Dip-Dyed
The idea here is to treat the eggs just like you do in the dyeing kits: boil them ahead of time all at once, then dip each egg in a colorful dye to decorate it. Red and yellow set after about 10 minutes, but to get a rich blue color the eggs need to sit in the dye for 2-3 hours.
Red: Take 1 to 2 beets (about 3/4 pound) and roughly chop it. Combine it with 1 quart water, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1 tablespoon salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid for dyeing.
Yellow: Heat 1 quart water, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1 tablespoon salt in a saucepan. Add 6 tablespoon ground turmeric and stir well. Simmer for just a few minutes until the turmeric dissolves.
Blue: Shred 1 large red cabbage (about 1 pound). Combine in a saucepan with 1 quart water, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid for dyeing.
Onion Skin Eggs
Unlike traditional egg-dyeing, these eggs are not pre-boiled before coloring. Rather, the cooking and dyeing process happens all at once.
Use a mix of skins from red, yellow and white onions; about 10 skins per dozen eggs. The onion skins provide the color, but you can also use a collection of leaves, flower petals and herbs to create fun shapes and textures on the outside of the egg.
Cut your cheese cloth or inexpensive muslin fabric into large squares and place your raw egg on top. Wrap the egg with the onion skins and other assorted natural materials before wrapping the egg in the cloth and tying gently with yarn or kitchen twine.
Boil the eggs for 10-12 minutes to set the colors and cook the eggs. Remove gently, unwrap and enjoy!