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DIY Marbled Indigo Eggs

See how we make our favorite DIY Marbled Indigo Eggs using a special ingredient! They almost look galaxy like, don’t you think? Check them out!

DIY Marbled Indigo Easter Eggs

You know how much we love indigo dye, right? Well IĀ had to try our hand at marbling eggs this year ā€“ so IĀ gave the nail polish technique a try. I used an indigo nail polish to match some of my favorite shibori indigo dye projects.

Although the marbling technique can get messy, the end result is beautiful.

I went with a monochromaticĀ effect by using one polish color. I really love how it turned out. TheseĀ DIY Marbled Indigo Eggs are a must this Easter!

DIY Marbled Indigo Easter Eggs

If you haven’t done marbling with nail polish before, you are in for a fun project. This is a wonderful egg decorating technique to do with the entire family. We love marbling things – from coffee mugs, to vases and ornaments.

Read more for the DIY Marled Indigo Eggs tutorial…

DIY Marbled Indigo Eggs Supplies

blue nail polish

faux eggs, or these from Target are great too

disposable plastic container

rubber gloves

stir stick

drying holder

nail polish remover (if needed for clean up)

room temp water

Note – we recommend doing this marbling technique on faux craft eggs or eggs that have been blown out. You can do this nail polish technique on hard boiled eggs, but you should not eat them after they have been marbled.Ā 

diy-marbled-indigo-easter-eggs-steps

DIY Marbled Indigo Eggs Steps

Step 1. Fill plastic container 3/4 full with room temperature water. I used a 28 oz container.

*If the water is too cold the polish will sink. Add a few drops of nail polish. The more drops of polish, the darker and more covered the egg will get, but can also clump more easily. Also, new nail polish works best.Ā 

Step 2. Lightly stir with stick to make a marble look in water.

Make these DIY indigo inspired eggs on aliceandlois.com

Step 3. Dip the egg underĀ the water and swirl. Wear rubber gloves. I learned the hard way. I will spare you a picture of my fingers after dipping a dozen eggs in water/blue nail polish! You could also try using small tongs to remove eggs.

Step 4. Dry the eggs. I took a piece of foam and used pins to make a drying rack.

You could use any color combo of nail polish. I love how the indigo turned out. Look for more indigo and shibori projects from us this Spring!

DIY Marbled Indigo Easter Eggs

DIY Marbled Indigo Easter Eggs on alice & lois

Here are some of our favorite Easter projects ā€“ clay bunny bowls,Ā bunny cupcakes, a cute bunny purse, and our favorite vintage iron-on bunny shirt. Have you checked out our Mud cloth inspired eggs?

Here are more our our favorite Easter egg tutorials:

Photos by Sara Albers. All rights reserved.

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162 Comments

  1. tHE EGGS ARE BEAUTIFUL, BUT ARE THEY EDIBLE?

    Thx!

    Kathy

    1. Hi Kathy – We love the look of these eggs but I would not recommend eating as the nail polish is toxic. These eggs were used as decor only.
      – Sara

      1. I was wondering if possible can you blow out the inside of the egg and cook and eat it. Then marble the egg? Would that work? You could get some glue or something similar to that if you need to cover the holes from blowing out the egg.

  2. I love this! Would it work on faux eggs also? since they’re soooo pretty, i might not want to crack them open!

      1. Glad I read this comment. I have a bunch of faux eggs I bought last year and was looking for a way to use them.

    1. Hi Suzanne -I would think so. I would imagine you would have to be pretty quick at rolling the eggs in the water with nail polish so it will not go into the holes of the egg.

      1. Wouldn’t it be easier to die the eggs then blow them out. They would collect the die better with the weight still inside. Otherwise there just buoyant and with rolling and trying to NOT touch and smudge them seams like a frustrating hassle.

        1. It would be impossible to blow out hard boiled egg. Don’t you think?

          1. You can either blow out a raw egg or you can hard boil the egg. We do not recommend eating the hard boiled egg after marbling with nail polish.

  3. Where did you purchase your indigo polish. I tried this project but my polish never mixed with the water. It floated on top of the water instead. Any suggestions?

    1. I bought the blue nail polish at walgreens. It was a cheap one, I don’t recall the brand name. The polish is supposed to float on the water. You want to make sure the water temp is luke warm/room temp, not really cold. ope this helps!

