How to Decorate Paper Easter Eggs

Create a theme or plan. Don't just start coloring and gluing--you'll end up with the equivalent of a broken real egg, or one that is muddy brown. Instead, think of a theme. For example, an ironic egg might be one that looks like a chicken, complete with real feathers glued to it. Or, for a humorous touch, make a "non-dairy" egg--draw a carton around the egg with "non-dairy" across the front. Children might want to make a princess egg or a pirate egg.

Consider the situation. Will the egg be hung on a bulletin board or wall? If so, you don't want to glue a bunch of heavy items to it. Or, if you do want to make it substantial, reinforce the back of it with cardboard before you begin decorating.

Start with the lowest layer. Use color to fill in the background design of your egg. Crayons, paints, markers and colored pencils all work well. Note that you will have to let paint dry completely before you continue to decorate your paper Easter egg. Avoid pastels or chalk, as these medium easily smear.

Play with patterns. Add designs atop your background colors. You can use stamps or thin markers to do this. Hearts, zigzag lines, and circles are traditional favorites. Or, do something that matches your theme. Perhaps you want to draw feathers onto your chicken egg, or a pirate scar onto the "face" of your pirate egg. This is a good time to add a bit of glitter to your egg if you want it to be dazzling.

Glue the final touches to your paper Easter egg. These should be three-dimensional, such as plastic beads for the crown of a princess egg, a piece of fabric for the eye-patch of a pirate egg, or beautiful, real-looking crystals for an upscale, elegant egg. Lay the egg flat on a dry surface and let it dry completely.