Crayon shaving eggs are easy to make and visually stunning works of Easter art. Learn how to make them – for yourself, or with the kids. You’ll also love these plastic easter eggs turned bunnies!
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The Easter Egg by Jan Brett is a great picture book to read alongside this activity. This cute book features all sorts of fun ways to make fancy Easter eggs, although this particular method is not included.
I’m absurdly pleased with how our Easter eggs turn out when we use this method, and I think we’ll probably do it again this year.
How to Decorate Easter Eggs with Crayon Shavings
What You'll Find on This Page
Materials
- Freshly boiled eggs that have not been cooled (skip that last step for these fancy eggs!). Check out this tutorial if you want to make Instant Pot hard boiled eggs!
- Crayon shavings. Pencil sharpeners produce beautiful crayon shavings!
- Parchment paper
- Tongs – ideally silicone tipped tongs.
- Optional: Easter egg dye kit
STEPS for Beautiful Crayon Shaving Eggs
- Lay a selection of crayon shavings out on your parchment paper. Lay out a second sheet of parchment paper that can hold your eggs as they cool.
- Use the tongs to pick up and then carefully roll the eggs across the crayon shavings, one at a time. Place the eggs on the second sheet of parchment paper to cool.
And that’s it! The trick to getting the crayon shavings to look pretty is to keep the shavings large and not to add to many of them.
Once the eggs have cooled a bit, you can dye them, either using one of the Easter egg coloring kits you find in stores or in a food coloring and vinegar solution. You will need 1 teaspoon of vinegar for each 1/2 cup water to set the dye. This gel squeeze bottle food coloring set creates stunning colors, and requires fewer drops than the standard liquid drops that are traditionally used.
More Fun Ways to Make Beautiful Easter Eggs
Keep learning through play with these fun egg-themed activities for kids:
Fun Easter Egg Ideas
Fancy Egg Shakers: A Rhythm-Building Music Craft for Kids
Turn plastic eggs into musical instruments!
Fancy DIY Egg Shakers to Make with Kids
This is another take on the same egg shaker idea.
Plastic Easter Egg Bunnies
Add a bunny themed twist to your Easter egg hunt!
Super Simple Easter Eggs
This is the lowest stress way you'll find to decorate Easter eggs.
Quick Easter Craft for Kids
A cute chick and egg sensory craft for kids.
Simple Easter Craft
These foam eggs are easy to decorate, and they make a great preschool class activity.
How to Make Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs that Peel Easily
Our favorite technique for cooking hard boiled eggs that you can easily peel.
Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs - Easy to Peel!
The same hard boiled egg technique, adapted for the instant pot.
Have you ever made crayon shaving eggs?
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MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
These are gorgeous!!
Thank you!
Those really were gorgeous!
The eggs are beautiful and what a great use of broken crayons!
Super fun and easy to do. It’s been on my to try list for years, this and the shaving cream method, but I always end up defaulting to using the egg dyeing kits I used as a kid.
This looks like fun. No kid could resist.
Amalia
xo
I will have to try making these with my kids!
They are fun to make! I love watching the wax melt onto the eggs.
Thanks for this idea! I found your post from Mud Hut Mama’s blog. I’ve been looking for ways to decorate brown-shelled eggs for Easter because that’s all I sell from our direct-market farm. This is a fabulous way to decorate eggs that simply don’t fit the conventional system. Not sure how your trackbacks work but I’d love to add my blog post there too.
Also, I love your photos. Very artistic and well done!
Thank you, Margaret! This is a great technique for brown eggs!
Such a fun idea, i can’t wait to try it.
We tried this yesterday and the kids adored it – although I think we went a little overboard with the crayon shavings. Less is more in this case! Finally a decorating technique that looks lovely on brown eggs.
Love how they turned out! We’ll be doing this tomorrow! :)
Thanks for adding this post in last week’s High paw! Hope to see you participate this week too!
We just dyed eggs today – didn’t try crayon shavings, but tries drawing on the hot eggs – it was fantastic! I love how those turned out so nice and marbly!
Jamie
They looks absolutely amazing! Come and join us at High paw! Would love to see you participate! :)
(thank you :-)
The eggs are absolutely lovely. You are creating some amazing family memories that are equally vibrant. Enjoy a special Easter weekend.
Thank you! I hope you also have a wonderful Easter weekend!
Aaaah and love your “stage two” of the egg colouring process! Perfect!
come and link them up both tomorrow???
M x
Definitely!
Those eggs are amazing!! And your kids are beautiful as always (I agree about the big brother shirt – how sweet!). :)
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..The Art Box – April 5, 2010 =-.
They do look spectacular! Our Easter weekend was pretty hot, but we were happy it didn’t rain!
.-= Tracye´s last blog ..Happy Birthday, Christian!!! =-.
Yes, your eggs look fabulous! Out of all the eggs I’ve seen this year around, yours are my fave by far–LOVE them!!
.-= Susana´s last blog ..Easter Day Fun & Happy Birthday Dad! =-.
MaryAnne, you are the egg trendsetter! These are gorgeous!! :)
I was so ready to use the crayon shavings this year but was in autopilot getting the eggs cooled down after boiling them then OH NO! Ah well, there’s always next year. At least we found that brown eggs do hold food colour dyes well.
.-= Elisa | blissfulE´s last blog ..happy Easter =-.
those eggs are too cute. glad you all had a good day.
.-= beverly´s last blog ..He did it! =-.
I absolutely LOVE them – all that wonderful color!
So happy Easter was sunny and happy! The eggs came out BEAUTIFUL! I love them and will have to try making them next year.
.-= mama king´s last blog ..Candy Ring Flower =-.
The eggs turned out great. I definitely want to be more daring with our decorating next year.
.-= Quadmama´s last blog ..Easter and Multiples =-.
LOVE Emma’s dress – and way to go big brother :)
Fun eggs too!
It’s great that you had a wonderful weather for Easter. I wish we could say the same here, but it was a perfect winter day in Silicon Valley – cold and rainy. The pictures are beautiful, and the eggs turned out very colorful.
.-= Natalie´s last blog ..Toys My Child Is Really Playing With – Playmobil =-.
Our weather was gorgeous too! Those are really cool Easter eggs!
.-= Jenny´s last blog ..Happy Easter =-.
The eggs look amazing!! How nice to see the kids outside enjoying a fun Easter!
.-= Valerie @ Frugal Family Fun Blog´s last blog ..Blossoming Cherry Tree =-.
I love them. We had only a little success with egg dying this year. I love your idea.
.-= Ticia´s last blog ..Art Box and Kiddos Create: wood creations =-.
Those eggs are gorgeous! Our Children’s Museum blog suggested wrapping tape around eggs pre-dip to get spiral stripes. We’ll try that next year. It’s lovely that Johnny wanted to proclaim big brotherhood! Too cute!
I always thought all the gimmicky twin Tshirt pairs were too much, but Jess and Mel enjoy proclaiming their twinship so much I may have to get them some.
Happy Easter!
.-= Sadia´s last blog ..A truly happy Easter =-.
yes they do! we had wonderful weather this weekend too :) It was so nice
.-= Keeling´s last blog ..Happy Easter! =-.