  4. Just LOVE your indigo eggs. Thankyou for sharing how to make them. I like making wee gifts like this for easter, now I have a stunning alternative. I loved the tie-dyed cloths too. I love indigo as a colour to work with.

  5. NameNameSharon Davis says:

    Good idea for next EAster display.

  6. These are beautiful:) I am eager to try them. I saw you posted that they could be done with faux eggs. Do you mean wooden eggs or some other material?

    1. Hi there – last spring I got some faux eggs at Michaels craft store… almost a plastic/paper like material.

      1. hello i would like to ask do you mix nail polish remover with the water. ir is this ‘ ingredient’ just for cleaning after? thank you for your response and btw thry look amazing

  7. Have you tried plastic eggs? do you know if it would work on them?

    1. Yes, I used plastic eggs this morning and they turned out great. they came in sets of 6 at target.

  8. Dear Alice and LOIs,
    Hello. I have recently decided to try and turn my hobby into a small business. Your eggs are really nice and I would like to post this post on my FB page http://www.facebook.com/ashmalikcrafts as inspiration for anyone else interested in egg crafts! Thank you for sharing your project with us, Look forward to many more in the future!
    Ash

    1. Congratulations on your new shop! You may share the link to our marbled egg post on your Facebook page. – Sara

  9. My grandmother made eggs very similar looking to these with some kind of oil easter egg dye. at the end she used a small piece of wax paper and polished each egg. they were just beautiful.

  10. Can you tell me how you got the white spatter effect? Beautiful.

    1. The eggs were dipped into water with indigo blue nail polish to create the marble effect.

  11. OMg! These look amazing! I can’t believe you could turn something as simple as an egg into something as gorgeous as these!

  12. what type of faux eggs did you use? What are they made of? Wondering to make sure the polish will adhere to the eggs. Thanks!

    1. I used white plastic eggs from Target and they worked great!

    1. I just used one color! I think the blues look darker in areas because of multi layers.

      1. Multiple layers? Does that mean you dried them and then dipped them again?

        1. No, when you swirl the egg in the water and nail polish – some sections can get more nail polish than other areas and the colors can be different. Hope this helps.

  13. Absolutely beautiful! I can’t wait to try my hand at it. Perhaps some Red, Yellow or Purple.

  14. IS THE NAIL POLISH REMOVER ONLY FOR CLEAN UP AND NOT A PART OF THE DYING PROCESS?

  15. I just saw another website where the girl did this same project with a few different colors of nail polish at the same time and they were very pretty but these are GORGEOUS !! ( : i was so drawn to these, I’m not sure what or why but i have a feeling it’s the contrast between the colors. Thanks for inspiring me and I’m off to go buy some blue nail polish ! I was thinking how pretty they might be with some gold leaf on them ! Hmmm, i might have to try that, have you tried it ?? Or silver leaf ? Happy Easter <3

  16. your directions are vague, i am not a crafty person, so 3/4 full of warm water and little bit of nail polish is not going to help me. Sorry, but can you say the size of container holds 3 cups of water, so 2 1/2 cups of water and the amount used from the bottle of polish ie 1 dropor 1/4 of the bottle etc.

    1. I used a medium size (28 oz) plastic container. I filled it up 3/4 way to the top with room temp water. Then add a few drops of nail polish – or as much as you would like depending on how dark you want the eggs to get. Sorry for the confusion. – Sara

  17. This is so beautiful. Thank you so much for the lovely post.

  18. These are GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are they hard boiled or blown out???
    I’m going to try this !! Thanks !!!!!

  19. Hello!
    Absolutely wonderful marble eggs!
    Thank u so much for this fab tip!
    I have to try this this easter.
    Greeting of happy easter to you from Marie from sweden šŸ˜Š

  20. Is the Original coloUr Of the eggs wHite? How does the white get amoung the blue? They are so beautIful! Like a galaxy.

  21. What Type materials will dye using this method? They are beautiful! Blue is my favorite color!

  22. Wow!What a great idea for coloring eggs for Easter! šŸ˜Š Thanks for the tip! šŸ˜Š

  23. In your ingredients you mentioned nail polish remover but no where in the instructions does it mention it. Where or when do I use it? Thanks. Excited to use other colours of nail polish.

