Price Of Eggs Got You Down? Try These 12 Egg-Cellent Crafts Instead For Easter

The bird-flu has pushed egg prices to record highs, and has consumers worried about potential shortages. Food shortages are never good news, but with stores clamping down on how many eggs individuals can buy, it's hard to make a case for dyeing Easter eggs this year. We can't blame you if you're rethinking your family's Easter traditions. If you don't want — or can't afford — to hard-boil and dye a dozen or more increasingly expensive eggs, there are plenty of other crafts to keep you busy this Easter season, like painting various egg-shaped items and creating holiday-themed home decor.

Dyeing eggs goes way back, as far back as ancient Mesopotamia. Christians dyed the food staple after Easter and the tradition slowly made its way to Europe and beyond. For many people, the custom of dyeing the eggs is just as important as the game of hiding and finding them. So, if you still want to sit around the kitchen table and crank out some Easter-themed crafts, we have 12 great ideas to keep you busy — and at least one involves dyeing an edible treat.

Washable window paints are a great activity for this holiday season. Whether it's a simple Easter egg, cute little bunnies and chicks, or a seasonal spring-time holiday scene, your creativity is the only limit when it comes to painting sun-catching Easter decor. To make things even easier, you can use an outline or stencil on the window pane and fill it in with paint to create the decorations.

Painting rocks is a fun, family-friendly activity for any time of year, but if you can find some vaguely oval-shaped rocks, it will be the perfect craft to take your mind off the missing Easter eggs. Plus, if there's already paint hanging around the house and some rocks outside the door, this craft has the added benefit of being basically free.

What's easier than cutting paper into the shape of an egg? You can get a bit craftier by decorating it using shaving cream. Just spray a thin layer of shaving cream into a box lid (they are easy to toss in the trash afterward) and add a few drops of paint. Then use a toothpick to draw lines back and forth through the shaving cream. This will create a marble effect that you can lay your paper egg on top of to imprint the design. Apply a little pressure, then remove to let it dry.

To make papier-mâché eggs, you'll need an oval-shaped balloon blown up to the desired size, shredded newspaper or old magazines, and white glue or papier-mâché paste. If using glue, mix two parts of the adhesive to one part water in a bowl and dip your paper pieces into it before applying it to the balloon. Add at least two layers of papier-mâché. While the second coat dries, you can apply colorful tissue paper and shapes to the outside to embellish it. When it's done drying, pop the balloon!

There are some mistakes people make when DIYing salt dough ornaments, but this is an easy craft. Mix 2 cups flour and 1 cup salt in a stand mixer. Add a half cup of water, and as it mixes, gradually pour in the rest of the water until it forms a smooth ball. Roll out the dough and use a cookie cutter to shape it. Then bake on a tray lined with parchment paper for two hours at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. You can experiment with acrylic paints, watercolors, or markers to decorate your ornaments.

If Easter just isn't the same without dyed food, you can replace those eggs with a treat that will please everyone: marshmallows. This activity is similar to dyeing eggs, complete with drops of your favorite food coloring mixed into cups of water. Use a skewer to dunk them in the water, or if you want a more tie-dye effect, dip a cotton swab in the colored water and apply it to the marshmallow of your choice.

Sure you can turn Mason jars into DIY craft room storage, but they're also great for cute Easter designs. Use acrylic paints to create an Easter scene filled with springtime cheer, or keep things a bit simpler and make your jar look like an Easter egg. You may need some tape to map out your patterns or create shapes but this is all about getting creative. You could even bring other crafty skills like decoupage into the mix.

Start collecting those paper towel and toilet paper rolls and get them ready for a craft party. A little bit of construction paper, a glue stick, and some scissors can turn this trash into Easter treasure. Wrap the cardboard roll in paper and secure it with a glue stick. Cut out feet, ears, tails, and beaks from construction paper and glue them in place too. You can also use a marker to draw on the creatures' features.  

If you have a few white lunch bags, some twine or ribbon, markers, and a pair of scissors, you can have a DIY treat bag that looks like a bunny in just a matter of minutes. Snip a triangle out of the top of the bag, leaving two "ears" behind, and then draw a face on the front of the bag. Put your favorite candy inside and cinch the top closed, accentuating those ears. Bonus points if you give the bag a cotton tail!

Potato stamps are a great way to express your creativity and they just so happen to be egg-shaped. First, cut a potato in half. Then use a knife to carve Easter-themed patterns and shapes into the potato face. Once that's done, you can set up paint and paper to create DIY cards using your new egg stamps.

To make an egg wreath to decorate your home for Easter, start with a wreath ring, some twine or ribbon, and a string to create a hanger tie. Next, get out the glue gun and use it to attach the decor of your choice. This is a great opportunity to turn some other crafts, like the papier-mâché eggs or the cardboard critters, into a larger art piece. You can also use hollow plastic eggs. If you happen to have faux greenery around, add it in, or hunt outside for greenery for this seasonal wreath. 

Are you already baking muffins for Easter? If not, this project gives you the perfect excuse. Use constructions paper to cut out bunnies and chicks, and use markers to draw in their features. You could also add a cotton tail or other decorations. Take a toothpick or coffee stirrer and glue or tape it to your Easter critter. Once it's dry, you have a great muffin (or cupcake) decoration to make the day more festive.