Easter Crafts

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How to Make a Paper Easter Basket

by Jane Lake

These delightful homemade paper Easter baskets will deliver the goods on Easter morning. They are simple enough for young children to do, but are so practical that you'll want to make your own for all kinds of other occasions as well. All you need is stiff paper or thin poster board, a couple of paper fasteners for each basket, and decorations.

Paper Easter Basket

Supplies:

stiff paper, construction paper, thin card or poster board. Your choice of paper will determine how sturdy the basket will be.

pencil, ruler and scissors

brass paper fasteners

Optional Decorations:

Try lace, sequins, rick rack, markers, paint, decals, stickers, craft foam cut-outs, woodsies, charms, or whatever else suits the occasion and your design plan.

Paper Easter Basket

Instructions:

Decide the base size of the basket. The one shown has a 3" base, but when assembled measures approximately 5" long and 4" wide.

Measure and draw a square three times larger than your base. For a 3" inch base, draw a 9" inch square. Divide the square into nine equal squares, as shown in Figure 1.

Measure and cut out a handle. It will need to be about one-quarter to one-third longer than the length of your square. For a 9" square, cut a 12" to 15" handle, about a half inch to three quarter inches wide. If you're making a larger basket, adjust the width of the handle to suit.

You can decide how upright or how widespread you want the basket to be by adjusting the position of the ends; in this example, by adjusting the position of "A," "C," "D" and "F." Once the position is established, mark a spot on the center end pieces ("B" and "E") where the paper fastener will go. Remember the fastener will have to go through all three of the folded ends. See Figure 2.

Pierce the paper in this spot (I used the point of some sharp scissors, but you could also use a knitting needle). You will need to pierce each of the three folded ends in the spot that you want the paper fastener to go. Children will need adult assistance for this part in the procedure.

Pierce the handle, about a half inch in from either end. Place the paper fastener first through the two folded-in ends ("A" and "C," "D and "F"), then through the handle, and finally through the upright folded end ("B" and "E").

Your basket is complete! It is actually more complicated to describe than it is to do, and the possible variations in decoration mean you could use this basic design for Valentine's Day, Christmas, Mother's Day...or any other occasion for which you need a small, lightweight basket to present a gift.

Why not populate your new paper basket with a few Pom-pom easter chicks, which are easy for the kids to make - or print out some Printable Easter Baskets to hold a single decorated Easter egg for each of your dinner guests on Easter Sunday?