There’s more to Easter egg decorating than what comes in a box! Give your eggs a fun, crafty look this year by dying them in extra-bright shades of your favorite hues, then decorating them with ribbon, stickers, thin strips of scrapbook paper, and faux flowers. Use clear-drying glue to attach the details.

{Resources: various ribbons from Michaels; fuzzy stickers from Target; faux flower by Prima; scrapbook paper by American Crafts.}

What are YOUR favorite ways to decorate Easter eggs?

This one’s for the kiddies… a fun little craft project + “friendly” holders for all those Easter Bunny treats!

(Full instructions for both versions after the jump…)

PAPER BUNNY CUP Treat Holders

You’ll Need:
white paper cup
white cardstock
pink felt or pink cardstock
2 wiggle eyes
small pink pom-pom
medium white pom-pom (for tail)
white chenille stems
scissors, glue, glue dots or a stapler

Directions
• From the white cardstock, cut 2 large white ovals for the bunny ears. Trim one side of the oval off so it’s squared off at the bottom.

• Cut 2 smaller oval shapes from the pink felt (or paper) for the inner part of the ear. Glue the pink ovals in the center of the white ear shapes and set aside to dry.

• Cut white chenille craft stems into short pieces for the whiskers. Use craft glue or glue dots to attach the whiskers to the cup, then glue the pink pom pom on top for the nose.

• Attach the ears to the back rim of the cup with a stapler or glue dots.

• Glue the white pom pom to the back of the cup to create a cotton tail.

• Fill with a colorful Easter grass and candy treats!

*****

PAPER CHICK CUP Treat Holders

You’ll Need:
yellow paper cup
orange cardstock
orange chenille craft stems
2 wiggle eyes
yellow craft feathers
scissors, glue/glue dots, stapler or tape

Directions
• From the orange cardstock, cut a small triangle for the beak and glue it to the front of the cup.

• Glue the wiggle eyes above the beak.

• Cut six 3/4-inch pieces of orange chenille stem for the chick feet. Twist three pieces together at one end for each foot. Attach the feet to the front of the cup with glue dots or tacky craft glue.

• Staple or tape a few feathers to the back edge of the cup, making sure they peek out over the top.

• Fill with a colorful Easter grass and candy treats!

Easter brunch, Mother’s Day brunch, wedding brunches… they’re even better with a cocktail, right?!

Check out today’s post over at Simply Stated for 5 great brunch cocktail recipes. Have a favorite daytime drink that’s not on the list? Share it!

These fun, DIY centerpieces can be customized with your own favorite flowers, shapes, and papers to create a look that’s uniquely yours… and tailored to any occasion!

The example pictured above is for our Easter table this year, but this look would also be cute for a baby shower or “love birds” bridal shower…

YOU’LL NEED:
Small Bedding plants (English Daisies pictured here)
Shallow rectangular vase
Die-cut Chipboard Shapes (pictured here: Maya Road’s Song Bird Coasters)
Decorative Papers (pictured here: Craft Fair by American Crafts)
Lollipop sticks
Glue stick or spray craft glue , Hot Glue Gun, Scissors
Faux flower or other embellishment for the vase (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Insert the bedding plants into the vase, filling it completely and adding extra soil if necessary.

2. Decorate the vase with a band of coordinating paper and a faux flower or other coordinating scrapbook embellishment, like the Mento Pastel Flowers by Prima, pictured here.

3. Trace & cut the chipboard shapes from decorative paper.

4. Use a glue stick or craft spray glue to attach the paper silhouettes to both sides of the chipboard.

5. Using a hot glue gun or glue dot, attach a lollipop stick to one side of the chipboard piece. Let the glue dry, then insert the lollipop sticks into the “flower field”.

*****

{This project is also featured in an Easter Craft slideshow I put together over at the Reader’s Digest website.}

Serving egg-based appetizers for Easter is pretty common, but there are so many different ways to get creative with them, including pumping up the color! Here are 4 yummy ideas from ’round the web {clockwise from top left}:

1. French Style Stuffed Eggs {via Cooking Light mag}

2. “Pink” Deviled Eggs, colored with beet juice (via HWTM Facebook Fan Chantal Sokora and her lovely Pink Party) Learn more: Pink Deviled Eggs Recipe.

