An Easter Basket Treat

An Easter Basket by Neil Burley

It's quite a challenge to be on a design team sometimes - how to make something for Easter without a set of Easter stamps... in pastels... But after a few hours and a trip to the local store for some Mini Eggs, I created this fabulous Easter Basket. A (rather long!) tutorial follows - but if keeping your stamps intact is important to you, don't read on ;)

Firstly, you'll need the Wow! SW Merry and Bright Christmas clear stamp set. I took the Christmas Tree, and using a sharp knife I vandalised it, removing the trunk in a way that allowed it to be placed back if required. Alternatively, you could try masking it off when stamping, or wiping any ink off it before stamping. I just found it easier to take it off. In this way it becomes a texture/decorative stamp, alternating it up and down to fill an area.

Next, download my Easter Basket template from my blog and print onto a thick paper/thin card.

Firstly, take a moment to familiarise yourself with the template. The basket is in the middle, the handle at the bottom, and the flowers fill in the space. Now check the tabs - the two on the bottom of the 'wings' attach to the adjacent sides of the square base. The two on the outer edges of the 'wings' attach to the sides marked with the asterisks. More on this later. Now cut out the basket around the solid lines.

Once you have cut out the basket, score the dotted lines - I used a ruler and embossing tool.

Fold the tabs up and against the sides, then turn over the basket. Cover the unprinted side completely with clear embossing ink.

Cover completely with Wow! Pastel Yellow Embossing Powder, holding by the edges.

Heat set the embossing powder.

Next, we're adding the decorative circles on the bottom half of the basket. I used an overly complex masking technique - feel free to copy, or find some masking tape! Stamp the circles (remember the vandalised Christmas Tree?) in clear embossing ink, and add Wow! Pastel Purple Embossing Powder as you go so that you can see where you've been! The stamp lines up nicely when used pointing up and down alternately. Heat set each side in turn.

Next, stamp lines of asterisks (from the same stamp set) in clear embossing ink and Wow! Pastel Peach Embossing Powder along the top edge of the circles. Heat set as you go.

Once you've done that, flip over the basket and ink up and heat set a layer of Wow! Pastel Yellow Embossing Powder along the top edge of the inside (printed) surface of the basket - this is the bit visible above the eggs and 'twigs' in the basket.

Using double-sided sticky tape, attach the tabs to the base first and then flip up the side to fasten the remaining tabs (they're the asterisked ones on the template). You should now have a completed basket base.

Decorate the handle in the same way as the basket. Attach to the basket sides with double-sided sticky tape, overlapping by about an inch each side.

Cut out all the flowers, and emboss the large and medium ones in Wow! Purple Glow Embossing Glitter. Emboss the small flowers in Wow! Easter Sparkle Embossing Glitter.

Assemble the flowers - I used foam pads between each layer. Other adhesives are available!

Attach the flowers to the basket using foam pads or double-sided sticky tape. I added a dot of Lavender Stickles - but you could try some Wow! Purple Glitz Embossing Glitter instead if you have some. That's the basket completed!

Feel free to add whatever contents you wish, but the next steps show you how to make your own twigs.

Take three pages out of an old book - make sure the pages are absorbent and no longer needed. Spritz with water and then apply various brown coloured distress inks directly to both sides of the page. Blend the colours with a baby wipe.

Dry each page completely.

Finally, find a paper shredder and run the pages through them. It helps if you have an empty bin underneath to catch your perfect twigs.

Now all there is to do is pile the twigs in your basket and hold off eating the Mini Eggs until you've filled the basket! My top tip - buy two packs ;)

WOW! Shopping List:

• Wow! SW Merry and Bright Christmas clear stamp set
• Wow! Pastel Yellow Embossing Powder
• Wow! Pastel Purple Embossing Powder
• Wow! Pastel Peach Embossing Powder
• Wow! Purple Glow Embossing Glitter
• Wow! Easter Sparkle Embossing Glitter
• Wow! Purple Glitz Embossing Glitter