How to Make Your Own Easter Baskets

Easter baskets are the traditional Easter gift from parent or grandparent to child. Store-bought versions of these baskets are usually overpriced wicker handled baskets stuffed with "Easter grass" filler and some small toys and sugary sweets. By making your own baskets at home, you can save money and create a truly personal gift without all the messy filler.

Basket Ideas

The first step in making your own Easter basket is finding a suitable basket. Start by thinking out of the box - or the basket! While a wicker or woven basket is fine, there's no reason to limit yourself. What about a bathroom caddy, filled with hair products, little clips and a new lip gloss? How about a sand pail, filled with outside toys like bubbles, a sand shovel and sidewalk chalk?

Let your imagination run wild. From a printed gift bag to a ceramic planter to a plastic mixing bowl, anything can serve as your "basket". You can also make your own Easter baskets.

The woven basket is a simple and child-friendly craft. Save the plastic mesh-like containers used to store strawberries or mushrooms at the grocery store. Wash and dry thoroughly. Then, using different colored ribbons or narrowly cut strips of paper, weave them in and out of the holes in the basket. Attach each end by tucking it in and applying a drop of glue (a hot glue gun works great for this).

Even simpler is the square paper basket. Cut a perfect square about 10"x10" out of a piece of poster board or construction paper. Reserve the remaining section to make the handle. Fold over each corner to form an edge, and staple together. Once all four corners are stapled, cut a one-inch strip out of the matching paper and affix with a stapler on either side of the basket. If your kids feel like decorating, give them the square (before folding and stapling) along with crayons, markers, stickers, glitter and glue. Their creation is sure to be dazzling and much more appealing that a generic store-bough basket.

Fillings

Since you are making your own baskets, there is no need to stick to the same, boring chocolate candies and little plastic toys. Think about your child (or the basket recipient) and tailor your basket to his or her interests.

Is your son really into horses? Go the dollar store and pick up some horse stickers, a horse-themed coloring book and box of new crayons, a horse stuffed animal and a DVD about horses. If you can't find horse-friendly chocolate, try including some candied apples and baby carrots - favorite horse treats!

What if your daughter has just started ballet? Include a new pair of ballet slippers and some sweet ballet clips for her hair. Maybe make her a tutu, an quick and easy craft with a spool of toile and a hot glue gun. Wrap it all up in a new pink backpack - aka "basket" - that she can use to carry her ballet wear to class.

Looking for additional Easter Craft ideas? Visit our Holiday Arts and Crafts website for holiday ideas.

Easter Craft Projects

Craft Project: Little Lamb

Craft Project: Torn Paper Easter Bunny

Craft Project: Easter Bunny

Craft Project: Painting Easter Eggs

Craft Project: Bunny Ears

Craft Project: Bunny Easter Basket

Easter Coloring Pictures

Coloring Picture: Easter Bunny 4

Coloring Picture: Easter Egg 3

Coloring Picture: Easter Egg 1

Coloring Picture: Easter Bunny & Egg 2

Coloring Picture: Easter Egg 2

Coloring Picture: Easter Bunny

Coloring Picture: Easter Chick

Visit our holiday craft site, Holiday Arts & Crafts on the Net, for more Easter and all your holiday crafts. Do you have a great holiday craft project? Easily share your holiday crafts with us @ Holiday Arts & Crafts on the Net.

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Comments

tasha neel

12:47 04/21/2008

 

why do people hunt for eggs

cerys halford and tamsyn halford

11:04 03/22/2008

 

you can not make and do a lot of stuff for easter off this website put like easter cards on please.

taylor robison

15:40 03/15/2008

 

i want a hannah montana shirt and poster and i want 2 half of pounds of hersheys and picture of the jonas brothers and some candy

Brette Thornton

21:33 03/09/2008

 

I want a 2 half of pounds of hersheys and a king size reeses because i gave candy up for Jesus.