    Lori

  24. I am a sashiko enthusiast & teacher and love the blue indigo….mY quilting friend and I took a trip of a lifetime to Japan in January On a Quilt and textile Tour… It was absolutely Wonderful! We went where they did shibori and even learned to do a smaLl projEct, also to a family busIness where they developed indigO dyes from live cultures.. YHechighlight for me was a tour of the Studio & museum of an 85 year old sashiko artist, I could go on & on 12 days of fabric heaven…
    I love Your eggs and can’t wait to try it! Did you use a spray finish to add shine? They are bEautiful!!

  25. These look so beautiful! I would love to try this technique. Do you think hard boiled eggs would still be safe to eat after being coated with the nail polish?

  26. These are so beautiful–they remind me of the night sky. Very nicely done!!

  27. Hi Sara- are the boiled eggs safe to peel and eat after coloring with nail polish?

    1. NameJayna says:

      Ooops, I see you’ve already answered this question, sorry ! Beautiful eggs though !

  28. Yours are beautiful, but when I tried this, it turned out horribly.šŸ˜‚ Idk what happened but this is better said than done.

  29. Wonderfull ! It looks like heaven,sky and stars and the ocean has painting your eggs.

    Best wishes Christina /Sweden

  30. OMG! These are just stunning! Can’t wait to try my fingertips on this project.
    Thank you!

  31. Hi there,

    I design book covers and I’m looking at trying this one board or paper. Have you tried doing this on any other medium, or just eggs?

    Cheers from London,
    Justine

    1. Hi there – I have not done the nail polish technique on paper. But I have done it on a wood board and know that turns out! We have only one the shaving cream marble technique on paper. Good luck!

  32. Thanks for the inspiration, I make pinata eggs with real eggs, I will try this technique on a real egg and see how it goes.

  33. Love this color. Awesome, easy design. Messy, I agree but definitely worth the hassle.
    I also like your idea for a drying rack. Thanks for sharing your creative ideas.
    –BJS

  34. I can’t wait to try these because they really are beautiful. Plus, I get to buy another bottle of nail polish.

    Thanks for being so entirely creative!

  35. Hi! I was wondering of ot would be ok to use one of your photos for an easter-inspiration-post on my blog? Ofc with your name and link to your awesome blog! Thank you

  36. Sorry, but this did not work at all for me šŸ™
    I followed the steps 1:1 but even with 3 different nail polishes, none of it looked like yours!
    Thw polish either stuck to the stick, sank to the bottom of the cup or got glued to the sides of the cup.

    1. Oh no – I recommend a few things; make sure your water is room temp or a little warm. If the water is too cold the polish will sink. And the newer the nail polish the better. Old nail polish is stickier. Good luck! Sorry it didn’t turn out for you.

  37. Beautiful!!!!van I ask you where you fond thƩ eggs ? Thank .

    1. I found the eggs at a craft store, but if ou click on eggs under supplies in the blog post – the link will take you to something similar online.

  38. When you mention faux eggs, what are these made of in that you can dip and color them. I would like to keep them longer than real eggs would last. Thank you!

    1. You can find the faux craft eggs at craft stores (I just picked some up at Michaels).

  39. Iā€™m usually pretty crafty, but have become frustrated with this project. Iā€™ve followed your directions carefully, but every time I start to swirl it all clumps in one spot. I cannot get the marble effect. Open for suggestions.

    1. Hi Marsha – I am sorry the marbling isn’t working as you would like. I recommend a few things – the nail polish and the water temp. I am not an expert, but these are things you can adjust. We have found that a bottle of new polish works best – and you do not need a ton. The water cannot be cold. We use room temp. Good luck!

  40. Hi, I do not understand what the nail polish remover is for? Am I missing something?

    1. The remover is for your hands or nails if you get the blue nail polish all over! =)

  41. Love these!! What is the polish remover for? Not mentioned in directions. Just clean up, or other? Would love to try. Thnx!

  42. If you watch the “Kitchen TV. on Food Network, they showed how you can dye eggs that are edible by using whipped cream and fresh seasonings.

