Lindsey Nair

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As hard as it is to support a family these days, no one can blame modern mothers for hitting the PAAS aisle at Easter.

After all, the company that started with a simple egg-coloring kit has now branched out to include "Funky Foil," "Brilliant Bead," "Flower Power" and "Sand Blast" kits, among others.

For just a few dollars, moms and kids can turn out some pretty glitzy orbs in very little time.

But let's say mom does have a leisurely day to spend decorating eggs with the tots. Or maybe, like me, some child-free adults are feeling young at heart and want to hatch a fun afternoon project themselves.

In that case, I want to share a few creative and relatively easy Easter egg craft ideas. With supervision, even young children can do most of these projects, and none of them require a large investment of money.

Because some of these call for blown-out eggs and this is, after all, a food column, I've also dug up some egg-heavy recipes, including a delicious frittata and an unusual Greek soup called avgolemono, which is made with chicken broth, rice, eggs and lemon juice.

Now you can get creative with your Easter projects and your menu. So get crackin'!

Decoupage with craft paper

1. Craft stores carry an array of beautiful papers designed for scrapbooking. Find a sheet with patterns that are easy to cut out and will fit your egg, such as flowers or butterflies.

2. Dye hard-boiled eggs. Let dry.

3. Use a craft knife to cut out the shapes you want to use on your egg. I do not recommend large shapes that have to wrap around the egg -- the paper is too thick. It's better to pick shapes that look like they can "perch" on the egg, like flowers or butterflies.

4. Attach shapes with a drop of glue.

Creating an egg tree centerpiece

To blow out eggs:

1. Using the handle of a butter knife, tap a dime-sized hole into the shell on the thickest end of the egg. Remove any shell pieces with your fingernails or tweezers.

2. Using a pin, the tip of a sharp knife or an egg piercer, punch a tiny hole in the opposite end of the egg.

3. Position egg, base end down, over a bowl and blow through the pinprick hole on the top end. After all the egg is removed, rinse the shells in hot water and let dry.

Creating the tree:

1. Dye eggshells. For the tree, take a trip around the yard. Just about any branches will work, whether they are flowering or not. We used redbud and forsythia twigs, so we decided to dye our eggs yellow and purple to match the color scheme.

2. Widen the top hole on the egg just enough to slip a ribbon all the way through. Tie a knot in the end that is larger than the top hole. Pull the ribbon through until the knot rests against the inside top of the egg.

3. Arrange branches in a large vase filled with water. Tie the eggs in various places like ornaments. If desired, choose a matching ribbon and tie that around the vase to bring it all together.

Decoupage with napkins or paper towels

1. Choose napkins with pretty patterns printed on white backgrounds. Snip out the patterns with scissors, don't worry about the white edges. They will blend into the white of the egg.

2. Using a small paint brush, cover a hard-boiled white egg with a thin layer of Mod Podge glue (available at craft stores, it is like a thinner version of Elmer's glue).

3. Before the Mod Podge dries, lay the paper pattern over the egg and gently press all corners to affix to the egg.

4. Allow to dry.

Plant an egg

Delicate eggshells make precious pots for tiny plants such as coleus seedlings, small succulents or colorful miniature African violets. The eggshell pots can be cracked apart later and the seedlings transplanted.

1. Hold an extra-large or jumbo egg on its side. Tap the pointed end firmly with a table knife to just break through the shell; turn it slightly and tap again to remove the "cap." Use or discard the contents and rinse the shell.

2. Using a pin, the tip of a sharp knife or an egg piercer, punch a tiny hole in the opposite end of the egg.

3. Gently remove about half the soil from around the roots of a small plant. Ease the roots and remaining soil into the shell; add a small amount of soil to cover the roots.

Band mates

To create graphic stripes on dyed eggs, wrap eggs with wide rubber bands (the ones often found on broccoli at the supermarket work well) before dunking them in dye.

Tip: Wash rubber bands well between uses to avoid transferring dye.

Source: Decoupage and egg tree from Martha Stewart Living. Egg pots and rubber band ideas from Better Homes and Gardens.