Easter: Baskets, Grass, Eggs... and Neuroses

Hi, my name is Jessica and I have a problem. I can't leave well enough alone. Why did I get caught up in this unnecessary Easter basket makeover project the week before having a baby? Who knows. Sometimes making things just gets a little compulsive. I'm sure some of you can relate. This craft blogging thing is really one big support group for a very neurotic bunch. It feels good to admit.

I found these baskets for the kids in the dollar section at Target. They are not spectacular, but really are a pretty cute find. They didn't need a makeover, but in my neurotic state I decided they did. 

I was inspired by Delia Creates to spray paint them. Her painted gray baskets look awesome. I had this yellow paint that didn't work for another project. Turns out it didn't work for this one either. So no thanks, I don't want the Easter baskets looking like a fungus-infected toenail. 

Thankfully, I also had some red paint leftover from this project. At first, I thought I wouldn't like it because it's not exactly the most Easter-y color. But after I made the gray liner I loved the color combo. It's a manly basket. And I was actually smart enough to leave the girly one nude. 

To make the liners I just used the old ones as a pattern to figure it out and added the bias tape trim. And even though it was completely unnecessary, I do love the way they look now. Hopefully, they can be used for many more years. 

Now a word about Easter grass. It's evil. Everyone knows it. Does anyone even buy that stuff anymore? You end up still finding pieces of it around the house in October. Good grief. But my baskets are quite deep, and goodness knows I'm not filling them with that many goodies. I need some kind of filler. 

We recently got a new coffee maker that uses special filters, so we have about 200 of these lovely unbleached ones sitting in the pantry. 

DIY it:

1. Take 3-4 filters at a time and separate the edges out, but keep them stacked. 

2. Cut between every second ridge, leaving about an inch of uncut area in the middle.

3. Bring the fringy stuff together like a flower and staple at the bottom. 

Fluff them up and it only takes a few to fill up a basket. I used five of these quick clusters. And the best part is, they are in units that are big enough to locate and dispose of. They won't be migrating around your home well into the yuletide. Well, unless you have the kind of home that appears on Hoarders or something... then you really should find a support group, the non-virtual kind.


Now the baskets are ready for the kids' bunnies and a few small treats. We just need to decorate some eggs. I'm thinking we'll try this method. How do you do your eggs?

Lamp Makeover

I bought this funky lamp on Craigslist a couple of years ago for $15. I kind of loved the ugliness of it, but also knew I wanted to paint over that striped avocado eventually. Nesting urgency made it happen.


I had to use lots of coats of this slightly metallic cappuccino-colored spray paint because of that weird bumpy texture. But I wanted to keep the base the same color, so I utilized this secret substance:

Play-do. I taped down some magazine pages around most of the base, but then squished soft play-do in the recessed part. It worked like a charm. How very resourceful. 

After the painting, I ripped the old yellowed fabric off the plastic part of the shade and recovered it with this wordy fabric from Ikea. I just used spray adhesive. Then I used mod-podge to stick on gray quilt binding for the trim. We love the results!

Another project to join in :)