Lets face it: older kids want things. Sure, young kids do too, but when theyre so young that they have a limited vocabulary, they cant ask for all that much! At Easter, kids expect candies, toys, gift certificates and more in their baskets, but very young kids havent learned about the many goodies they could get just yet! Enjoy those young years now, because in the very near future, your young child will be asking for way too much just like every other kid on the planet. For now, your child will be happy to find a basket with goodies in it - period! The great thing about that is you already have the basket. Its in your refrigerator! Large, plastic margarine bowls are perfect for making a young childs basket. They arent too large; not too small. Yes, a butter bowl can easily be made into a fabulous Easter basket and no one will know what the basket used to be! Its really easy and fun to make so empty the butter bowl, wash and dry it well, then get started on the cute basket! The type of fabric you choose will make all the difference in how the Easter basket will look when finished. Felt is perfect for covering the inside of the bowl. Use felt that closely matches the material you use on the outside of the basket. This will make it easier to blend the outside and inside fabrics together around the rim of the bowl. Start by drawing around the bottom of the bowl, onto the felt, then cutting out the circle.
Spray adhesives make it easy to affix the fabric to the plastic bowl quickly. Position the circle of felt in the bottom of the bowl and allow to dry while you cut the piece of fabric for the inside walls of the basket. Because of the shape of the bowl its important that you cut the inside fabric slightly wider, and slightly longer, than you actually need. You can later cut off any excess material. Measure the height of the bowl and add a couple of inches. Measure around the bowl, and again, add a couple of inches to the figure.
To prevent gumming up your scissors with adhesives spray the glue onto the fabric but leave several inches at the end, that has no glue. Position the cloth inside the bowl, smooth the adhesive side of the felt against the bowl, then trim anything left over at the end. When the material is cut to the proper length use the spray adhesive to secure the end of the felt. You should have a couple of inches of felt sticking up above the bowl. Fold it over the bowl and glue to the outside rim. If the felt is difficult to fold over, make a few cuts around the top, then fold it over. The cuts should not go all the way to the rim. After the glue has dried you can create the outside of the basket. Covering the outside of the bowl with fur will help you easily hide any mistakes. Youll find fur in baby colors of pink or blue, or in animal prints and other shades at most stores that sell fabric. First, cut a circle of felt and glue it to the outside bottom of the bowl. As you did with the felt, cut the fur slightly longer than the actual measurement. For the height - or width - of the fur cut an exact measurement of how tall the bowl is. If you want to allow an extra inch for security, and cut off the excess later, you can do so. A womans headband makes a great handle. Since theyre available in many colors, widths and types, youll be able to find one for a girls or a boys theme. You have many other options for a handle including a piece of hard plastic covered in fabric, a wide ribbon, or even a piece of a narrow belt. Staples work great to hold most handles in place but you can also use adhesives or other methods to secure. When the handle is in place simply wrap the fur around the bowl. Spray adhesive over a small area, from top to bottom of bowl, then press the fur into place. It can be helpful to place the bowl on its side, on a towel, to keep it from rolling. The fur will go over the area where the handles are attached so make sure the handles are positioned very close to the top. Trim any excess fur and the Easter basket is complete. Fill it with goodies and I can p
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