Making a Paper Easter Basket

To make an Easter basket, you can use either construction paper or an old shoe box with a lid. If you use construction paper, you will need scissors, stapler, pencil, ruler and markers or crayons or whatever else you want to use for embellishment. Before anything, cut a thin strip of the paper. This will be your handle. Measure out a square with a ruler in the middle of the paper and draw a square on it with a pencil.

Then, in the middle of each side, cut slits all the way to the square. Bring one side up and put two of the slit sides (one on each side) together and staple in the middle. If the sides overlap too much, cut a little until you have even flaps that fit together right. Do the same with each side. Then staple your handle piece on each side. Make sure when you staple that the open sides of the staples are on the inside. You can also put clear tape over the open sides of the staples to prevent scratching. If you are using a shoebox, you will need one shoebox with a lid, scissors, stapler, and whatever you want to use to decorate. Cut out a strip of the lid. Then, staple the strip on each side.

You can decorate the outside of the shoebox with cheap border or contact paper and/or tie ribbon on each side of the handle or put tied ribbons around the perimeter (you may need hot glue for this). Just make sure that you put also put it on the strip that you use for the handle. Put in it candy, books, toys, stuffed animals, etc. When using the stapler, be careful with your fingers. I've stapled mine a few times.

By Doreen from Owasso, OK