Edible Easter Basket

Wow...I don't know what has come over me lately...but I can't seem to stop making stuff!

I had so much fun today creating this "Edible Easter Basket"! 

I call it my "Frankenstein" craft...because I combined ideas from several different websites to construct my "creation".

But even though there were several sources...overall, it's very easy to put together!

My favorite type of craft. :-)

bethapalooza.blogspot.com

The project that kicked this whole thing off was done by Beth over at BethAPalooza. I just LOVED the idea of "edible" Easter baskets! Not so much because you can EAT them (although that IS a very nice aspect)....but more because you don't have to STORE them! (Except for maybe a few extra pounds stored on your hips.)




I was looking for something a little bit bigger, however, and these Peeps fit the bill perfectly!

I just taped the four boxes together using clear packing tape. Very strong, and almost completely invisible. Worked great.

For the bottom, I simply used a piece of thin cardboard, cut it to size, sprayed the edges with adhesive, and set the basket on top.

ellinee.com

Next I turned to Ellinee for inspiration. I took the cute, braided handle idea off of this tutorial for a Grocery Bag Easter Basket.
I thought it was so unique, I wanted to give it a try. This was definitely the most challenging part of the whole project...but only because there were a few steps involved. It wasn't hard to do.

1. Take one sheet of scrapbook paper (or whatever paper you decided upon.)
2. Fold it into 4 sections, and cut into strips.
3. Take 2 of the strips and tape them together, end-to-end.
4. Now take the long strip and fold it lengthwise in thirds.
5. Then fold it one more time, in half.
6. Repeat two more times. You need 3 long, thin strips to braid.
7. Clip the ends of the 3 pieces together with a clothespin or clip of some sort, and braid.
8. When you reach the end, clip that end also. Then attach to the basket/box with more clear tape.
9. Feel free to use plenty of tape to make it sturdy. The tape will be covered up by the next step. :-)

ellinee.com

The next part of the basket comes from the creative minds at Ellinee as well.

I downloaded the template for their darling Paper Ribbon Bows, printed it, cut the pieces out, and traced them onto some coordinating scrapbook paper I had. I easily got 3 bows out of one piece of scrapbook paper.
Then I attached one bow each to 2 sides of the basket and 1 more box on the top of the handle.

TeachPreschool.org

The final step of my little "Frankenstein" creation was coming up with something to fill the basket!

I found inspiration for making your own Easter grass at this darling website for PRESCHOOL Teachers of all places!

I guess that's just proof that I appreciate the SIMPLE things. :-)





All I did for this final step is drag the paper shredder out of my craft closet and fed a few sheets of scrapbook paper through. Since I didn't really want to "waste" too much of my scrapbook paper on shredding...I first shredded up a few pages of newspaper and stuck that in the bottom, then topped it off with the "good paper" (and a few plastic eggs)....and no one was the wiser! ;-)

And there you have it......

the cutest little "Frankenstein" you ever did see......

a very enjoyable weekend craft.......

and one step closer to being ready for the Easter holiday!

An edible Easter Basket....no STORAGE REQUIRED...is today's.....