Easter is just around the corner, which means it’s time for all the fun spring activities like decorating eggs and planning Easter egg hunts. However, with the high cost and current shortage of eggs, it might be difficult to get your hands on a couple dozen come Easter Sunday.
If you and your family look forward to Easter crafts but simply don’t have access or the budget for eggs this year, there are still plenty of alternatives to dyeing Easter eggs that everyone can enjoy.
With insights from some of the experienced crafting experts on the Good Housekeeping staff, we rounded up a list of other materials you can use to replace eggs this year, along with some other creative egg-related DIYs.
Paper Mâché Eggs
With paper mâché eggs, you can create all sorts of fun designs and decorations that look just like the real thing. This lightweight alternative is super easy to hand paint. Plus, you won’t have to worry about cracking them while crafting.
If you’re looking for a craft that doesn’t involve dyeing this year, try our tulip paper eggs. First, you’ll need some crepe paper. Paint your paper mâché eggs with craft paint so that it matches your paper. Then, cut flower petals from the paper, layering and cutting multiple sheets at once for efficiency.
Stretch the petals gently to add natural dimension and hot glue them to the base of the egg, overlapping to fill gaps. Wrap a length of floral wire with floral tape and insert one end of the wire through the bottom of the egg flower. Apply extra glue to secure it in place. Finally, attach green crepe paper leaves.
SHOP PAPER MACHE EGGS
Potato Dyed Eggs
With the increasing price of eggs, crafters are looking for new materials this Easter. Why not go for something of a similar shape and lower price? Once you put your dyed potatoes in an Easter basket, they look just like a bunch of extra-large dyed eggs. This blogger suggests using white or gold potatoes for the best results, but you can also consider baby potatoes if crafting with kids.
Get the tutorial at A Sparkle of Genius »
Paper Eggs
Ditch eggs all together and grab a pair of scissors and some construction paper. Whether you draw on eggs with markers or crayons or decide to paint them with watercolors, paper eggs are an easy way to get in the Easter spirit with little crafting supplies.
Wooden Eggs
Decorate wooden eggs with dye, paint, markers, stickers or any of your other favorite crafting supplies. Don’t want to get your hands dirty? No problem! Our wooden balloon dipped eggs are super simple to DIY without any mess — and they’re great for kids since they can’t break.
To achieve this look, all you have to do is choose your favorite color balloon, cut off the end (we suggest using a 9-inch balloon) and slip it onto a wooden egg. This dye-free — and egg-free — alternative looks like a real dip dyed egg.
SHOP WOODEN EGGS
Ceramic Eggs
Ceramic eggs are probably the closest you’ll get to natural eggs, mostly because they crack just like the real thing. You can purchase plain white ceramic eggs or colored ceramic eggs like the ones pictured. Regardless of what you choose, you’ll be able to decorate or dye these eggs just as you normally would.
SHOP CERAMIC EGGS
Painted Egg Rocks
Why not craft with materials you can find right in your backyard? Hunt for rocks that are just the right shape, paint them with your favorite colors and patterns and use them to decorate around the house.
Laura Millar (she/her) is the assistant lifestyle editor for Good Housekeeping, where she covers home design. Prior to joining Good Housekeeping in 2024, she wrote for NBC’s TODAY.com, where she covered everything from entertainment news to pop culture updates.
