People are creatures of habit. We love rituals and traditions. Sometimes though, our old ways don’t work. If you’re a vegan and you’ve decorated eggs in the past, you might feel like you’re missing out on a family tradition.

Well, for every old way, there’s a new version. Egg decorating doesn’t have to be done on real eggs. You can use wooden, foam, or plastic eggs instead. They’re less fragile, and you might even have some lying around (all those plastic eggs you couldn’t bear to toss will come in handy now).

Wooden eggs

You can dye wooden eggs just like you can dye real eggs. They come in lots of sizes and last year after year. White vinegar, boiling water and food coloring is all your need. The awesome folks at Goose Grease Shop will show you how.

If detailed designs are more your style, you can go for a Persian or Ukrainian look by following the info at eHow. With acrylic paints and a small brush, you can add stripes, waves, checks, swirls and dots until you get a pattern you like.

Ceramic eggs

There’s a specialty company called Eggnots, that sells ceramic eggs that you can paint and decorate. Their site says Eggnots are perfect for people with egg allergies, and vegan households. Love that! They even come in their own eggnot carton, complete with dying instructions.

Plastic eggs

The best part about plastic eggs is you might already have a bunch lying around. They’re nice because they often are made in two parts so you can open them and put some Easter treats inside. But first, grab a few Sharpies and color your plastic eggs with stripes, circles, bunnies, or whatever your heart desires. Squidoo.com will show you how. Plastic eggs looks great wrapped in yarn.

Styrofoam eggs

Styrofoam eggs aren’t the best choice, environmentally, but if you have some lying around–or find some at a garage sale of thrift store–snap them up for decorating. You can wrap Styrofoam eggs with yarn, cover them in paper, add fabric and ribbon to them, or embellish them with pushpins and other bling. Prefer monochromatic? Spray your eggs a solid color. Or cover them in glue and dip them in glitter!

Get creative

No matter what type of eggs you use, use your imagination. You can stamp words on your eggs, give them a patina finish, a crackle look, cover them in newsprint or tissue paper, or dip-dye them. If you need inspiration, go to Pinterest and search for wooden Easter, plastic Easter eggs or styrofoam Easter eggs and see why you find.

Have you decorated vegan eggs before? How did they turn out?