ShareThisWhen I think of Easter, baskets filled with candy and colored eggs come to mind. This year, however, I decided to feature the wascally wabbit in an Easter banner. Banners are easy to make and can be used to decorate a wall, doorway, window or fireplace mantle.
The rabbit is created out of paper scraps and is inspired by a bunny sticker that I love. Trouble is, the sticker isn't large enough for my banner, so I enlarged it in a copy machine, changed the ears so they would hang evenly from the ribbon and used the modified art as a pattern to cut out the paper rabbit. Because it is going to hang from a length of ribbon or cord, it needs to be cut from a folded piece of white paper, leaving the fold intact behind the rabbit ears. The color details are simply layered over the white paper rabbit.
The rabbit is used to separate the Easter greeting into two words: HOPPY EASTER. My letters are cut from a 4-inch alphabet, but the size can vary depending on how long you want the banner to be. Most schools have alphabet dies that you can use to cut out the letters, providing you supply your own paper. If that isn't an option, simply enlarge a sticker alphabet in a photocopier until the letters are a size that fits your needs. The enlarged letters become patterns for cutting out the greeting. Be sure to fold the paper before cutting, leaving the fold intact at the top of each letter.
Patterned paper adds personality to the letters and can be purchased with spring prints or can be created with a few simple tools. Polka dots are rubber-stamped with a fresh pencil eraser and colored inkpad. Stripes can be drawn with colored pens or cut and glued from strips of contrasting colored paper. Checked patterns are created with any small, square paper punch.
Once the rabbit and letters are cut and decorated, drape them over a narrow ribbon or silk cord and glue the two sides together, trapping the cord or ribbon in the middle. It's helpful to continue the adhesive all the way up into the fold so that the letters will stay in place.
Once the holiday has passed, it's easy to stack the letters together (leaving them attached to the ribbon) and slide them into an envelope for storing until it's time for the rabbit to reappear next spring.
If you have your heart set on Easter baskets, you might try a different type of basket. Clear plastic paint cans are available in quart or half-gallon sizes in most craft stores and provide a nifty, inexpensive place to store everything from Easter eggs to stuffed animals. The circular lid is decorated with spring-themed stickers and is attached to the metal lid with tiny magnets covered with egg-stra stickers.
(Contact Sandi Genovese at sgenovese1(at)cox.net.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
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