The Easter season provides one of the year\u2019s best opportunities for making fun and fabulous crafts that you can use to decorate your home and to make the Easter season even more fun for your kids (as if bunnies, candies, and chocolate weren\u2019t fun enough!).\u00a0 This paper mach\u00e9 basket is a craft that is easily adaptable for any age and any skill level.\u00a0 Kids love to make paper mach\u00e9 because it\u2019s really easy to get messy and it\u2019s really fun to do and they can paint them however they want.\u00a0 Paper mach\u00e9, however, is not just for kids and for crafts that look like kids made them!\u00a0 You can also take paper mach\u00e9 to the next level, and make a very nice and professional basket out of paper mach\u00e9 yourself with a high quality paint job and paper mach\u00e9 molding job.<\/p>\n
How to make a paper mach\u00e9 Easter basket<\/strong> Instructions for creating a paper mach\u00e9 basket<\/em> Now that you have finished painting your Easter egg basket, let the paint dry fully.\u00a0 Once the paint has dried, then you can fill up the basket with treats and with toys.\u00a0 If you have made the basket particularly sturdy, then it serves as a really fun basket for going Easter egg hunting with.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\nMaterials needed for a paper mach\u00e9 Easter basket:<\/em>
\n1.balloon
\n2.\u00a0 newspaper
\n3.\u00a0 one container of white glue
\n4.\u00a0 poster or tempra paint
\n5.\u00a0 a paintbrush<\/p>\n
\n1.\u00a0 Prepare your paper mach\u00e9 paste following any directions for paper mach\u00e9 paste.
\n2.\u00a0 Blow up a balloon.
\n3.\u00a0 Tear up the newspaper into strips that are about one inch wide.\u00a0 These strips can be as long as you want them to be, but they do need to be approximately one inch wide.
\n4.\u00a0 Dip the newspaper into the paper mach\u00e9 paste.\u00a0 Then run the paper through your fingers to remove any excess paste that is on the newspaper.
\n5.\u00a0 Now cover up half of the balloon in newspaper.\u00a0 Use no more than 4 layers of newspaper.
\n6.\u00a0 Now put two strips of newspaper on the other half of the balloon.\u00a0 These two strips are going to form the handle of your paper mach\u00e9 basket.
\n7.\u00a0 Now scrunch up some regular newspaper and line a bowl with it.\u00a0 Put the balloon in the bowl so that the paper mach\u00e9 can dry.\u00a0 Let the paper mach\u00e9 dry completely.
\n8.\u00a0 Once the paper mach\u00e9 has completely dried, put a new layer over everything.\u00a0 You want two layers of paper mach\u00e9 so that your basket will be sturdy enough to carry all of those Easter eggs!
\n9.\u00a0 If you want a different texture, or if you want a finer texture, then it is a good idea to cover your basket with a final layer of white computer paper.
\n10.\u00a0 Now that you have the paper mach\u00e9 part done, it\u2019s time to paint your Easter basket.\u00a0 Keep in mind that you will need at least two layers of paint to cover up all of the newspaper.\u00a0 You can either do a base layer of paint, and then cover up that color with another one.\u00a0 Or you can paint the whole thing in various colors.\u00a0 This part of the basket making process is the best time to let your kids\u2019 creativity shine.\u00a0 They love mixing their own paint colors and deciding where to put their different paint colors, so let them have a ball!<\/p>\n