Tag Archives: Easter crafts

Tiny Treat Basket

Holiday Crafts, Paper Crafts, Tutorials, , , , , , , , ,
Here is a tiny treat basket I made for Easter. You can adjust the colors and themes to suit any occasion you want.

Here is an easy basket to make out of paper for handing out small treats or using as party favors. Each basket side is about 1 3/4″ square. I made these samples for Easter. The colors I used could also work for other spring occasions such as Mother’s Day, showers or weddings. Change the colors and design motifs for any occasion of your choice throughout the year.

Tools and Materials

Downloadable image file – Tiny Treat Basket
Scissors
Glue stick
Scrap cardstock, such as old file folders
Clean scrap paper
Bone folder or squeegee
Decorative cardstock and paper
Heart punch or other shape punch of your choice
Decorative paper edging scissors
Adhesive dots and/or double-sided tape
Washi/Design tape

Optional extras: basket “grass”, gift tags, embroidery floss, baker’s twine.

Instructions

Download and print out the template Tiny Treat Basket.

Tiny Envelope Treat Basket Template
Tiny Envelope Treat Basket Template
Gluing parts cut from template printout to leftover file folder cardstock to make templates for tracing.
Gluing parts cut from template printout to leftover file folder cardstock to make templates for tracing.

Loosely cut out the basket, handle, and one of the squares out of the printout. Leave a little paper outside the outline when you cut so that you can trim it closer after gluing. Glue the pieces down on the scrap cardstock with a glue stick, burnishing it well with a bone folder or squeegee to get a good tight seal on the glue. Cut out the pieces.

Fold in the flaps and seams to get a crease the fold back out before you use the basket template. Seeing where the folds are will help you make little pencil marks on the back of the tracing in case you need some to indicate where the folds will go.

Next trace around the shapes you just cut out onto some cardstock with pencil. Only one side is going to show when finished, so if your cardstock is double sided make sure your pencil lines are not on the side you want to show.

Trace squares, the basket, and the handle. Each basket uses two squares as shown, but I made four out of each piece of card stock I was using to have extras for making cards and other things later. Another reason it’s good to have extra squares is that if you use decorative cardstock that doesn’t have the same pattern all over, it’s easier to find combinations that you like with a variety to choose from.

Tracing around basket, handle and square shapes on the back of decorative thin cardstock.

I recommend making several baskets at a time – that’s the easiest way to experiment with colors and patterns to get the look you want. You can make them all match each other, or make them all different like I did.

Cut out the basket piece and handle with a plain scissors, and the squares with a decorative scissors. Punch out a bunch of shapes of your choice.

Cut out a bunch of squares with a decorative paper edging scissors and punch out a lot of hearts so you have a lot of choices to work with.

Take a basket cutout, and fold the flaps and basket sides in and out again to make creases. It’s best to fold toward the outside of the basket first before folding inward. The reason for this is that some colored papers have a white core which can show through if there is tearing along the fold. This shows far less if you fold toward the outside first.

Having creases at this stage makes centering the squares and the punched out shapes in the middle of each side of the basket much easier. Glue a square onto two sides of the basket, and a punched shape on the other two. Then glue a punch shape over each square. Place clean scrap paper over all and burnish well.

Here are some of the resulting color and texture combinations.

One layer of card stock is a bit flimsy for this project in my opinion. To make the basket and handle sturdier, I picked a complementary color of solid cardstock and glued it to the reverse side of the basket and handle pieces to make double thickness laminated cardstock. Then I trimmed around the baskets and handles with a scissors.

Now you can assemble the baskets. Place double sided tape on the flaps and fold in and press the basket together like a little box.

Reinforce each basket corner with design tape, also known as washi tape. Florals and butterflies worked really well with my spring theme.

Put adhesive dots or double sided tape on the top side of each end of the handle, then bend and position it in place. Press with your fingers where the adhesive dots are to firmly attach the handle to the insides. If you think the handle needs a bit more support, a piece of design tape over the join on the inside looks nice and makes the handle attachment stronger.

Here are more examples of Tiny Treat Baskets I made for Easter using different color combinations. I used paper scraps from making them to make little tags which I tied on with bakers twine and embroidery thread.

You’re done! Now you can fill the basket and tie on a gift tag if you want to.

Reverse Applique Easter Apron

Art, Fabric and Fiber Arts, Holiday Crafts, Upcycling, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

finished_apron_vertical_webI’ve been wanting to try reverse applique for a long time. I also like piecing together fabric scraps to see what I can make with them. I decided that pieced fabric would be interesting to sew behind the front of an apron with a large Easter Egg shaped cutout on the front. Here is how I did it.

First I gathered together some fabric scraps. I picked out pink, blue and green pastels and decided to add some navy blue and red to the mix also. Why add those colors to the traditional Easter pastels? Right before I started sewing this apron, I stayed for the weekend at a home with a great art collection that included several prints by my all-time favorite artist, Alexander Calder. One of the things he was known for was the use of primary colors with black. Here is a composite of some selections from this collection, with a couple of other artists’ works (Joan Miró and Roy Lichtenstein) thrown in that use similar color schemes.

