Coloring Eggs? Try These 5 Techniques

Coloring Easter eggs is fun and easy enough. Nearly everyone has some food coloring and vinegar on hand, and there are all sorts of commercially manufactured kits available. But maybe you Eggsyearn for something a little different. If that’s the case, you may want to check out one of these tutorials!

1. Color eggshells instead of hard boiled eggs. They won’t spoil, and you can use them as decorations or give them as gifts. Here’s a nice, step-by-step guide from firstpalette.com for getting the egg out.

2. Use leaves and twigs to make botanical Easter eggs. These eggs look super fancy, but aren’t all that difficult. Martha Stewart has a great tutorial.

3. Wax your eggs. Eastern European tradition calls for using wax to create complex, beautiful designs on eggs, but you can create a similar effect using crayons. Simply draw a pattern on an egg with a crayon then dip it in dye. The dye won’t adhere to the wax. For a more in-depth and true-to-tradition method, read about how to create Pisanki Easter eggs.

4. Tie them up. Buy old 100% silk ties from the thrift store, wrap your eggs in them, then boil them, let them cool, and unwrap. The pattern will be transferred to the egg. Here are the step-by-step, detailed instructions. You’ll have the coolest eggs at the hunt.

5. Color your eggs with Kool-Aid. They will turn out bright, and you’ll be transported back to childhood by the smell. All you really need is water, Kool-Aid packs, and small cups — check out the super simple instructions here.

There are plenty of resources out there with other amazingly creative ideas for decorating. Do you have a favorite technique? Whether or not you celebrate Easter, dyeing eggs is fun and offers a nice, crafty activity — plus, you get to eat the eggs!

 

Our 5 Favorite Nooga Fall Color Cruises

Right NOW, today, this minute, the fall leaves are at their peak. It’s supposed to rain and be chilly soon, so do yourself a favor and plan a fall color cruise in the next few days.

October skies are a deep, never-ending blue in the Tennessee Valley, and we are surrounded by mountains that put on a fabulous show for us every fall. This year is no exception, so get out there and take in the beauty. 

Just about anywhere you look in the Scenic City you can see gorgeous vistas, but here are our picks for fabulous drives, where the views will take your breath away:

1. Drive along River Canyon Road, from Chattanooga to Whitwell. If you turn left off of Highway 27 at the base of Signal Mountain, you can drive along the river for miles. You will be able to see the river, sparkling in the sunshine on your left, and the mountain, draped in fabulous colors, on your right.

2. Take Highway 64 from Cleveland to Ducktown. This is probably more of a whole-day adventure than an afternoon drive, but it is so worth a whole day. You will drive by some of the most beautiful terrain on the planet, complete with mountains, forests, lakes, and rivers.

3. Visit Cloudland Canyon State Park in Rising Fawn, Georgia. After a beautiful drive to Rising Fawn, you might enjoy a picnic in the park, or a hike on some of the trails. Cloudland Canyon is stunning in the fall.

4. Follow East Valley Road from Dunlap to Pikeville, Tennessee. Pikeville is at the opposite end of the lush and gorgeous Sequatchie Valley from Whitwell. Along East Valley Road there are farms, horses, cows, fields, the Little Sequatchie River, and of course, plenty of trees.

5. Stop in at Signal Point, then drive across town and take in the view from Point Park. This way, you get to see the Chattanooga Valley from two equally amazing perspectives, and enjoy all the sights in between!

There are lots of other wonderful drives in the area. What are some of your favorites?