very hot. Adults can take the hot eggs and place them in egg cartons, on stiff paper rings, or on a bottle cap to dry. As soon as the egg is dry but still hot, children can gently colour them with crayons. The hot eggshell melts the wax and creates fascinating effects, and little fingers won't get burned if the egg is set into a stand.

A variation on this is to place crayon shavings on a paper plate. Adults can take a hot, dry egg and place it in the plate of shavings. Children can pinch up bits of shavings and sprinkle them over the egg or very gently roll the egg in the shavings. The adult can then remove the egg to a stand to cool.

Make sure the eggs you use are hard boiled. Keep your decorated eggs in the fridge until you are ready to use them for breakfast or an egg and spoon race or as a table centrepiece over Easter.