URGENT - how to get regular poster paint to stick to a hard boiled egg

[BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz]

Dd wants all her hard boiled eggs one colour to then draw on. We only have bog standard paints (like the tubs from wilko/tesco). But it just doesn't adhere. Tried mixing in a smidge of PVA. worked even less well.

Help!!!

We've never had much luck with dying them. Where's your nearest hobbycraft? Or Amazon prime acrylic paint? It's pointless anyway as someone whose parent has done all the work will win.

Boil in white onion skins

It's pointless anyway as someone whose parent has done all the work will win

So true

Boil eggs with onion skins. Turns them yellow

Just dyed mine with hot water, vinegar and food dye. Then rolled them in a paste of bicarb and dye, spritzing with vinegar to make a pattern. Should have worn gloves, I have startling magenta fingers now. Bloody crafts, I normally avoid stuff like this.

There is no competition more fixed than the stupid bastard egg decorating one. My DC are at 6th form and high school now, but I still bear a grudge that DD didn't win for her amazing UP house done all by herself and it went to some shite angry birds that some kids mum had clearly done

Honestly op you might as well just put in a plain egg with a label saying 'I wish I was free range but thats 2022 for you'

@Maggiesgirl

Boil eggs with onion skins. Turns them yellow

How long for? It's annoying me that the most common option on here is boiling in dye and having the hob burning cash for a competition I'm not even personally entering

No luck with the washing up liquid? That was for poster paint.

Honestly op you might as well just put in a plain egg with a label saying 'I wish I was free range but thats 2022 for you'

I like this idea, maybe a second plain egg with a label saying 'As many people have to decide whether to heat or eat decorating eggs which will go to waste seems unnecessarily frivolous, so I'm staying au naturel so I can still be consumed'

Honestly I would if I had any say, but dd wants a specific design so I can't do much other than at least try to facilitate that.

I've caved and driven to Hobbycraft for acrylic paint. When I opened the white emulsion it had totally split (it's old!) And I couldn't stir it back into a useable paint.

Ffs.

@BertieBotts

No luck with the washing up liquid? That was for poster paint.

I'm sorry I didn't even try - I got distracted by the quest for the white paint from the attic and just got frustrated once I saw it was unusable.

I'll try when I get back fro. Hobby craft just in terms of testing the theory though!

I just did this at the end of term with normal school paints. I just had to do 3 thin base layers,

My poster paint just kept sliding off the egg. I've applied a coat of acrylic as a thin layer to a new egg, I'll see how that looks when it dries (will deffo need a few layers).

I love mumsnet for this kind of thread. All clubbing together to help in a mum's time of need.

Haha no worries!

I think soaking them in vinegary water helps to remove the outer layer and makes them paintable with most things - but not sure about poster paints. Hope you have more luck with the acrylics!

If you can get yellow food colouring, draw with a wax candle/wax crayon and then soak in food colouring (or, actually, the onion skin or turmeric would work for yellow).

@Bootothegoose sunlight will get those pesky turmeric (and strawberry) stains out. I usually run the item through the machine in a load and then put outside while still wet, but I’ve also used bar soap and put in the sun with the same effect

This is why egg decorating competitions are the worst of the worst and should be banned.

It’s not an afternoon’s activity, is it? You’ve got to hard boil the bastards, maybe soak them in vinegar. You’ve got to do multiple layers of paint, waiting for it to dry in between. Then and only then can you decorate. What average primary school kid has the patience? So they all turn out shit and the internet has made the kids believe a beautiful result is possible so then they’re disappointed. And if they’re not disappointed before they take it to school they will be after the judging…

Give me a bloody Easter bonnet every time.

Also was going to suggest turmeric

It's annoying me that the most common option on here is boiling in dye and having the hob burning cash for a competition I'm not even personally entering

I realise it's too late now but for anyone else who wants yellow eggs, you don't need to boil the eggs with turmeric for ages, just use water from the kettle to steep the turmeric, then soak the eggs in the solution.

Onion skins you do need to boil though. And the resulting dye is more orangey than yellow.

@WhyOfCourse

I love mumsnet for this kind of thread. All clubbing together to help in a mum's time of need.

Absoloutley. It's so worth keeping you bunch of vipers in my life!

I've done a layer of acrylic and it's very very see through. I think there's going to be multiple layers needed.

Cut shapes of stickers or sticky tape
Boil in food colouring
Remove stickers

Or
You can Google how to use old Silk ties
The pattern transfers onto the eggs

Egg with rainbow sticker photo attached

www.bhg.com/holidays/easter/eggs/quick-and-easy-easter-egg-decorations/

Sorted! I've just done the oil one, worked pretty well.