Easy Easter crafts you can make with the things in your house (really!)

By Stacie Gaetz

You may not know it by looking outside yet, but chicks and bunnies are about to make their appearance.

If not in your yard (because of the mounds of snow!), chances are the little critters are showing up in decorations, baskets and even some early Easter treats in your home.

If these adorable creatures haven’t made their appearance at your house yet, no need to worry, there are many ways to make them with items you already have around the house. Seriously, these activities do not require any trips to the store – at all.

Bonus: making these crafts will keep your little bunnies busy for a while so you can get some other things done.

Fun flowers

Cut cupcake liners into the shape of flowers, give them a construction paper stem and a jewel, stamp or sticker in the middle. Voila! A garden of beautiful blooms!

Similarly, a few creative cuts in an egg carton can transform it into a beautiful daffodil, with the help of some yellow paint.

Other ideas for easy floral creations include dipping a plastic fork in paint and pressing it on paper like a stamp for a tulip – just give it a stem. Painting some flowers, grass and birds on the windows of your house with window paint can show your neighbors how you are springing into the season.

Easter wreaths

These can be created out of almost anything… from artificial flowers to candies to pom poms and a set of construction paper ears. Of course, you can go out and buy a metal or foam wreath from the craft or dollar store, but you can also just use a bent metal hangar from a closet or use paper or cardboard. Then let your imagination go wild! Not feeling creative? No worries, there’s a YouTube video for that.

Bunny banners

(Okay, they don’t have to be bunnies). A festive banner can be made from construction paper or doilies cut into eggs, chicks, carrots or bunnies (just remember to add the pom-pom tails!). If you have a neutral banner that was used for another occasion, save some money (and time spent cutting out shapes) by flipping it over and adding the letters for “Happy Easter” to the other side. Just add some Easter stickers or draw some flowers to make it fit the occasion.

Baskets

You can use any baskets you have around the house (including your children’s Easter baskets) and fill them with decorated eggs (real or fake), real or artificial flowers, fake grass, stuffed bunnies and chicks, and anything else you can think of. Put these on the surfaces of your house and you are ready for the bunny to visit. Pro tip: If you happened to break one or two (or more!) of your beautifully decorated eggs, don’t sweat it. Simply put a tea light or small sprigs of flowers like baby’s breath in the eggshell (with some water) and you’ve turned your trash into treasure.

Easter tree

This is a great idea for almost any holiday that your kids get excited about and countdown the days until. All you need is a branch or stick and a pot or vase. You can paint the stick or leave it plain, put it in the pot with some sand, aquarium jewels, rocks or foam peanuts to hold it in place. Then cut out paper eggs (or bunnies or chicks or all three) and punch a hole in the top of each. Tie on a string loop and write numbers for how many days you are going to countdown until Easter. Hang them on the tree and them let your kids take one off each day. If you want to add a bit of an advent calendar feel to the activity, let them trade in the shape for a very small treat (like a fun-sized box of Smarties) each day.

Bunny balloons

This idea is new to me this year and I think it adorable. Simply blow-up balloons and add construction paper bunny ears to them. Feel free to add a face out of construction paper or drawn on the balloon with marker and a cotton tail. Then let your kids have at ‘em. They can bop them back and forth with badminton rackets or play pass the balloon or you can give them their own lucky rabbit’s feet and let them stand on a table for decoration.

Decorating for Easter doesn’t have to be expensive or a lot of work. There are many crafts and activities that you and your kids can do together using items you already have around the house.

So get crackin’