  43. I WILL be trying this this year with my grands. Absolutely BEAUTIFUL…Thanks for sharing…

    HAPPY EASTER and GOD BLESS…..:)

  44. Hi!
    I love these eggs!!! Would you mind if I used one of the pictures for my Instagram for Easter. I will of course credit Alice and Lois. Please let me know if thatā€™s ok. Great blog by the way!!!

    1. Hi Megan – thanks for asking. Yes, you can share our image on Instagram. Please tag us and give photo credit to @aliceandlois

  45. Beautiful! Beautiful! Beautiful! They almost look celestial! But in an Easter Egg kinda way! I only have ONE bottle of nail polishšŸ˜It’s called Greek Isles & it’s a very pretty color! Almost like a deep turquoise? Leaning towards an Emerald Green. I’m gonna do this! I love the tropical islands & oceans, so I think this Chick’s gonna be very pleased! (Oh. And the recipients too, of course! It’s all about them! šŸ˜‰šŸ˜šŸ˜‚šŸ‡šŸ£šŸššŸššŸš(<–pretty sure those are eggs!)

    Thank you for sharing! Happy Easter!

  46. Absolutely beautiful . . . will make them during 2018 for Easter 2019. This year I made 350 which are given away at church on Easer Sunday. You have given me a new idea. Thanks so much and happy Easter Wednesday!!

  47. Took me three years, but I finally tried these! My polish stuck to the stirrer and the side of the bowl when I stirred the polish. So, I stirred the water first to get it swirling a little and then added the polish. Let it sit for a bit which let the polish disperse, then dipped. Perfect!

  48. I couldnā€™t wait to try this! Used real, white eggs that I had blown out.
    Not knowing how many I could do at a time, how much nail polish it would take, etc. I covered the holes at 3 of the eggsā€™ ends using Elmerā€™s glue and a little round of parchment paper. Did those, and kept dumping in more and more polish. Still had 3 more eggs with open small holes and gloved hands that I didnā€™t want to bother un-gloving, so I poured in some nail polish remover along with the rest of the polish, topped it off with a bit more hot water and did the rest of the eggs. They all came out well – different in their own way, but interesting. Fun to do!

  49. Seeing as this post was done a few years ago, I would love to know how these are holding their ā€œnail polishā€ color. Did you spray a clear sealer on the eggs at all after they dried? If not, I am wondering how that would look if you did do that. These are beautiful, especially the color!

  50. I remember making one of those as a kid in kindergarten and then giving it to my mom as a present. Kids just love to make colored eggs.

  51. How do you dispose of the ā€œblueā€ water
    I canā€™t imagine you would put it down the drain

    1. The nail polish will mostly go on the egg and then stick to a stirring stick or hte side of the disposable plastic container. Remember, you only put a few drops of nail polish in the water for each egg.

      1. I love the look of the eggs definitely gonna make some at home for easter!

  52. so easy and they look good with brown eggs too!

  53. this did not work very well at all… despite following all the directions, the nail polish just sticks to itself…

  54. TrĆØĆØĆØĆØĆØĆØĆØĆØĆØĆØs TrĆØĆØĆØĆØĆØĆØĆØs intĆ©ressant.
    MERCI

  55. Regarding the marbling of ornaments with nail polish, after dropping the polish in the water if I attempt to stir it the polish clings around the stick or straw I use to stir it. My water does not look like your picture. I also could not find the video that was available.

  56. I cannot wait to try this technique. My house is decorated with yellow and navy blues and accented with many pieces of navy and white porcelain, my sister just gave me a very large Chinese porcelain Easter egg, these

  57. Love your post!! This is exactly how my family celebrate the 4th at my house. I love it when we all get together, I have a big family. Thanks for sharing the egg coloring ideas!!

  58. I have been using this technique for years and the eggs always turn out beautifully I normally use two or three different colors of nail polish but I love the blue color! There are so many colors of nail polish to use and it’s a fun way to dye eggs!

  59. Just tried this with plastic eggs bought from Amazon. The eggs took the polish well but I had to use 2 bottles of polish ( Sally Hanson) to cover 12 eggs. My eggs came out a much much lighter blue. Definitely not indigo. Iā€™m going to try a different brand of polish to see if I get a better result. Never got the marbled water in the example photo.

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