Upcycled Candle Holder into a Mini Easter Basket

When writing for Crafting a Green World, I really have to think outside of the box as far as what items I can upcycle, recycle, etc. I was having a hard time last week coming up with a project to share on the site until my roommate found these red candle holders and said, "I bet you could make something for Easter with these!" With her help, we came up with an awesome idea-- mini Easter baskets!

You Will Need:

1. Candle holders, candle jars, or any small jar that you have around your home.

2. Scrapbook paper. I used scrap paper from the Upcycle Your Chocolate Heart Boxes into Wall Art post and from other random projects. If you're looking for an eco-friendly scrapbook paper, check out the original post at Crafting a Green World!

3. Scissors.

4. School glue.

5. Magazine.

 

6. Tape.

How To Do It:

1. Measure and cut out a piece of paper to wrap around your candle holder. To go with the Easter theme, I used pastel colors, but it's completely up to you. Tape the beginning of the paper to the candle holder, wrap it around, and then tape the end of the paper as well. I have no idea if that last sentence made sense so, like this:

2. Cut small strips of paper for the "handle" of the basket. I used colors that were different from the basket color to make it a bit more whimsical-- again, though, that's up to you!

3. Tuck your "handles" into the sides of your basket. I didn't tape them or anything because they're only for decoration, but if you have little ones that might try to pick the basket up by the handle, you might want to secure them with tape.

[Thank you Crystal for modeling your tan hands for us.]

Here are the three baskets with their handles:

4. Add cute decorations! I know my weaknesses, so Crystal did this part for me-- she's more talented in the drawing category.  She cut out an egg, a flower, and a bunny. If you have children, you could have them decorate their own basket or you could personalize it with their name.

5. Glue your decorations onto your basket.

6. I also made a filler to put inside the baskets instead of buying that green plastic filler. All you have to do is cut up 1 page from a magazine into little strips like so:

7. Then, fold the strips back and forth. They should look like this when you're done folding:

Once your filler is done, put it in your baskets.

Isn't it cute? It adds so much more interest and personality than the plastic green filler. You could put wrapped candy in the baskets and give them as gifts, or just keep them as decoration in your home. Who would you make these adorable baskets for?

If you're looking for more ideas for recycled candle jars/holders, check this post out 

or click the picture below!

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