You never know where inspiration is going to come from!
You never know where inspiration is going to come from!

Here is some of my piecing shown from the back.
Here is some of my piecing shown from the back.

I dyed a pre-made blank canvas apron a very light citron color and I draped my piecing over it to check and see if the colors are ok together. To the front of the pieced section I sewed some translucent yellow trim and a piece of pastel rainbow rick-rack to tie the colors together.
I dyed a pre-made blank canvas apron a very light citron color with Procion dye and I draped my piecing over it to check and see if the colors are ok together. To the front of the pieced section I sewed some translucent yellow trim and a piece of pastel rainbow rick-rack to tie the colors together.

Next I ironed a stabilizer to the back of the pieced section then made a paper egg template. I cut out an egg shape with about a 3/4 inch margin all around.
Next I ironed a stabilizer to the back of the pieced section then made a paper egg template. I cut out a pieced fabric egg shape with about a 3/4 inch margin all around.

I pinned the paper egg template to the front of the apron and taped it to a window so that I could use the light to line up the fabric piece behind the apron. I sewed all around the egg with dark blue embroidery thread then cut out the egg shape from the front to exposed the pieced section.
I pinned the paper egg template to the front of the apron and taped the apron to a window so that I could use the light to line up the fabric piece behind the apron. I sewed all around the egg with dark blue embroidery thread then cut out the egg shape from the front to exposed the pieced section.

The finishing touch on the apron was to sew a row of rick-rack to the top edge of the pockets.

As you can see, I made more pieced fabric than I needed just for this apron. That’s because I have another idea for using more of it. What will it be? I have a pretty wild idea. If it turns out well you’ll see it here on this blog someday!

Easter Card Tutorial

Holiday Crafts, Paper Crafts, Rubber Stamping, Tutorials, , , , , , , , ,

Easter card with rubber stamped and stenciled decoration
Easter card with rubber stamped and stenciled decoration

Here is a project that will help you use up some paper scraps!

Tools and Supplies
Scissors
Decorative paper scraps in pastel and spring colors
Pencil
Paper cutter
Corner rounder
Cardstock
Scoring tool
Folding tool
Masking tape (low-tack type is best)
Sponges
Stencils with interesting background textures
Rubber stamps, including small letter stamps
Rubber stamping ink – black and assorted colors
Heat tool (optional)
Clean scrap paper
Glue stick
Small hole punch
Eyelets
Eyelet setter
Hammer

Instructions

  1. Draw an egg shape 1 3/4″ tall on the back of decorative paper. If you have a die cut, punch or stencil that is around that size you can use that. Cut out egg. If you need inspiration for color schemes, scroll down to the bottom of this article for more samples.
  2. Cut some thin strips out of a contrasting paper and glue them on the front of the egg. Trim the stripes around the edge of the egg shape with scissors.
  3. Cut out a piece of paper 2 1/4 x 2 1/4″ for a background to the egg. Round the corners with a corner rounder. Stamp a textural stamp on part of of the square. In my sample I used a stamp from 7gypsies. Make sure the ink is dry, use a heat tool if necessary to speed it up. Glue the egg onto the square.
  4. Cut an 8 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ inch piece from cardstock for the body of the card. Score down the middle and fold in half.
  5. On the front of the card, sponge some rubber stamping ink in complementary colors through some interesting background stencils. For my samples I used stencils from The Crafters Workshop. Hold the stencil and card in place with masking tape on your work surface if necessary while working.
  6. When ink is dry, stamp a textural rubber stamp along the top and bottom edges in a complementary color of your choice. In my sample I used a stamp from 7gypsies.
  7. Glue the square with the egg on it to the middle of the front of the card.
  8. Stamp two large brackets on either side of the square in black. I used stamps from the set “Memory Craft Helpers” from Carolyn’s Stamp Store.
  9. Cut two strips of paper 3/8″ x 4.25″. Using black ink stamp the word “Happy” in the center of one and “Easter” on the other. I used a stamp set with interchangeable letters to form the words. Randomly stamp a design in black here and there on one or both of the strips. For my samples I used a stamp from 7gypsies that looks like ledger paper. Glue the two strips in place above and below the square with the egg on it.
  10. Punch four holes in the ends of the paper strips and insert an complementary color eyelet in each. Set the eyelets.
  11. You’re done! If you want to make a matching envelope for the card, the free downloadable template “Square Envelope Template” will fit.

Easter cards in a variety of color schemes
Easter cards in a variety of color schemes

Biodegradable Easter Basket Tutorial

Holiday Crafts, Paper Crafts, Rubber Stamping, Tutorials, , , , , , ,

Biodegradeable Easter Basket
Biodegradable Easter Basket

Would you like to make an Easter basket that you can cut apart and bury in the garden when you’re done with it? If growing conditions are right you might even be able to grow some wildflowers!

