Easter Over: What Do You Do with the Baskets?

There are many types of baskets; plastic, wood, cloth and on occasion metal. The metal variety are much easier to tie into your daily decor, however, they are rarely purchased for a child. Cloth baskets usually use cardboard to support the shape, thus limiting your uses; especially those relating to water. Plastic is very durable and can be used indoors and outdoors; kitchen, bathroom and garden.

Most Easter baskets are constructed in a disposable fashion, meant only for the big day. The handles are usually attached via staples and on occasion you will find they have been hot glued. The handle will be removed for all of the tips below. The staples require nothing more than a staple remover. Hot glue can be pulled off easily, if you find it to stubborn, a hair dryer blown on the glue for a few minutes can help you loosen its hold. You only need to heat the glue, you do not want it to melt. The glue can become extremely hot if you allow it to heat for an extended period of time, and can burn the skin. Children, please remember to ask for an adults permission and/or assistance before using any electrical appliance.

Size and overall construction of the basket determines any long term use. The flimsy, thrown together baskets are better for aesthetic purposes. You can use them to hold potpourri, change, toothpicks, candy; anything small and lightweight. Use thumbtacks and arrange a few in a creative pattern along the walls of hallways or entrances. Drape silk flowers and ivy/vines between them, a little hot glue to keep them in place and you have beautiful flower wall art.

Use two or three baskets to build a small storage system. You'll need a few dowel rods and some twine/hemp rope. You'll want to use dowel rods that will slip easily between the weave of the baskets without snapping them. These can be found at your local craft supply stores, as well as most stores that cater to home improvement. If you are unsure of cutting the rods yourself, buy them in the height you'll need. However, buying one long rod and sizing them yourself will save you a few dollars overall. Once the rods are in place you want to secure them to each basket with the twine. A small dab of hot glue at each joint for extra security and your done.

The bathroom is a safe bet for baskets. Pour a bag of lightly scented potpourri into the basket about an inch from the top. I put a bottle of pump hand sanitizer in the center of this, decorative and useful. Bars of soap, washrags, lotions...anything can be displayed in an artistic manner.

The kitchen, my favorite place to come up with decorative, unusual touches. Tea bags; I have over 10 varieties of tea in my house at any given time. The boxes they come in are often bulky and take much needed space. While I wanted to keep them fresh over time..I still needed the cupboard space. This is where I used the only metal basket I've received over the years. I use sections of plastic wrap to create tiny tea bag pouches. Write the name of the type of tea on a post it note and stick onto the inside of the pouch. The plastic wrap keeps them fresh and you can see the type of tea without opening every bag.

You can do the same with any restaurant condiment packs you may have lingering around your kitchen. I had drawers full of ketchup, mustard...you know your garden variety packets. They now collect in the basket and are used more often than thrown away.

A side note on potpourri, if you use the wicker/wooden baskets the pores of the wood will absorb the scent. Over time the basket itself will be potpourri! Remember this when choosing your scent selections: a few mixed together over time can bring your nose pleasure, twenty to thirty can create something vile.

Your children can be your biggest creative muse's. Give them the chance to come up with a handful of ideas. Have them write them down..draw a picture of what they see in their mind. Tackle the projects together and watch them begin to cherish their space, your home.