Fuzzy Friends

Surprise the kids on your gift list by making these cute and cuddly Ostara pets to decorate their Ostara baskets. You might want to give them a box of the leftover supplies so they can create their own fuzzy animals.

You Will Need:

  • One bag of assorted pompoms (Be sure yellow, white, and orange pompoms are included in the assortment, or buy them separately.)
  • Tacky or fabric glue
  • Scissors
  • One piece each of yellow, orange, white, and pink felt
  • Bag of plastic eyes
  • Pack of pipe cleaner that includes orange
  • Bag of plastic hollow Easter eggs (the ones that snap apart)

 

  1. For the bunny: Glue two white pompoms together. Cut two hind legs and two bunny ears out of white felt. Glue these to the pompom body. Glue two small eyes to the head.
  2. For the chick: Glue two yellow pompoms together. Cut a triangular beak out of orange felt and glue it to the face. Glue on two plastic eyes. Use an orange pipe cleaner for the feet: Make a circle out of the middle of the pipe cleaner and glue it to the bottom pompom. Bend the ends of the pipe cleaner into two circles. Pinch the circles in half to form "V" shaped feet.
  3. For the duck: Glue two white pompoms together. Glue a smaller orange pompom on the mouth area. Cut feet out of orange felt and glue them to the body. Glue two eyes onto the head.

Place your pompoms in hollow, snap apart, plastic Easter eggs. Put the Easter eggs and leftover supplies in a gift basket and present it to the kids on your list.

Papier-Mâché Easter Eggs

If you don't mind a little mess, papier-mâché is a relatively easy medium for creating unusual homemade items. These handcrafted Ostara eggs filled with goodies will brighten up any Ostara basket.

You Will Need:

  • Newspapers
  • Five-inch balloon(s)
  • Shallow bowl
  • 3⁄4 cup flour
  • 1⁄2 cup water
  • Small wrapped candies
  • Masking tape
  • Colorful craft paints
  • Paintbrush
  • Clear acrylic finish spray

 

  1. Cover your work area with newspapers or a plastic tablecloth.
  2. Decide how many eggs you want to make and blow up the balloon(s). Tie a knot in the end(s).
  3. In a shallow bowl, make a paste from the flour and water. The paste should be thick enough to thoroughly coat a piece of newspaper without dripping off. If the paste is too runny, add more flour; if it's too stiff, add more water.
  4. Tear or cut a newspaper into one-inch strips. Dip the strips into the flour mixture and run your fingers down the strip to remove excess paste. Paste the strip onto the balloon in a vertical direction, going from the knotted end to the top and back down again. Repeat this process until the balloon is covered. Do not cover the knot of the balloon. Keep a one-inch "hole" in this area to insert the candies. Next add strips horizontally until the balloon is covered with a 1⁄4-inch layer of newspaper. Press the strips to the balloon and rub a layer of the paste over the top to smooth any wrinkles. Allow the egg to dry overnight.
  5. When the egg is dry, carefully pop the balloon and pull it out through the hole. Fill the egg with wrapped candies and seal the hole with masking tape.
  6. Paint the egg with colorful craft paints and allow it to dry. Spray the egg with clear acrylic finish spray and allow it to dry thoroughly. The kids could keep the egg to reuse as a decoration for Easter by carefully removing the tape to get to the candies, or they could crack the egg open by hitting it against a hard surface (such as concrete).
Read more on FamilyEducation: http://fun.familyeducation.com/easter/gifts/45237.html#ixzz1Q9CjsXFl

Eggshell Pictures

You can make pretty pictures using the small pieces of left-over egg shell from the eggs you dyed for Ostara, or follow the instructions below!

Materials:

  • Eggshells
  • Posterboard
  • Glue
  • Food Coloring
  • Vinegar
  • Paper Towels
  • Newspaper

 

Steps to Take:

  1. In a small dish, mix a few drops of food coloring with about a 1/2 cup of vinegar for each color you want to use.
  2. Soak the eggshells in the food coloring until they are the color you want. You will want to crush the shells in to small pieces before doing this.
  3. Remove the colored shells and spread on paper towels (covering the newspaper to protect the work surface from staining!) to dry.
  4. Draw a picture on the posterboard (**hint** coloring book pictures are also good for this!)
  5. Spread glue in each area of your drawing.
  6. Place the pieces of egg shells in the different sections of the drawing.
  7. Allow to dry completely before moving the picture.

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