The snow’s melting, the birds are singing, and Easter is right around the corner—you know what that means, don’t you? It’s time to shake off the chill of winter and get into the spirit of springtime with a few [Do It Yourself] DIY crafts that the whole family can enjoy!
While there are plenty of cute store bought Easter decorations out there, it’s always more meaningful (and easier on the pocket book) to spend time with your loved ones and create something that you’ll remember for years to come. Whether you’re looking to add a touch of springtime joy to your entrance way, staircase, or the mantle in your living room, we’ve got just what you’re looking for.
- Sweet and Simple
Most of the materials that you’ll need are so easy to find, you’ll probably already have them on hand. For anything that you’re missing, you can easily find them by visiting your local thrift store, or stock up on your paper, ribbons, and more at Paper Mart. Let’s get started!
- Easter Buntings
While most store bought Easter decorations feature bunnies and chicks, I have a thing for carrots, and I love making carrot buntings out of felt, burlap, or construction paper. That’s the beauty of DIY projects. Not only can you save money and make memories that you’ll cherish forever, but you have the ultimate freedom when it comes to designs.
While I like making cute carrot buntings, you have the freedom to use whatever design you want, from construction paper bunny silhouettes with cotton ball tails, to polka dot, chevron, and paisley Easter eggs made from old pillowcases and sheets. At the end of the day, it’s all about creating a design that your family will love.
Supplies You’ll Need:
● Your material of choice for the main design (felt, burlap, paper, etc.)
● A pair of scissors
● A ribbon or string
● A hot glue gun or sewing kit
● Anything you like to add a decorative touch (cotton balls, acrylic paint, markers, glitter, etc.)
All you have to do is cut out your preferred designs, either by eye or by using a stencil. If you opt for construction paper designs, it’s easy to hot glue your finished project onto string. If you’ve paired together felt and ribbon, you could choose to sew the design onto the ribbon instead. It all depends on your personal preference. Once you’re done cutting out your shapes, and your kids are done decorating them to their hearts’ content, all you have to do is tie them up!
- Plastic Egg Garland
When you have kids, chances are that you have quite a few bags of outdated plastic Easter eggs in storage. If by some chance you’ve used all of yours up, it’s easy to find more at second hand stores.
One of my favorite ways to put these old decorations to use is by transforming them into something new, like a festive springtime garland. Similar to how you would string popcorn together for a DIY Christmas garland, we’re going to put an Easter spin on the age-old idea by stringing together plastic Easter eggs.
When I make my plastic egg garlands, I like to stick to only one or two egg colors per string, and while pastels are always a springtime favorite, you can choose whichever color combos you and your child want! All you have to do is string the eggs together from top to bottom and tie them up! For an extra special touch, use a colorful ribbon to tie them up, or tie them with string and cover the knots with paper or yarn pom-poms.
- Plastic Egg Wreaths
Another way that I like to put old plastic eggs to use is by creating wreaths. Not only are they super easy to make, but with a little bit of paint, you can make your wreath match any theme. Paint them in pastels, go for a bright, neon rainbow, or—my favorite—create your own nest of robin’s eggs!
Supplies You’ll Need for the Robin’s Nest Wreath:
For the wreath base, all you need is:
● A wire coat hanger
● Wire cutters
● Florist’s wire
● A bundle of little twigs or straw (natural or artificial)
OR:
● A pre-made grapevine wreath from your local craft store.
For the robin’s eggs, you’ll need:
● Plastic eggs
● Primer spray paint
● Light blue spray paint
● Gold glitter or brown acrylic (your choice)
● Paint brush or old toothbrush (your choice)
● A hot glue gun
- Putting The Wreath Together
If you opt to make the base wreath yourself, start by cutting the hook of the coat hanger off and then work the remainder into a circle. Cover the base wire with the florist’s wire and once you’ve come full circle, secure the end of each stick (or small bundle of straw) to the base with more florist’s wire. Once you’ve covered the entire coat hanger with the nesting materials, it’s time to add the eggs. To skip these steps, you could also opt for a pre-made grapevine wreath that you can find in most craft stores.
To get the robin’s egg look, simply paint the plastic eggs that you have on hand with the primer, and then paint them with the baby blue spray paint once it’s dry. To finish them off, speckle them with gold glitter or brown acrylic paint (depending on your preference) using a paintbrush or an old toothbrush. Once they dry completely, attach them to the twig wreath with your hot glue gun.
- Get Crafty!
With how open ended and affordable these DIY Easter decoration ideas are, I know that your family will love coming back to them time and time again with new designs and color schemes in mind. Who knows, they may even become a yearly tradition! Now, go get crafty!
Source:
Carolyn Clarke
Author Bio: Carolyn Clarke is a freelance writer from Omaha, Nebraska. She has written for clients like Demand Media and the Omaha World-Herald. When she isn’t working on DIY projects with her two daughters, Lauryn and Lila, she’s volunteering at her local pet shelter.
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