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How to Make Your Own Easter Baskets

By Holly Campbell

Easter baskets are often better gifts when they have been personalized; it shows that the thoughtful giver cares enough to send the recipient a part of herself or himself in that custom made Easter basket. Putting together Easter gifts baskets is an incredibly fun and easy project if you know where to begin. And, here are some really creative ideas to get you started.

Easter Baskets Ideas

1. Get a Basket
Do you have any nice baskets, perhaps one left over from a previous season’s gift baskets, lying in the house? If not, go to your local craft store and get a raw or plain one. Those made with a darker straw material can lend themselves to classier-looking gift baskets.

It is not much of a problem getting baskets for girls but boys may not appreciate keeping an Easter basket around throughout the year. So any type of storage bin will do. You can always fill it with hay or tissue and wrapped in cellophane wrap to create a more “boyish” feel.

Alternatively, think out of the box and save a bit money at the same time. You can make pretty baskets by recycling unwanted materials in your home. A milk carton or a folded paper plate with holes punched on each sides, dressed up with bright colored ribbons and cellophane papers makes a cute basket for young kids.

I made a simple “paper bag” basket for a close friend who’s a huge fan of Peter Rabbit and she absolutely loved it! I printed out floral templates and transferred them onto the bag. Then my eight year old decorated it using stickers and cartoon rabbit shoelaces instead of those oh-so-common store-bought decorative ribbons for a truly unique “basket”.

2. Filling the Basket
Start with a specific theme that unifies the contents in your Easter basket. For example, if your recipient is a wine lover, you might want to place a nice set of wine glasses and a bottle of their favorite wine in the basket, padded with fluffy napkins at the bottom.

A coffee lover will appreciate a coffee themed basket with mugs, some gourmet coffee, and maybe throw in a pack of rich butter cookies as well. If the gift basket is intended for someone who loves gardening, then pack some seeds, a small spade and a pair of good quality gardening gloves. It’s also a good idea to toss a bottle of suncreen and hand cream in the basket.

If you are making one for the kids, why not surprise them with stickers of their favourite characters and foam figurines integrated into the basket? You can add endearing gifts such as stuffed animals, hand puppets, little toys and small books. Crayons, bubbles, and egg shaped Play Dough can also be included for young children. Don’t forget the chocolate eggs, jelly beans and lollipops!

3. Decorating Ideas
There are many ways to decorate easter baskets and they can be made to look professionally done with a few basic low-cost supplies. One essential tool is your glue gun which is required to secure embellishments. In addition, you will also need to buy some shrink wrap for baskets or coloured cellophane wrap to cover the baskets with.

Don’t be afraid to get creative. You can embellish your homemade Easter gift basket with decorations or images of bunnies, eggs, or chicks. Better yet, add some variety like lighly crunched up foil wrappers (shiny coverings for candies), or stick tiny flowers to the basket.

A curly ribbon cascading down the front can be taped to the outside Easter basket wrap for a nice finished touch.

Making your own gift basket is an enjoyable and rewarding project for a lazy afternoon. Besides, it does not have to be strictly for Easter. Have fun!

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