Getting Crafty This Easter

Easter is a great time to get in touch with your creative side by crafting with family and friends. The lovely guys and girls at Hobbycraft have shared some great crafting ideas that anyone can do with a little time and imagination.

Easter Bunting – This is a great way to decorate your home or garden during the holidays. Bunting looks festive on a fireplace, banister or even around your garden fence during an Easter egg hunt. This unique style of bunting injects some fun and colour into your celebrations. However, it is worth bearing in mind that it takes a few hours to create so it would  make a great long term  project. Consider breaking up some of the activities over a few days to keep your kids occupied during the Easter break. As the bunting is made from wool, you can add to it each year – making it a lovely Easter tradition.

Craft ability: Suitable for intermediates

Estimated time: 4 hours

You will need: Fillable plastic eggs, Black permanent pen, Strong glue, Foam sheets in white pink, yellow and grey, Pastel pom poms, Yellow pipe cleaners, Felt sheets (two of each colour in yellow, white and purple) and White wool.

To make the bunnies:

1. Cut out the outer and inner ear pieces, the nose and the feet from foam sheets.
2. Glue the inner ear (pink) onto the outer ear and leave to dry. Once dry, glue onto the top of the egg.
3. Now glue the pink nose onto the front of the egg and the feet onto the bottom. When the glue has dried, use a black pen to draw on the eyes and nose detail.
4. Finally, glue a pom pom to the back of the egg for the tail.

To make the chicks:

5. Begin by cutting out the feet, wings and beak pieces out of yellow foam.
6. To make the legs, cut a pipe cleaner in half and thread it through the holes at the bottom of the egg. Twist the pipe cleaner and press flat on the inside of the egg. Push the foam feet onto the end of the pipe cleaners and fold over the tip of the cleaner to secure the feet in place.
7. Glue the wings onto the side of the eggs. A top tip is to make sure you glue the wings on the bottom half of the egg and not over the middle so the egg can still be opened and filled.
8. Glue the nose piece in the middle of the egg.
9. Using a black permanent pen draw on the eyes.

Assembling the bunting:

10. To make the bunting flags, draw a symmetrical diamond (ours measured 16cm in height and 8cm in width) on paper for a template. Pin to the felt sheets and cut out 11 pieces.
11. To assemble the bunting, fold the triangles over and glue together, leaving a gap along the top of each triangle so it can be threaded onto the wool.
12. Assemble the garland by using a large needle. Thread on pom poms, bunting flags and creatures. Spread out evenly and hang.

Cardboard Tube Animals – This is a quick craft to make with children. Stimulate your children’s imagination by encouraging them to put on an Easter themes show with their new creations. You can also fill these animals with chocolates and treats to either give as gifts.

Craft Ability: Suitable for beginners.

Estimated time: Around 30 minutes for each animal.

You will need: Cardboard tube, Acrylic paint in white and yellow, Felt in white, yellow, orange and pink, Black and orange felt pen, Foam sheets in yellow, pink and white,  Strong glue, Green pipe cleaners, Yellow feathers and Pink and white pom poms.

How to make a bunny:

1. Paint the tubes with two coats of white paint.
2. Cut out the ears, using white felt for the outer ear and pink felt for the inner ear. Glue the pink part onto the white and leave to dry.
3. Glue the ears in place onto the back of the tube at the top.
4. Draw around the tube on a sheet of white foam and add feet shapes. Cut these out and glue onto the base of tube.
5. Cut a rounded strip of white felt for the arms measuring 17cm long. Dot a bit of glue in the middle and attach the arms to the back of the tube. Then use a dab of glue to stick the paws together.
6. Glue a pink pom pom onto the centre of the tube for a nose and draw eyes on using a black pen.
7. Glue a white pom pom onto the back of the tube for the tail.
8. To make flowers cut out flower petals from pink and yellow foam. Layer up the pink and yellow flowers on top of each other.
9.  Insert a green pipe cleaner through the centre of the flowers. Glue a small pom pom onto the centre of the flower to cover the sharp edge and secure the pipe cleaner.
10. Insert the flower into the arms and trim off any excess steam.

How to make a chick:

1. Paint the tubes yellow with two coats of paint.
2. For the wings, cut a rounded strip of white felt measuring 17cm, then cut three narrower pieces from yellow and white felt. Use pinking shears to snip the bottom of each part of the wing. Layer and glue each strip on top of each other – trim away any excess and snip the middle to create a wing shape. Dot a bit of glue in the middle of the wings and attach to the back of the chick, then glue the top corner of the wings to the front of the tube.
3. As with the bunny, cut the feet out of yellow foam and glue to the base of tube. Once the glue has set, add detail to the feet with an orange pen.
4. Cut a small piece of orange felt into a triangle and glue on for the beak.
5. Draw the eyes on with a black pen.
6. Put a layer of glue inside the top of the tube and stick yellow feathers all the way round.

Easter Wreath – Brighten up your home by popping this on your front door. We have chosen to make this in blue but you can make it in any colour or a multiple of shades. Be creative and feel free to place this on your back door or even outside your bedroom.

Craft Ability: Suitable for  intermediates

Estimated time: Around 2 and a half hours.

You will need: Rattan wreath, Selection of artificial foliage leaves and flowers, Polystyrene eggs in various sizes, White Feathers, Light Blue and brown acrylic paint, Turquoise satin ribbon, Glue gun, Scissors, Wire cutters, Pins and A paint brush.

How to make the wreath:

1. Cut the sprigs of artificial foliage and flowers from the stem using wire cutters. It is a good idea to arrange your spray first before attaching it to your wreath. Once you are happy with arrangement add some hot glue to the end of the sprig and then push it into the rattan wreath.
2. Paint the eggs with blue acrylic paint. When the paint is dry, water down the brown acrylic paint and gently ‘spray’ the eggs by flicking the bristles of the paint brush with you fingernail. This is a messy job, so it’s a good idea to make sure that there is plenty of protective covering around.
3. Arrange the feathers around the spray and attach them in the same way as the sprigs.
4. Once the eggs are dry arrange them in the spray and make sure that they are nestling nicely amongst the sprigs of foliage and feathers, and then glue them into place with the glue gun.
5. To hang the wreath, wrap the ribbon once around the rattan wreath and then tie a big bow.