easter prep

We love celebrations here at the Nest! No doubt about it , we go all out. Decorations, special meals, and lasting memories. This year I started making Easter baskets for the children using a method my mom used when we were young. It took a few tries to make the syrup but I have made it a few times and have found just the right way. This is not a craft for the young as it can get extremely messy and sticky...! and make sure you have lots of newspaper around too.

Here is the Basic Recipe for it: so its 2 part Sugar (i used 1/2 white sugar, and 1/2 icing sugar) and 1 part Water! Put it together in a Pot and Boil ..and then continue to boil for 1 minute... leave on LOW for about 1-3 minutes till mixture is thick and syrupy and then COOL . Once cooled, dip a whole roll of yarn, cotton string or whatever you are using in the pot of cooled Sugar "glue" Mixture and tie one end of your thread to the Balloon KNOT to secure. Then proceed to wrap around balloon in varying patterns until all covered to preference and leace somewhere safe to dry.

Here they are Drying:

It will take 1-2 days to dry so be patient! When all dry you cut out an oval hole in the Front, hot glue lace and decorate...on easter morning, add Easter Grass inside and fill with easter treats and chocolates..thats it! Children will love to wake up Easter morning to see these lovely homemade Egg baskets on the table.

(will update with the FINAL finished basket once completed as I am working on them today!) As a child I remember mom kept these baskets stored downstairs in the craft room up on a high shelf and we managed to use them a few years in a row. I enjoy small simple ways of making a celebration that much more memorable and I cant wait to see our childrens faces when they see them!