A Tisket, A Tasket, A Checkered Easter Basket

After reading the title of this project, do you have that old children's song in your head? I do. Sorry about that.

But how cute is this new Mini House Front Box from Alpha Stamps? Never mind that I put the house on the back; I wanted the goodies within to show! Here it is with a painted Easter egg, and there's room to spare for candy.

A tiny white rabbit rests on the front lawn (above), and a mischievous rabbit appears in the back. He's gotten into the tiny carrot patch and helped himself to a treat. At least he left a few for later. I used wire cutters to cut the tops off of three tiny clay carrots so they look like they're still partially buried in the ground under the window.

The butterflies were cut from scrapbook paper. On the paper, they're the pale yellow color shown in the photo above. I used Copic markers to color the other three light pink, dark pink, and blue. The butterflies were folded and glued only down the center fold line, so they look like they're actually perching on the house.

The outside of the house is covered with a gingham check paper, but I used a different black and white print on the inside. Mixing prints is fun!

I know this box doesn't consist of your typical Easter colors, but that makes it great for other uses. How about an ATC caddy?

Or perhaps even better, how about a tiny liquor bottle carrier? Now that's a fun Easter surprise!

This little house front box is easy to put together, and doors and windows are also available. If you use paper to cover your base, be sure to leave the cardboard uncovered where the walls are to be inserted into the slits on the base. Red Dresden trim picks up the colors in the windows and door. A little white glue is all you need to keep things together.

 

The sides of the house come with small holes at the top so you can easily add a handle. I was not sure I was going to add one, so before I covered both sides of the cardboard with paper, I made a template to make the hole easy to locate.  The tinsel I used as a handle has a thin wire that goes through it, so I first punched out the hole with a needle, and then threaded the wire through. You can simply twist the ends of the wire together, and it's hardly noticeable. Here I am using the template to locate the hole. Can you tell I use a piece of tracing paper as many times as humanly possible before getting a new sheet?

Although using this basket as a tiny liquor bottle caddy is tempting, I believe I'll end up using it as an ATC holder. The painted egg I used in these photos has already been cracked and pealed and deviled for last night's dinner. It was delicious.

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