As you know Easter was last weekend, so this post will actually not be useful to anyone for approximately 381 days- but I don’t really care because I don’t blog for money or anything, and I took nice pictures and if I don’t write down what I did I will surely forget. I’ll try to remember to re-post this in a more timely manner next year. Until then… allow me to “resurrect” the Easter spirit (ba-dam-cha.) I’m here all week, folks.

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I like Easter because it was my grandmother’s favorite holiday, so it always makes me think of her and brings up many fond memories. Also, because there’s nothing more fun than dying eggs and hiding/finding them with nieces and nephews! And finally, because I get to eat lots of ham and cheezy potatoes. So in that spirit, here is a roundup of some of my favorite and most Easterrific ideas… enjoy!

Last year I cut up some old neckties from a thrift store and made these gorgeous silk-dyed eggs… a stunning result from a surprisingly simple project!

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Apparently, marshmallow peeps have become their very own art medium. Here is an exhaustive list of peeps-related weblinks, which includes things like porno peeps, how to make your own peeps (why?!), the best way to use peeps as fishing bait, peeps performing scenes from Shakespeare, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings (er, Lord of the Peeps), and much, much more.

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Last Easter I made these pretty marbled pink eggs, but this year I was inspired to try silk-dyed eggs. They turned out more gorgeous than I expected!

To make them, you wrap eggs in patterned silk (thrift store rejects) and then in plain fabric (I cut up an old t-shirt) then tie them tightly with string. It’s important to get as tight a wrap as possible for good results. They look funny and cute all wrapped up and ready to go!

A couple of notes: you must use 100% silk fabric. I used silk neckties I bought from our local thrift store and was able to dye 2 eggs with each necktie. The only downside to the thrift store ties: when you pour out the water at the end, it smells like thrift store for a minute or two! You could also use a tie that had an irreparable stain, or an old silk shirt. I was tempted to buy one of those sandwashed silk shirts that were so popular in the 90s, since there were quite a few to choose from, but I wasn’t sure if washed silk would work, so I stuck with the ties. I was really happy with how they turned out!

Here are the ties I used. Some of the colors that came out were surprising. For example, the dark green and tan tie made eggs that had all different shades of light blue, green, and yellow. Overall the vibrant colored ties came out more dramatic, but I like the softer colors as well. Some of the eggs came out with fine-grain patterns that weren’t discernible on the ties, which was neat.

To make your own…

• Cut pieces of silk large enough to wrap around an egg.
• Wrap the egg with the silk, printed side touching the egg. Tie tightly with a piece of string.
• Add a piece of white cotton scrap material around the egg. Tie tightly with a piece of string.
• Put eggs in a non-metal pot (glass or enamel, like Le Creuset.) Cover the eggs completely with water and add 3 tablespoons vinegar.
• Bring water to a boil, turn down the heat to low, and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
• Remove eggs from hot water and let cool. Once cool, carefully remove the fabric from the egg and set out to dry on a rack.

A note: because they have to cook so long to let the silk dye come out, they don’t make the best eating eggs… but my uncle Paul usually doesn’t mind them overcooked. Happy Easter!

UPDATE: I thought you might enjoy seeing some more of these eggs. I’ll keep adding links to photos of other people’s silk-dyed eggs-periments! (Couldn’t resist. Sorry!) Let me know if you make them and I’ll link to you!

City Mouse in a Country House used some Christian Dior scarves and some ugly ties to make these gorgeous eggs.