Tools and Supplies
Biodegradable Easter Basket Template
Laminating sheets (optional)
Scissors
Pencil
Cardstock
Folding tool
Masking tape
Plantable seed paper
Rubber stamps
Rubber stamping ink
Clean scrap paper
Yes Paste
Piece of cut-up credit card
Stiff, short-bristled paintbrush (can be an old one – it’s for spreading glue)
4 clothespins or clips
Small hole punch
Raffia
Gift basket shred

Make the Template

  1. Download and print out the Biodegradable Easter Basket template.
  2. Laminate the parts for durability if desired, and cut out.

Make the Basket

  1. Trace the piece labeled “cardstock piece” on cardstock, and cut out. Make folds where indicated.
  2. Cut a 3″ x 4″ piece from clean scrap paper to use as a mask. Make a loop from masking tape and use it to temporarily tack down the mask piece to what will be the bottom of the basket.
  3. Rubber stamp the basket sides.
  4. Remove mask, and fold up the sides. Apply Yes Paste to tabs and press to the insides of the basket. Hold tabs with clothespins or clips until the glue dries.
  5. Trace the piece labeled “seed paper piece” onto a piece of plantable paper. Fold at the base of the basket. At the top of the flaps, fold in the opposite direction to make a liner.
  6. Spread Yes Paste onto the inside bottom of the basket, and press liner into the bottom.
  7. Spread Yes Paste onto underside of flaps, and press into place on the outside of the basket.
  8. Cut out a piece of cardstock or seed paper that is 1″ x 8.5″. If using cardstock, stamp it with the same color you used on the bottom of the basket.
  9. Cut out a piece of contrasting color seed paper that is .5″ x 8.5″. Glue this strip down the center of the 1″ wide strip to make your handle piece.
  10. With a small hole punch, make holes in lower part of basket and handle piece where indicated on the template.
  11. Line up holes and glue handle to basket. Hold in place with clips if necessary.
  12. Take egg tag template and place on back of seed paper. Trace around with pencil and cut out. Punch two holes in egg where indicated on the template. Fold in half.
  13. Thread raffia through 1/2 of the basket starting at the outside by one of the handles. Leave some trailing ends of raffia. Take another piece of raffia and thread the other half of the basket. Run one of the raffia pieces through the egg shaped tag. Tie ends of raffia together in a bow at the outside of the basket where the handles connect.
  14. Fill with compostable gift basket shred and goodies, and you’re done! After you’re done with the basket, if you want to you can bury it in your garden and if growing conditions are right you might get some new wildflower plants from the seed paper!

Make a Biodegradeable Easter Basket! Class on March 19, 2016

Conservation, Events, Holiday Crafts, Paper Crafts, Rubber Stamping, , , , , , , , , , ,

Biodegradeable Easter Basket
Biodegradeable Easter Basket

Are you interested in celebrating holidays in a more eco-friendly manner? I hope you can join me for my next class at my new Studio! Learn rubber stamping and other paper craft techniques as we make Biodegradeable Easter Baskets. We will use plantable seed paper and other compostable materials to make Easter baskets that you can bury in the garden after use! If growing conditions are right you may be able to grow some flowers too! Supplies are included in the class price.

I will have paper, cardstock, seed paper, templates, rubber stamps, ink, stamp pads, paper cutters, stamp mounting blocks, tape, glue and other tools and supplies available for you to use during the class. If you have any of the following tools or supplies, it would be helpful to bring them – there will be less wait to use tools if participants bring some – but it’s not a requirement. If you bring tools please mark them to indicate ownership.

Optional tool and supply list:
Clean scrap paper
Bone folder
Metal ruler
Pencil
Eraser
Rubber stamps
Stamping ink pads and re-inkers
Acrylic stamp mounting blocks
Double-sided tape
Paper cutter
Small hole punch
Scissors
Glue stick
Masking tape

If you have any questions about the class please feel free to contact me.

Class: Biodegradeable Easter Basket
Date: March 19, 2016
Time: 1-4 pm
Location: Studio:art, 7403 Manchester Road, Maplewood MO, 63143
Cost: $17 if paid in advance, $25 day of class
Signup form: www.carolynsstampstore.com/catalog/class_signup.php

If you choose to pay ahead of time to get the discount for pre-paying, I will send you a PayPal invoice via email. Alternately if you prefer to pay by Square I can take your information over the phone. Credit card processing at the studio will be with Square. Beginners are welcome. Children under 18 must be enrolled with a parent as I think parents are best able to judge their child’s ability level and what tools they should be allowed to use.

Supplies for the class are included in the class price. I will have some paper crafting supplies available for purchase the day of the class in case you see anything you want to add to your stash but you will not need to purchase anything additional to make the class project.