3. Chipotle Deviled Eggs {via Epicurious.com}

4. Rachael Ray’s Deviled Egg Recipe {via Rachael Ray mag}

These Egg Tarts from Sunset Magazine are perfect for Easter brunch.  Egg yolks, sugar, and milk in a light filo crust; prep time + cooking = 30 minutes. (Full recipe after the jump.)

Ingredients
•  1  package frozen mini filo tartlet shells (15 shells)
•  1  egg white
•  3  egg yolks
•  2  tablespoons  sugar
•  2  tablespoons  milk

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Arrange shells on a baking sheet and defrost at room temperature, 15 minutes. Meanwhile, beat egg white until watery but not foamy.

2. With a fine-bristle pastry brush, generously brush inside of shells with egg white, gently working it into crevices. Bake until white is set, about 5 minutes.

3. In a large measuring cup (or other vessel with a spout), whisk yolks, sugar, and milk to combine. Skim off and discard any foam on top of the mixture and let sit 5 minutes (this will ensure tarts with sunny, shiny tops). Pour into shells and bake until set, 8 to 10 minutes.

***

{photo by Leigh Beisch}

Feel like being crafty & creative this weekend? These 5 fun projects from ’round the web are great inspiration for Easter projects and beyond! Pick your fav:

1. DIY Homemade Marshmallow Peeps (via Twig & Thistle)

2. Photo Lantern Tutorial {via decor8}

3. Paper Bunting/Banner {via tiny décor}

4. DIY “Envelope Gift Bags” {via howaboutorange}

5. Adorable Easter Softie {via Melissa Goodsell}

Here’s another easy Easter project for you: Paper Bunny Garlands!

The best part about this craft is that you can tailor it to any colors & patterns you want… and there are SO many great papers available. I used the new Craft Fair papers from American Crafts™ for this one (and also for the Terra Cotta Easter Baskets featured earlier this week).

I’m actually going to use this as a table runner for Easter. The bunnies are connected with ribbon and can easily be slid apart & adjusted to make room for a centerpiece in the middle.

(Full instructions & downloadable template after the jump.)

*****

Bunny Garland / Table Runner

You’ll Need:
scrapbook paper or cardstock in coordinating patterns & colors
matching ribbon, about 1/2″  – 3/4″ thick
scissors, Xacto knife
bunny template to trace

Directions
Find a silhouette of an Easter bunny to trace for your template. Click here to download the template for the bunny shape used here.

Cut the bunny shape out so you  have a template to use for the decorative papers. Trace the bunny template onto the different scrapbook papers, then cut each one out. Create as many paper bunnies as you need to cover the length of your table.

Use an Xacto knife to add 2 parallel slits on either side of the bunny for the ribbon to slide through. Make sure the slits are just slightly larger than your ribbon and spaced around 1″ apart.

Slide the bunnies onto the ribbon, one by one, then lay the runner on your table and adjust the placement of each bunny as necessary. Done!

*****

P.S. You can also use paper bunnies to decorate other areas of your home/Easter party. They look super cute on vases and gift bags or displayed in frames!

In my quest to come up with easy & budget-friendly Easter decorations this year, here’s another idea that fit the bill and only took a few minutes to whip together: mini pails +  window gels + flowers = super cute Easter Centerpieces!

Shopping Resources:
Mini pails: $1 bins at Target
Window gels: Target ($1.99/pack of 2 bunnies + 2 carrots)
English Daisies – Home Depot ($3.49/plant)
Gerbera Daisies – grocery store ($5/bunch)

Use your own favorite flowers or bedding plants for these arrangements – tulips or marigolds would be lovely options for Easter too. For the window gels – just shop, peel and stick…can’t get much easier than that!

Well, the Queen of baking cuteness has done it again! Check out these adorable new Easter-themed cake pop designs from Bakerella….starting with my personal favorite – the Spring Chickens! I just love these little cuties – both the “chicks on sticks” version (above) and the stick-free version (below).  This design would be really fun for baby showers and kids parties too!

Next up.. Easter Egg and Bunny Cake Pops, of course! Confetti sprinkles and colorful sanding sugar give the egg pops a fun, contemporary look…

I’m thinking this image needs to be my new screen saver….

Pastel “bunny corn” (candy corn’s Easter counterpart) transforms these little creatures into big-eared bunnies! Get the full step-by-step tutorial here. (Thanks, Bakerella!)