i (me, lisa) always get the weirdest looks whenever i go into a hardware store.

last week, i went to pay for my 50 tiny peat pots and bag of live ladybugs (i’ll explain the ladybugs later)….

you know, those biodegradable, cardboard pots that you use to plant seedlings & they just decompose when you plant them?

these guys:

so, the cashier guy smiles at me and says, “hi, how are you?  planning to do a lot of gardening this weekend?”

“no”, i replied, “actually, they’re for a project for my kid’s school classmates.”

“oh”, he said, “they’re planting stuff?”

“nope”, said i, “i’m making little easter basket pails for them.”

“oh”, he says, “so, you’re putting gardening stuff into the easter baskets for them!, (like he’s beginning to understand me)… we have some cute seed packets that would go perfectly with these… here let me show you…”

“no… hang on!” i blurted, “the peat pots ARE the easter pails. i’m going to decorate them & fill them with candy”.

“okay”, gardening guy says giving me a strange look. “so… what are the ladybugs for?”

“oh,  the lady bugs are just for my kids to put out in our yard”

“of course” says bewildered gardening guy. “are you going to decorate them & fill them with candy, too?”

so, here’s the project:

pretty, huh?

and pretty cheap & easy to make, too!

here, let me show you:

what you need

little peat pots (mine are about 3 inches tall)

paint

glitter

assorted paper, vintage ephemera, or clip art images.

wire, pipe cleaners, or tinsel covered wire.

hole punch

and anything you want to use to decorate them… buttons, brads, flowers, ribbon, anything your little heart desires!

step 1

paint your pot, or glitter & let dry.

i’ve found that if you paint the outside & inside it kind of makes the pot a little sturdier.

step 2

punch holes on sides of pail to add wire handle.

add decorative eyelets or grommets if desired.

thread wire through & twist to secure, making sure there are no sharp edges… you don’t want those little fingers getting hurt!

step 3

decorate!

i’ve included a PDF of little vintage spring postcards that i’ve put together & used at the bottom of this post :)

step 4

fill with treats, pass out & revel in all the compliments from your kid’s teachers & parents on how creative you are ;)

if you have any questions, please fell free to ask them in the comments section & i’ll answer them as soon as i can!

happy spring, everyone!

vintage-easter1

(please only use these images for your own personal use)