Make an Easter Basket

Easter is a fun time of year for the children and adults. There is nothing like crafting an old-fashioned basket by hand to get their Easter off to a good start. Make a cute and simple Easter basket for the kids to enjoy!

Making the Basket

Set up a work area. There might not be an immediate space like a table. So use a large cardboard box. Nothing can stop your creativity! Assemble the materials you're going to be using. Ultimately, your basket will be comprised of elements of your choosing, but you may want to start with getting ready some of the following:

Basket/box Cellophane grass or construction paper Glue Crayon, felt tips, colouring pencils or markers Scissors Stickers Candy Plastic eggs Small toys

Cut a piece of construction paper to wrap around the box. Hold the paper up to the box and mark it (using a pencil or pen) to show how much will cover the box and how much of the box (if the paper is too big) or paper (if the box/ basket is too big) needs to be cut off. Cut the paper and glue it onto the box. Easter colours light yellow, pink, blue, green, and purple.

A standard wicker basket will also do the trick. If you don't have one lying around your house, you'll be able to find one at a variety of stores -- home furnishing, dollar, big box, or craft stores should all have usable options. You could also get some ribbons for bows or some plastic eggs or chicks in those stores around Easter time.

Draw and cut out some paper, cardboard or cellophane Easter eggs. Use crayons, markers, felt tips or colored pencils to draw some designs on them and colour them.Set them aside until later. Then, grab your extra construction paper or cardboard. Cardboard or card would be best as it is harder to rip and it would take the weight of the items you put in your basket to make a handle more easily. Be sure that the handle strip is long enough. It is best if it is too long than not long enough, as you can always cut more off. Set aside the strip aside with your eggs.

A construction paper handle isn't super sturdy. So if you have a heavy basket, it's advised to carry the basket from the base and not the handle (or just use card or cardboard). The handle just rounds out the basket's look so you don't HAVE to have one if you don't desire one. Glue the eggs onto the side of the box/basket. Add decorative stickers if desired, including designs such as Easter rabbits, chicks, eggs, and bows etc. If you don't want to freehand your designs, print some templates off the Internet or grab an old Easter coloring book.

If you are the creative person, don't stop there! You could add ribbons to your basket, quilling, fabric, or whatever suits your fancy.

Glue the handle onto the inside of the box. Glue one side at a time and make sure each side is lined up. You may want a stapler but to make sure the staples don't ruin the baskets look, just place a decoration over the staple, obscuring it from view.

Filling the Basket

Fill with grass. The first step to a traditional Easter basket is grass -- that either means cellophane grass (that now comes in a number of colors) or cut up pieces of construction paper. You could even use real grass but ask whoever owns the land you are taking it from for permission first. You don't want to get into trouble!

An alternative to Easter grass could be tissue paper, straw, cotton wool, wool or ribbons. Anything that will offer padding to the base of the basket will do just fine. Add the candy. After all, what's Easter to a child without candy? The standard Easter chocolate or sweet is a large chocolate bunny, some marshmallow Peeps, jelly beans, and other egg shaped candies. But don't forget your child's favorite candy! Whether it's regarding Easter or not, be sure to add something your child enjoys all year round. Add the plastic eggs and small toys. Pop open your plastic eggs and fill them with candy or small trinkets. Then, amidst the candy, place a few goodies that will last longer than a few bites. Some ideas are: Colouring materials Silly putty Doll/action figure Card game DVD Bubbles Temporary tattoos

Arrange aesthetically and hide somewhere in your house. If you're using real eggs that your child dyed, be sure to take them out of the fridge close to the time your child will go about finding the basket. You don't want them to stink! Your child or other house members might discover your plan! If the weather is nice outside, you could have it be part of an Easter egg hunt -- once they find all the eggs inside, they can go outside to find the big treasure! You could empty the basket once your child finds it , and use it as a basket for Easter eggs if there is an egg hunt!

Tips

Run colored construction paper through your document shredder to make your own Easter grass. This is a much safer type of grass for kids and pets, than the cellophane grass sold in stores. Dogs and cats can die from ingesting cellophane grass.

When you put the Easter grass inside the box, be sure that some of it is left showing to make the basket more appealing.

Coat the construction paper wrapping the box with glue; smooth it out and evenly coat the remaining items, such as the eggs and handle, before applying.

Warnings

The handle is mainly for looks. Unless the basket is filled with lightweight stuff, such as jelly beans, or marshmallow eggs, do not carry it by the handle.

Do not use too much glue; it will show and detract from the overall look of the basket.

Things You'll Need

Small empty box or wicker basket Construction paper (your choice of color) Bright color or pastel colored paper for Easter egg shapes Scissors Paper Glue Craft grass Easter design stickers and other embellishments Crayons or art pencils Chocolates and candies Small toys

Related Articles

Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Make_an_Easter_Basket&oldid=320401"