Hop to it! Easter is on its way. Put your busy schedule on hold for an evening or Saturday afternoon and make the traditional craft of egg decorating a family affair. How about sharing the fun with friends who will no doubt contribute to and enliven the memory making creativity?

Here are some Easter egg-y ideas that are real kid-pleasers. For the first three, all you need are hard-cooked white eggs, prepared decorating dyes in small bowls and a variety of household items.

RUBBER-BAND TIE-DYE

Wind two or three rubber bands of various widths snuggly around egg. Dye the egg and let dry. Remove the rubber bands to reveal the designs.

STICKER DESIGNS

Stick peel-off stars, dots or other shapes randomly on an egg. Be sure the stickers adhere completely to the egg before dipping in the dye. Let dry, then peel off stickers while they are still damp to reveal the designs.

TAPE AND DRAW

Wrap a piece of masking tape around an egg. Dye. Gently remove tape and add your own designs on the white space with markers.

If you prefer decorating eggs in which the raw contents have been blown out –so that you can hang them from branches for an egg tree or display in a basket and save them year to year — here is a simple process to empty them, plus two ideas for decorating once they have been blown.

HOW TO BLOW OUT THE

CONTENTS OF AN EGG

Poke a small hole with a large safety pin at each end of a washed raw egg. Carefully wiggle the pin or a toothpick into one of the holes to break the yolk. Place a drinking straw over the hole on top, and blow through the straw, collecting the contents of the egg in a small dish. Rinse out the empty shell and let dry completely before decorating.

SHAKE AND DECORATE

Squeeze household glue from a plastic bottle in a simple design such as zigzags or an alphabet letter on a shell that is still white or dyed in a light color. Carefully set the egg in a plastic bag with colored sand or glitter and close it lightly in your fist, keeping locked air inside. Gently shake to coat the glue to reveal the design. Remove the egg, and slip onto a skewer through one of the holes and poke into a soft object like an egg carton to dry.

SHREDDED PAPER

Brush household glue on eggshell, then press shredded paper randomly around it for a contemporary look. Let dry.