Marbleized Easter Eggs with Oil, Vinegar and Food Coloring

This is one of the coolest ways to dye Easter Eggs.  All you need are eggs, olive oil, vinegar, and food coloring. The process is easy: you just dip your eggs in food coloring and water to dye them, and then dip them again in an oil and colored water solution to marble them. It’s so simple, and the effect is gorgeous!

How To Make Marbled Easter Eggs:

Supplies

Eggs (For a longer lasting craft, you can also blow your eggs out first – see instructions below)

Food coloring (Icing gels are the most vibrant, but liquid coloring works too)

Olive oil

Vinegar

Water

A small drinking glass and a few small bowls

A cooling rack

Wooden skewer (this is optional – you could just use a spoon or fork for handling your eggs)

First, you need to decide if you’re using whole eggs or hollow eggs (so they can be preserved).  If you’re using hollow eggs, you need to blow out the insides.

Use a thumbtack to poke a hole in each end of your egg.  Poke a wooden skewer into the holes to make them a little larger.

Next, holding the egg over a bowl, blow into one of the holes, forcing the white of the egg and the yolk out the other end.  This can be a real work-out for your lips and cheeks.  If you have trouble blowing the yolk and egg white out, use the skewer to make your holes a bit bigger.

When your eggs have been completely emptied, give them a rinse, and dry them gently.

Now you’re ready to color your eggs!

Step 1. Dying Your Eggs A Solid Color:

Before you marbleize your eggs, you must first dye them a solid color. In a small drinking glass, mix 1 cup of very hot water with some food coloring and 1 tsp of vinegar.

If you’re using liquid coloring, start with about 10 drops of your desired color. You can always add more while your eggs are soaking. If you’re using icing gels, scoop a small dollop of gel with a toothpick, and stir that into the water until it dissolves.

Now, submerge an egg into the colored water. Use the wooden skewer to keep the egg under the water. If you blew them out, just stick the skewer into one of the holes, gently push the egg to the bottom of the glass and hold it there for several minutes.

When you’re happy with the color of your egg, remove it from the water, and set it on the cooling rack to dry for 10 minutes or so. When all your eggs have been dyed a solid color, you can move on to the marbleizing process.

Step 2. How To Marbleize Your Eggs:

To marbleize your eggs, fill a small bowl or container with about an inch of fresh water.

Choose the color that you want to marble your egg with.  You’ll want this color to be darker than the solid color of your egg. Stir in a generous amount of this second color.  Don’t skimp here.  The water should be much darker than it was for your first round of coloring.

Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to the water, and gently stir to create swirls and bubbles on top of the water.

Now, place a colored egg into the oily water.  Roll the egg around in the water, holding it in place for a few seconds here and there to allow the egg to absorb some of this second color. The longer you roll your egg around in the oil, the more marbled your eggs will be.

Remove your beautiful, marbled egg from the water, and place it on a drying rack. You can repeat this process in as many colors of oil/colored water as you like. To finish, wipe each egg gently with a paper towel to remove any excess oil.

Place them in a bowl or a glass vase and display your gorgeous marbleized eggs for Easter!