Easy Easter Decorations

If you've got some extra veggies or fruits, you've got the basics for creating natural dyes for Easter eggs. Simmer foods such as beets, apple peels, carrots, red cabbage or red onion peels in a cup of water, then add a dash of vinegar to create your dye. Soak eggs from a few minutes to overnight for a range of colors. 

Hosting this year's Easter brunch? Spring flowers and dyed eggs make a striking centerpiece when grouped by color. To make the stripes on eggs, wrap with rubber bands when you dye them. For an extra-festive touch, tint the water in each vase with a drop or two of dye.

Hello, spring! Paper-mache eggs wrapped in colorful yarn make an eye-catching statement in wreath form. Create your own version with our easy how-to guide and video.

This decorating technique is easy enough for kids (or grandkids) to lead the way. Just brush washable tempera paint on boiled white eggs with a 1/2"-wide flat paintbrush.

Related: Easy Spring Decorating Ideas You'll Love

Egg place cards make a charming addition to your Easter table. Write or paint guests' names on eggs, or type names and print as a mirror image (in reverse) on rub-on paper and apply to eggs.

For your Easter table, dye fresh eggs in a few vibrant colors. Or decoupage papier-mâché egg forms using strips of cotton fabric and matte Mod Podge.

Build a "nest" on a vintage plate with floral trimmings or sprigs from the yard, then top with a bell cloche. Tip: To avoid condensation on the glass or eggs, place tiny adhesive Glue Dots under the rim of the cloche so air can circulate.

You can't go wrong with watercolors and eggs—the eggs will look beautiful no matter what you do. Try these basic decorating techniques:

Dotted: Dip a round sponge dauber in paint. Press and lift to make  polka dots. Mix different shades and sponge sizes.

Banded: Wet a flat brush and dip in paint. Brush up and down around the egg to form a wide stripe with jagged edges.

Marbled: Use a round brush to apply a base color. While it's wet, add another shade using a generous amount of water so the paints blend and swirl.

Give your Easter eggs extra dazzle with designs created from gold acrylic craft paint, a gold metallic-ink pad or a gold Sharpie paint marker. Use fine- or extra-fine-tip Sharpie markers to create freehand designs. For a stamped design, such as polka dots, dip a pencil eraser or foam stamp into craft paint or a metallic-ink pad, then press and lift. To create a dipped design, put gold acrylic craft paint in a small bowl and thin with water if needed. Put egg in halfway, remove and let excess paint drip off. Dry wet side up. For clean, sharp lines, apply painter's tape before dipping. If you want to preserve your eggs for future years, blow out the eggs before decorating.

Rinsed eggshells work as tiny bud vases or planters for mini succulents and ferns. Place in egg cups or group in an egg carton.

Reimagine the usual napkin-on-top place setting by tucking a jazzy linen between solid-color plates. Result: A graphic frame for a single, swooping radish.

Pretty egg ornaments hang from cherry blossom branches. We attached blown, dyed eggs to ribbon with quick-setting gel glue. Tie the ribbon ends in a knot and drape on spring branches.

Nothing says spring like a daffodil. Place one or two stems on your place setting and group others in a vase for a beautiful table that's perfect for Easter brunch.

Related: Make a Daffodil Kokedama to Enjoy This Spring

Create a miniature tabletop garden with 3D scrapbooking stickers. Just peel and stick, then display in egg cups!

Another idea? Cut one-inch strips of tissue paper, then adhere to eggs using Mod Podge as a base. Overlap strips to vary designs and colors. Seal with another coat of Mod Podge.

Ruffled bird's nest fern fronds from the florist form a fresh green bouquet. Single plant fronds of any type work just as well; bunch them to fill out the container and stand upright.

A tiered dessert stand shows off eggs displayed in woven craft nests. Accent with flowers, moss and greenery.

Place rubber bands around eggs before dipping in dye to create pretty linear designs.

Look for natural accents in your backyard to add to Easter eggs. Petals, leaves, feathers and even blades of grass add an earthy appeal to eggs. Paint a portion of the egg with matte Mod Podge, then place a thin natural object on the web surface. Smooth in place and apply another coat of Mod Podge on top.

Give Easter eggs more than a dye job using a colorful, patterned washi tape, a paperlike product that originated in Japan. (We ordered our perky pink and blue patterns from cutetape.com). Cut 1-inch and 1/2-inch pieces to create a patchwork effect, or snip thin strips to apply vertically. 

Stress-free taping For easy trimming, stick a piece of washi tape to a cutting mat. With a utility knife and ruler, cut to desired size and shape. Tape easily peels off the mat to stick to eggs.

Rinsed eggshells with just a tiny opening for fresh flowers and greenery pair nicely with dyed eggs in a carton.

To create this contemporary Easter centerpiece, we placed wheat grass in a galvanized metal tray and propped poppies on top using garden wire. White egg cups also hold wheatgrass and a place card.

Tissue paper and washi tape dress up plain white eggs in minutes. For the polka-dot eggs, use a hole punch to make tissue paper dots. Apply a glue stick to the egg, then adhere the dots. (To pick up dots, dampen your fingertip so dots will stick to it, then press them onto the egg.) To create the striped eggs, wrap with pieces of washi tape or patterned paper tape from a crafts store.