1. Want to get vibrantly colored eggs? Try this.

Using gel food colors on hard-boiled eggs is a great way to increase the intensity of your dye jobs. Check out this article from All Things Mama for a step-by-step guide. To create your dye, you’ll be boiling water and combining it with up to 1/2 teaspoon of gel dye before dipping your eggs.

2. Get creative with stickers, rubber bands, and more.

Adding creative designs to your hard-boiled eggs can be as easy as finding the nearest office supply. Anything you can find to block the dye from reaching the egg will create a silhouette or outline in the dye. To do this, you can wrap your egg with rubber bands, apply stickers in fun shapes, or even wrap the egg with lace. The negative space created by these items makes unique designs you can share with family and friends. Be sure to experiment!

3. Want to keep your creations around longer? Blow ’em out.

‘Blowing out’ an egg simply means you remove the raw yolk and whites, allowing you to keep your dyed designs around longer and avoiding the hard-boiling process. Martha Stewart’s blog lays out the process in detail if you’d like to attempt it. You’ll need to purchase a rubber ear syringe.

4. Channel your inner Bob Ross.

Some egg dyeing kits come with paintbrushes to paint designs or large washes of color using your food coloring or dye, but feel free to use whatever brushes you have on hand. You can paint figures or abstract artwork directly on your eggcellent canvas!